Would the VW Passat Alltrack Work in the U.S.?

Volkswagen version of the A6 Allroad...it would definitely appeal to the Subaru crowd with a vehicle that is more sophisticated than the Outback or Forester.

They should do it. I don't see how it could be any worse off than the Routan.

Why not? The Subaru Outback works.

What I don't like is the size of the new Passats. They're monstrous.

But when it's time to replace my wagon, I'd love one the size of my '01. If the ground clearance is a bit higher, so be it.

Ditch the plastic bodywork and drop the height back down and I would be interested. But I can see an appeal for this too.

On a side note, I drove a late 2010 Passat Estate in England and the 2.0 TDI is way better over there than the one we over here. No throttle issues from a stop like the Jetta TDI.

I think so, people buy the Outback and I'm not sure why. I think VW is worried about this hurting Toureg sales.

I'd love one - diesel with a stick please.

Nope. it goes against global domination plan here. This car will not be sold for pennies, most likely it will be priced close to A4 Avant and Q5 and people will just one of this. It will her Toureg sales, as it is cheeper and bigger.

I would love one of this in diesel (will trade-in my car right now). I'll take it over 8 speed Audi any time, since they will never offer that kind of cars with manual. On the other hand, I'll never buy "Americanized version of it".

So, it's a less reliable Venza or Edge?

+1 oldvwagon01

I'd rather have the smaller version of the Passat too.

I saw a nicely cared for 1st gen Subaru Outback and it looked great. Perfect size unlike the new bloated version. I'm tired of cars getting bigger for the sake of being bigger.

@ firstwagon:

Maybe you don't care for the larger Outback, but increased sales of the new model indicate you're in the minority. Frankly, I think this is about as large as the Outback will get, as it finally is sized to handle a 5-member family in decent comfort.

...Also, believe it or not, the new Outback is an inch shorter than the the last-gen model. Yes, it's wider, taller and has a longer wheelbase—but it's also shorter.

As to the VW Passat Alltrack, I say bring it on. One point though: Even though the ground clearance has been increased on the Alltrack, the Outback still has nearly a 2-inch advantage here.

Price it to overlap closely the different Outback trims and watch sales soar.

Touareg sales? What Touareg sales? It hardly sells in Quebec, VW's largest per capita market on the continent.

For years VW, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Saab and Volvo sold full-size wagons in North America.

As of 2012, only Mercedes and Volvo offer full-size wagons in North America. In addition, Subaru has built a strong market share with their Outback wagon.

Many current owners of European -designed and -built wagons wagons will want to replace their vehicles with newer models. Many of these owners do NOT want an SUV or CUV; nor do they want a Asian-based vehicle.

As a long-time Audi owner and wagon owner (2004 Audi A6 Avant Quattro), I really wanted the new generation (C7) Audi A6 Avant. However, Audi will no longer bring A6 Avant wagons to North America.

I follow a number of Audi enthusiast forums and many current owners of allroads and Avants would like a replacement vehicle. Audi has announced that North America will get the A4-based allroad in 2014. However, for many full-size wagon owners, the A4 wagon is just too small.

On the other hand, the new Passat Alltrack would be a good alternative. It is about the same size, both inside and outside as the 1997-2005 Audi A6 (C5) platform.

There is also a an opportunity to pick up "conquest customers" from Saab, BMW and Volvo as well as former Passat wagon customers.

I wish that VWoA would really look at the the North American market opportunity and bring the new Passat Alltrack to this market.

rsholland

Maybe it's different where you but I've seen a grand total of 2 of the new Outbacks. Not exactly a big seller.

The original Outbacks I was referring to sold like hotcakes.

BTW... I had a 1st gen Legacy wagon for years and it will seat 5 just fine (as long as you don't buy to large a kids seat).

We need more detail on the "selectable differentials." Plus, it would be nice to have Diesel-CVT power train.

Firstwagon, where are you? Outbacks are everywhere in the Northeast. As of last March, the Outback was making up 35% of Subaru sales.

pat1usmc

British Columbia. And Subarus are everywhere here too, just not the new Outback.

Thats strange, I wonder why.
The Outback has always appealed to me. I'm hoping this Passat makes it here. I'd also hope for a manual transmission but thats probably not going to happen. Surprisingly the local Subaru deal has 2 Outbacks on the lot with 6speed manuals...

"Looks like an old AMC Eagle in new clothes."

VW wishes it looked that good! I loved the old Eagles....they still have a super loyal following...almost cult status.

It would be great but not sure about sales here. I see a lot of Subarus, and just bought an 03 Forester myself, but as far as wagons go, very few compared to CUV's. It's great to see wagons such as the A4 Avant, TSX wagon, CTS wagon all coming to the US but I rarely see them. I've only seen one CTS wagon, no TSX wagons yet, and a hangful of A4 Avants and I live close to Chicago so kind of surprised. I see a lot of Subaru's in Colorado but not nearly as many around here.