The 1960s was a beautiful age of car making. Sadly, my father was more in to his garden than ‘digging’ his car. The result? A Hillman Husky estate (well worth a Google) than bore a remarkably sad face and was painted lifeless grey.

Cars like that can have a serious affect on a child. No wonder I grew up in the backseat looking at other, more aesthetically pleasing vehicles, wondering why we owned such a shed. Optional extras in the Hillman included way out luxuries, like a heater and a radio. We had neither – or a heated rear screen for that matter.

The Passat could be considered a new millennium equivalent of the Husky. An everyday family estate, of modest looks, it is, however, extraordinarily well-equipped in Alltrack form. My father would have marvelled just at electrically folding door mirrors, with LED integrated indicators and automatic dimming function.

He also never owned a car with heated seats, satellite navigation or rain sensing windscreen wipers for that matter. His vegetable garden was amazing though and we never went to bed hungry…