Volkswagen’s Passat Estate Alltrack lifted this year’s overall trophy, and also scooped class and category wins in The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Competition. The competition’s 47 entrants, which were split into seven price classes and two weight categories, saw winning vehicles from Volkswagen, Citroën, Peugeot, Škoda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

However, it was the Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack that took the overall victory. It was described as “one of the classiest mid-range cars by a mile”. Each towcar was thoroughly tested – being judged not only on its towing performance over the testing circuit at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, but also for ‘caravanability’. Caravanability evaluates how well the car caters for caravanner’s needs – how much typical holiday gear and caravan essentials it can accommodate, how easily it can be hitched up to a caravan and the quality of towing information available in its handbook. Also added to the marking equation was the towcar’s value for money.

While the 4MOTION-equipped all-wheel drive Passat Alltrack has been named Towcar of the Year 2017, the Passat and its smaller sibling, the 4MOTION-equipped Golf Alltrack, have taken three class wins between them.

In the awards, once again presented at the Royal Automobile Club in London, the Passat Alltrack won the £32,000 to £35,000 category and also scooped the honours in the hotly contested All-Wheel Drive Under 1800 kg group. The Passat Alltrack then went on to take the biggest prize of all: Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2017. Meanwhile the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack triumphed in the £29,000 to £32,000 category.

The driving dynamics and ergonomic efficiency of both Alltrack models were thoroughly tested by the judges, who praised the Passat as being “one of the classiest mid-range cars by a mile… it simply oozes competence.” They added: “It pulls away strongly and exhibits excellent flexibility throughout the mid-range.”

The Passat Alltrack was singled out as the best of the best thanks to its combination of advanced technology and attractive affordability. The car features permanent all-wheel drive with a Haldex coupling, which means the drive is sent to the rear wheels as soon as it is needed. Meanwhile, the default is front-wheel drive which contributes to an impressive fuel consumption figure of 57.6 mpg on the combined cycle, with CO₂ emissions of 130 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are obtained under standardised EU test conditions The Passat Alltrack, priced from £31,215 (RRP OTR), differs from the standard Passat Estate in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most obvious is the ground clearance which is increased by 27.5 mm to 174 mm. It also features additional underbody and wheel arch protection, and has exclusive front and rear bumper designs. Matt chrome door mirror housings and anodised silver roof rails work with the 18-inch ‘Kalamata’ alloy wheels to complete the Passat Alltrack’s rugged looks.