2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack: Hit the (Minor) Trails and Bring the Family
Volkswagen has revealed the production version of its 2017 Golf Alltrack, a wagon for people who worry they won’t be able to clear that shallow ditch in a regular Golf.
Based on the Golf Sportwagen, the Alltrack pairs that body and drivetrain with 4Motion all-wheel drive, lower body cladding, and close to an inch of extra ground clearance.
The all-wheel drive system in the Alltrack uses a Haldex-5 coupling that sends 50 percent of the engine’s torque rearward if the vehicle detects front wheel slippage. Electronic differential locks send power to the opposite end of the axle for individual wheel slippage.
Very adventurous owners will inevitably test the Alltrack’s hill descent control mode, which we assume should only be attempted on slanted meadows, or in, say, San Francisco.
Powering the Alltrack is Volkswagen’s well-regarded 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, making 170 horsepower and an increased 199 pounds-feet of torque. Offered initially with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission when it goes on sale this fall, a six-speed manual will be offered later.
The usual safety features come along for the ride, but high-end items like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control are listed as optional equipment.
Volkswagen hasn’t released fuel economy figures for the Alltrack, but the two-wheel drive SportWagen is rated at 35 miles per gallon on the highway for the automatic transmission model and 36 mpg highway for the manual.
[Images: Volkswagen of America]
More by Steph Willems
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Ajla A union fight? How retro 😎
- Analoggrotto Finally, some real entertainment: the Communists versus the MAGAs. FIGHT!
- Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh *IF* i was buying a kia.. (better than a dodge from personal experience) .. it would be this Google > xoavzFHyIQYShould lead to a 2025 Ioniq 5 N pre-REVIEW by Jason Cammisa
- Analoggrotto Does anyone seriously listen to this?
- Thomas Same here....but keep in mind that EVs are already much more efficient than ICE vehicles. They need to catch up in all the other areas you mentioned.
Comments
Join the conversation
Looks like a more fuel efficient alternative to the Tiguan.
This is interesting for a number of reasons. I saw this car last year and they were showing a German model with a torque converter 6 Speed, basically a base wagon with auto. Switching to dsg and a 6 manual means vw is mixing r drivetrain bits with the 1.8, something only audi has done so far with the a3. Until I read this I was only interested in the eventual normal ride height version expecting the manual there. It might be my next family wagon. The euro car also had the fold away tow hitch. Regardless of vw's ratings I see jsw's and gsw's all the time with installed hitches. Also 35/36 mpg is epa rating on the fwd car with the 1.8, we'll see if that is the case with more tire exposed, awd, and the shorter ratio 6 Speed transmission. I'm skeptical. Why the comment hate on this vs the outback? It's smaller, but it will have a much nicer interior, a way better engine, better gearbox by far, and easily outhandle the outback. Demuro rightly called out the outback as worse to drive than most cuv's despite its wagon shape.