Passat Alltrack news

[Lance B]

Why the hell would they rate it lower than the manufacturer?! Australian nanny-state " we know what's good and safe for you and better than you do" in action again?.

You got it. Nanny State socialism strikes again.

Leaving only a full-bore SUV.

You got it again.

[Guy_H]

I have been told it wont be out until "late" this year now. 60k drive away.

[Marakai]

I have been told it wont be out until "late" this year now. 60k drive away.

There seem to be so many "I heard" you'd think this was some secret military project. The first post in the thread states the first ones are on their way and will be here this month - and the poster expects to take ownership of his ordered one in February. Where does the "late this year" rumour come from? It's also contradicted in that vendor blog.

This is starting to burn under my nails. Our current clunker, while it served us OK, is coming apart such that every repair it will need now is going to cost more than the car is worth on the market. I hate throwing good money after bad. I expect it to last until about year's end - which is when I expected and hoped I would just about be driving to the dealer to pick up the new baby - which I would have order late this or early next month. (yeah, I'd also "heard rumours" about 9 months delivery for the Alltrack and was trying to ignore those. just more stress I don't need).

Of course this all becomes moot if the nanny-staters downrate the towing capacity. Thank the gods it's Friday, I think I need a pint or five.

[Guy_H]

I "heard" from my dealer principal as I have one on order (subject to a few things).

There certainly won't be any official towing capacity released until it's ready for sale.

My understanding is the problem in AU with towing is not so much the pulling capacity, its the ball weight capacity, and the ability of the chassis (or lack of chassis) to carry the ball weight. In AU 10% ball weight is considered "normal" in Europe it's not.

If it tows 2000kg's & can only have 150kg ball weight, it doesn't really matter then.....

[Marakai]

I "heard" from my dealer principal as I have one on order (subject to a few things).

There certainly won't be any official towing capacity released until it's ready for sale.

My understanding is the problem in AU with towing is not so much the pulling capacity, its the ball weight capacity, and the ability of the chassis (or lack of chassis) to carry the ball weight. In AU 10% ball weight is considered "normal" in Europe it's not.

If it tows 2000kg's & can only have 150kg ball weight, it doesn't really matter then.....

Well, I suppose "availability" I measure as to when I can test drive one - and should I be so inclined buy one off the lot. If you ordered one un-testdriven true availability would be when your ordered model actually arrives, I take it? Which is 6-7 months down the road, as Emden apparently can't roll out the 4Motion/DSG models (incl Alltrack) any faster. That's after correlating info from this forum with the German Motor Talk forums and news posts.

I would have disputed the "only 150kg ball weight" - until I started looking into Autralian made horse trailers. What a bunch of horribly unbalanced pieces of crap. Started looking into (again, German-made) Boeckmann trailers and quel surprise! they offer lower weight with *far* lower ball weight and yet much better frame stability and quality than any Rowville. And they're perfectly balanced. It would have been a match made in heaven with an Alltrack: even with 2 warmbloods in there you'd be in the safe zone.

Where the hell did this 10% ball weight come from anyway? Just yet another thing the Vicroads et all pulled out of <self-censored>? A properly balanced trailer doesn't put 10% of its gross weight on the bearing. Never mind, don't want to get this thread off track and bring down mod wrath upon my head.

[Spook]

The Alltrack is now available in NZ, and they have listed a 2 tonne towing capacity.

Here's their specs: http://www.volkswagen.co.nz/media/co...eet_passat.pdf

[phaeton]

Why the hell would they rate it lower than the manufacturer?! Australian nanny-state " we know what's good and safe for you and better than you do" in action again?

That blows and quite likely puts me back at the drawing board. The Alltrack (in fact any cross-over apart from the A6 Allroad) would be out of consideration. Leaving only a full-bore SUV.

Sorry to be blunt before have been getting over a bug.

The reason why its been downgraded is because the 2.2 tonne towing is rated on an 8% (braked) incline whereas the UK and NZ (not sure on Australia) are rated at 12% (braked) incline.

[Marakai]

Sorry to be blunt before have been getting over a bug.

The reason why its been downgraded is because the 2.2 tonne towing is rated on an 8% (braked) incline whereas the UK and NZ (not sure on Australia) are rated at 12% (braked) incline.

It's all good, mate, I'm not exactly Mr. Congeniality with a cold either.

However, as to what you wrote, Germany actually rates on both (the doco shows 8%/12% with 2200/2000kg) and using only one is still a bit of a joke here.

WHERE in Australia do you even get 8% inclines, never mind 12%? Unless you live on top of Mt Buller. Whose hare-brained idea was it to use that the only baseline? Not counting your 4x4 off-road tracks - I mean who takes a 2 ton trailer on those? Seriously?!

The average road I'd take a horse trailer likely has a max. incline of 1% otherwise the critters fall out the back.

[booba]

I am no expert on towing or balls lol. but I think that the oem towball/bar is different from europe to australia, maybe this has something to do with it?

Why the hell would they rate it lower than the manufacturer?! Australian nanny-state " we know what's good and safe for you and better than you do" in action again?

That blows and quite likely puts me back at the drawing board. The Alltrack (in fact any cross-over apart from the A6 Allroad) would be out of consideration. Leaving only a full-bore SUV.

[Marakai]

I am no expert on towing or balls lol. but I think that the oem towball/bar is different from europe to australia, maybe this has something to do with it?

So, if you order the "factory-installed" tow kit, where is it actually put in? Isn't the Volkswagen original one a kind of "fancy" retractable one installed in... Emden, I believe for the 4Motion/DSG types, including the Alltrack? Do they then adjust to country of delivery?

Or are tow kits always installed locally due to the difference you mentioned? After seeing some photos on this very forum on what crap jobs have been done there, I'd dread having it done here. I would trust those to tow a cardboard box, never mind a horse trailer!

I think I'll ask on the German forum what the specs for the VW-installed kit is there for comparison.