Ace of Base: 2019 Golf Alltrack S 1.8T

This variant of the Golf family inhabits a grey area in which it’s not quite a crossover but is also not quite a station wagon. VW will still happily sell you one of those, sans this model’s taller suspenders and black over-the-wheel trim. The Alltrack is kinda like a SportWagen that’s clomping around in dad’s big boots.

As always, we’re suckers for a good wagon. Let’s see what it has to offer in base S trim.

For starters, shelling out more of your hard-earned Freedom Dollars on a snazzier trim of Golf Alltrack will not net you a more powerful engine. All examples are motivated by a 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four that makes an acceptable 168 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque (achtung Wolfsburg! Surely you could have found one more unit of twist!).

In a fit of practicality, a six-speed manual transmission is standard equipment. A station wagon equipped with all-wheel drive and a stickshift? Paint it brown and you’ve created the stereotypical journalist’s dream ride.

Brown paint, however, is not on the options list. An attractive Tornado Red is shown here at no cost, though one can also get a Barney Night Blue and any number of greyscale shades. There is also a fantastic Great Falls Green which I am certain is selected by 0.00001 percent of the population. If you find a six-speed Alltrack in this color on BHPH lot 15 years from now, snap it up. It’ll likely be one of 10 produced.

At this $26,895 price point, the Alltrack’s heated front seats are clad in V-Tex leatherette, taken from only the finest of fake cows. Beige and black are available. A/C is standard, as you’d expect, and economies of scale ensure the inclusion of a leather-wrapped wheel and gearshift. Backing up is easy with a rear traffic alert system, while blind spot monitoring and forward collision warning tools do their best to keep you out of the ditch. Our northern friends will appreciate the heated windshield washer nozzles.

Foglights, heated side mirrors, and 17-inch alloys largely keep your cheapskate ways a secret. The base model Alltrack might inhabit a grey area in terms of classification but, compared to its brothers, its value proposition is pretty clear.

[Images: Volkswagen]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments and feel free to eviscerate our selections.

The model above is shown with American options and priced in American Dollars. Your dealer may sell for less. Or not.