GRR Garage: Goodbye to the Passat Altrack

As with every car we have had our collective ups – travelling to Le Mans, meandering through the burgandy countryside, nipping up and down this country with conusumate ease – and our downs – the recent fuel gauge panic – but on the balance we are all thoroughly disappointed to see the Passat go.

What can you really say about a big estate that does everything it is meant to do and then does a little bit more, other than that it does its job with a consumate ease that some of its rivals struggle to match. The interior of the Passat makes you question whether Audi will be giving Volkswagen a little sideye when they look at sales figures, and it drives without fuss and with at least some interest.

But then perhaps the greatest test of this kind of car is whether, when you have to say goodbye to it, you feel any kind of sadness. If it has fallen into any of the traps awaiting a reasonbaly affordable large car (dull drive, uninspiring design) then it will be with the lightest of touches that you hand the keys over at the end of the day. But should it have been an excellent runner and a car that managed to keep you interested at all times while gently wafting you and tonnes of kit around then there will be a heaviness in the heart as you pass on the fob.

For us it was fortunately the latter with the Passat Alltrack. The boot is a chasm yet it still looks fresh outside, the interior is brilliantly put together and full of tech (how we will miss radar-guided cruise control), and the engine peppy in spite of the vaguely dim-witted auto 'box.

In fact we liked it so much we've made two films about it that are coming your way in the new year. So bye-bye Passat, hopefully we'll see you again soon.