VOLKSWAGEN has entered the mid-size wagon-based crossover fray with its classy Passat Alltrack, designed to offer the extra dirt-road confidence of raised ride height and all-wheel-drive without the pitfalls of a full-blown SUV.

Sharply priced and loaded with luxuries, it has the venerable Subaru Outback firmly in its crosshairs but also appears to cut the lunch of up-spec variants of the ageing, smaller and less powerful Octavia Scout from VW Group stablemate Skoda.

The standard Passat is a high-quality smooth operator and we found the Alltrack translated well when subjected to a bit of the rough stuff, meaning it complements VW’s mid-size range rather than representing a compromise.