2012 Volkswagen Passat Alltrack

November 23, 2011

We’re pretty fond of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, and we aren’t alone. But for all of the vehicle’s merits, there are a few of our favorite options missing from the American order sheet. For starters, buyers in the land of the free can’t bring home a long-roof version of the mid-sizer, and all-wheel drive is nowhere to found either. These absences are made all the more painful by the fact that European buyers can snag this, the new 2012 Passat Alltrack. The vehicle is set to debut at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show and boasts the Volkswagen 4Motion all-wheel drive system as well as a taller ride height for overcoming rough terrain and deep snow.

That smell? It’s just the noxious fumes of envy wafting through the internet.

Volkswagen has thrown in a set of flared fender arches as well as revised front and rear bumpers. Under normal operation, the Passat Alltrack kicks 90 percent of the engine’s power to the front axles, though 100 percent of the grunt can be shifted to the rear tires if need be. In the UK, buyers may chose between two variants of the German automaker’s 2.0-liter TDI four-cylinder engine.