The Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0-litre TDI 4MOTION has beaten 50 shortlisted contenders to emerge as the overall winner of the 2007 Towcar Awards. The expert judges from What Car? magazine, Practical Caravan and The Camping and Caravanning Club awarded the honour following a comprehensive series of tests measured against a demanding set of criteria.
Steve Fowler, Group Editor of What Car? commented: 'After five days of intense testing, the Volkswagen Passat Estate emerged as a clear winner. It makes great sense whatever you're towing, but just as crucial are its abilities in everyday driving and the fact that it's a sound ownership proposition.'
As well as scooping the overall award the Passat Estate also won its class in the
1575 kg - 1724 kg category. Rounding off the awards success was a category win for the Volkswagen Golf Match 1.9-litre TDI in the sub 1425 kg class.
Carl Rodgerson, Editor of Practical Caravan said: 'Choosing the right towcar is a tricky business. These awards are designed to remove that uncertainty by putting all the leading models through Britain's most comprehensive towcar test programme. An excellent car doesn't automatically make a great towcar but you can be confident that the winners of the Towcar Awards are brilliant all-rounders that offer value, practicality and economy as well as superb towing ability.'
The Passat Estate TDI 4MOTION is equipped with a powerful 2.0-litre 140 PS, four-cylinder diesel engine developing a maximum of 236 lbs ft of torque making it ideally suited to towing. Every Passat is fitted with the Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) as standard along with ABS braking systems and ASR traction control. The Haldex 4MOTION four-wheel drive maximises traction in slippery conditions by channelling power to the wheels with the most grip. The high level of standard equipment on all 4MOTION models includes Climatic air conditioning, an eight speaker CD stereo and 16-inch alloy wheels. Prices for the Passat Estate 2.0-litre TDI 4MOTION start at £21,317 for the SE model fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Via: www.newspress.co.uk