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]
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- Theflyersfan I wonder how many people recalled these after watching EuroCrash. There's someone one street over that has a similar yellow one of these, and you can tell he loves that car. It was just a tough sell - too expensive, way too heavy, zero passenger space, limited cargo bed, but for a chunk of the population, looked awesome. This was always meant to be a one and done car. Hopefully some are still running 20 years from now so we have a "remember when?" moment with them.
- Lorenzo A friend bought one of these new. Six months later he traded it in for a Chrysler PT Cruiser. He already had a 1998 Corvette, so I thought he just wanted more passenger space. It turned out someone broke into the SSR and stole $1500 of tools, without even breaking the lock. He figured nobody breaks into a PT Cruiser, but he had a custom trunk lock installed.
- Jeff Not bad just oil changes and tire rotations. Most of the recalls on my Maverick have been fixed with programming. Did have to buy 1 new tire for my Maverick got a nail in the sidewall.
- Carson D Some of my friends used to drive Tacomas. They bought them new about fifteen years ago, and they kept them for at least a decade. While it is true that they replaced their Tacomas with full-sized pickups that cost a fair amount of money, I don't think they'd have been Tacoma buyers in 2008 if a well-equipped 4x4 Tacoma cost the equivalent of $65K today. Call it a theory.
- Eliyahu A fine sedan made even nicer with the turbo. Honda could take a lesson in seat comfort.
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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.