MY16 Passat R-line Highline TDI140 vs MY18 Passat Alltrack TDI140 - an observation

**Passerati** · 30-08-2018, 11:33 PM

So today I had my passat in for the swap of door card under warranty (see my other post about cracking door trim)

I was given a MY18 Passat Alltrack with 5500ks on the clock as a courtesy vehicle for the day so I thought I’d compare them a little bit - there was a few things I noticed.

Engine sound internally and externally:
My MY16 Passat sound like a tractor in comparison to the Alltrack which was considerably more quite yet they share the same engine which puzzles me.
Acceleration was also very different.
The Alltrack is All wheel drive and mine is front wheel drive. My Passat is a lot gutsier and punchier when accelerating, pushes me back into my seat a bit which I love, the Alltrack felt heavy and slow in comparison.

Ride:
As the R-line models are dropped 15mm and I have 18” alloys mine is quite bumpy and the ride is hard.
The Alltrack is obviously raised even higher than a standard Passat but jeeeez the ride was so smooth, barely felt pot holes and uneven road surfaces although when cornering the Alltrack had a tendency to roll somewhat, felt like som 1950s Cadillac or an old Citroen DS. I think I prefer the stiffer ride still.

Entertainment System:
The MY18s new touch only screen was unresponsive and when it reacted it was slow compared the the earlier type although the screen size was huge, good enough to watch a movie on.

Interior:
My MY16s Highline Interior with leather upholstery and R-line trims felt more luxurious and of a lot higher quality in comparison to the Alltrack which looked and felt more plastic and of lower quality. This was quite surprising as I thought most VWs these days share the quality with Audi and BMW... it was one of the reason why I chose VW.

Anyway this was all just an observation.

Anyone else that have noticed these things?

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**Jondalar** · 04-09-2018, 12:31 PM

Did the Alltrack have the adaptive suspension? If not that probably explains the ride. I test drove a couple of Passats in 2016 (pre adaptive being available) and decided suspension was way too soft. With Adaptive the Normal setting is pretty much just right with minimal body roll. Sport makes it rock hard and stays very flat and Comfort makes it rather soft but too bouncy/floaty for my liking. Does your MY16 R-line have the double glazed front windows? They make the Alltrack very quiet inside. As for take-off, try putting transmission in sport and then half accelerator, just jumps off the line and no wheelspin worries.

Cheers,
karl

**Kachingg** · 04-09-2018, 04:34 PM

I have the 135kw/380nm diesel (same motor just 5kw less) in my alltrack and found it very nice but as the op says just a bit lacking still lots of torque but like all diesels anything over 4k rpm is a waste of time and fuel
Soooo i got it tuned now 165kw and 480nm

What a huge difference its made in power now from 2000 to 3200 the torque wall is huge puts a smile on my face everyday just in everyday driving it's 2k and whoosh away you go love it
TBH i was expecting that but what surprised me was it revs out to 4500 rpm really strong just charges at the redline not running out of puff it has 50kw more at 4200rpm than the stock motor now i am getting 6.2 seconds to 100k

I don't have the adaptive suspension on mine but the ride is firm (quite firm with the 19 inch rims) but fine for me

I found like you that it does wallow around the corners quite a bit a lot of body roll especially at the rear you can really feel the back heal over and the front understeer if you push it but a new rear bar and linkages fix's that up nicely no other mod's needed to have a nice neutral handling wagon

I do wish they had offered the golf with adaptive suspension tho defiantly a options box i would have picked

**doc_777** · 04-09-2018, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Kachingg

I have the 135kw/380nm diesel (same motor just 5kw less) in my alltrack and found it very nice but as the op says just a bit lacking still lots of torque but like all diesels anything over 4k rpm is a waste of time and fuel
Soooo i got it tuned now 165kw and 480nm

What a huge difference its made in power now from 2000 to 3200 the torque wall is huge puts a smile on my face everyday just in everyday driving it's 2k and whoosh away you go love it
TBH i was expecting that but what surprised me was it revs out to 4500 rpm really strong just charges at the redline not running out of puff it has 50kw more at 4200rpm than the stock motor now i am getting 6.2 seconds to 100k

I don't have the adaptive suspension on mine but the ride is firm (quite firm with the 19 inch rims) but fine for me

I found like you that it does wallow around the corners quite a bit a lot of body roll especially at the rear you can really feel the back heal over and the front understeer if you push it but a new rear bar and linkages fix's that up nicely no other mod's needed to have a nice neutral handling wagon

I do wish they had offered the golf with adaptive suspension tho defiantly a options box i would have picked

where is the intercooler mounted in that installation? Is it an air to air intercooler front mounted or a water to air (top mounted - part of the intake manifold)?

**Kachingg** · 04-09-2018, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by doc_777

where is the intercooler mounted in that installation? Is it an air to air intercooler front mounted or a water to air (top mounted - part of the intake manifold)?

It's a water to air intercooler mounted as you said part of the intake manifold

The radiator for the water intercooler is as large as the normal radiator for engine cooling so is not in need of a upgrade unless you are going crazy with a stage 3+ tune

**doc_777** · 04-09-2018, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Kachingg

It's a water to air intercooler mounted as you said part of the intake manifold

The radiator for the water intercooler is as large as the normal radiator for engine cooling so is not in need of a upgrade unless you are going crazy with a stage 3+ tune

cool, so the basic hardware is the same. You get the bonus of no adblue though

i admit ive considered a tune for my wolf.

**Kachingg** · 04-09-2018, 05:59 PM

Oh it is worth it for sure the change is astounding turns a good motor into a great motor

**doc_777** · 04-09-2018, 06:08 PM

I’ve got 4 1/2 years warranty remaining so have to weigh it all up.

**Kachingg** · 04-09-2018, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by doc_777

I’ve got 4 1/2 years warranty remaining so have to weigh it all up.

Yeah i once thought the same i got 4 years left as well

Then my best mate who has been putting off getting a S3 Audi for a while and was almost ready to pull the trigger after denying himself for so long suddenly came down with terminal brain cancer so no new dream car for him ever! Vic Roads took his license and cut it up
So i thought you only live once and got my car tuned cause if worse comes to worse i will just pay to fix whatever **** goes wrong it's only money and the smiles i have got from tuning it already far outweigh any pain down the track
Plus i get to take my mate for runs in the hills to

**Newair** · 05-09-2018, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Kachingg

Yeah i once thought the same i got 4 years left as well

Then my best mate who has been putting off getting a S3 Audi for a while and was almost ready to pull the trigger after denying himself for so long suddenly came down with terminal brain cancer so no new dream car for him ever! Vic Roads took his license and cut it up
So i thought you only live once and got my car tuned cause if worse comes to worse i will just pay to fix whatever **** goes wrong it's only money and the smiles i have got from tuning it already far outweigh any pain down the track
Plus i get to take my mate for runs in the hills to

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Hi Kaching
I am thinking you have the diesel?? Would mind letting me know where you got the tune from as I’m considering one for my 2016/7 R line Passat sedan 140 kw diesel.