VW usually appears to be a bit late to the game. Next year, the German carmaker will bring the Alltrack model we’ve just driven to the U.S. it is a jacked-up Golf SportWagen fitted with all-wheel drive and off-road styling affectations. This comes nearly 2 decades following the segment’;s role models, the Volvo XC70 and the Subaru Outback, 1st appeared. What most Americans don’;t know is that VW has been selling these sorts of Golfs considering that the early 1990s. But that era’s Golf Nation was in no way sold in the States, and it was so funky seeking that it would probably scare away the typical purchaser of this Alltrack.
To compile this assessment, we sampled the European version of the Alltrack in Germany, where it is already accessible for order. Starting later in 2016, U.S.-bound models will be produced in Mexico, exactly where significant investment in VW’s Puebla plant was created to accommodate the assembly of all-wheel-drive autos.
Accessible only with 4MOTION all-wheel drive, the Alltrack moves a step beyond being a mere appearance package and delivers some true capability. VW aimed to provide greater efficiency by decoupling the rear axle from the driveline for the duration of daily driving, meaning the automobile feels much like a typical front-wheel-drive Golf a lot of the time. If the traction of 4 driven wheels is needed, a Haldex clutch calls the rears to duty, and they can be sent virtually 25 percent of the torque.
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The driving-mode selector, which tweaks throttle and transmission parameters, among other folks, adds an “Off-Road” setting in the Alltrack. This enables hill-descent control and also lengthens the ABS pulses to let gravel, dirt, or snow to pile up in front of the wheels to shorten the braking distance when decelerating hard on loose surfaces. The chassis is raised by .8 inch, which doesn’t sound like much but will come in handy on different 2-tracks and dirt roads.
The aesthetic package brings restyled front and rear ends with aggressive fascias and fake skid plates. There are fender flares that VW claims are there for protection, but of course they are far too fairly to danger acquiring them scratched. Meanwhile, the 17- or 18-inch wheels look very good, but those who actually wish to do some form of off-roading may possibly have preferred a steel-wheel alternative, not to mention taller tire sidewalls, neither of which are obtainable. Inside, the Alltrack is fitted with model-distinct, but rather nondescript, fabric and trim. Otherwise it’s a Golf SportWagen, which indicates restrained, handsome very good appears inside and out, plus a functional and ergonomically friendly dashboard layout. The Alltrack suffers from the exact same singular demerit we’ve located in its brethren, although, namely a slow and frustrating infotainment setup. Here’s hoping Volkswagen adds some processing energy to the Golf line by the time the Alltrack arrives here.
Provided all of the foregoing, you could count on that the Golf Alltrack also generally handles like any other Golf, and you’d be right. It gives a refinement beyond what can be reasonably expected in its segment, with a nice blend of compliant ride top quality and capable, effortlessly exploited handling. Regardless of the raised center of gravity, the Alltrack steers with precision, responds speedily to inputs, and hugs corners almost as properly as its comrades.
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In the U.S., the Alltrack will be fitted with Volkswagen’s lately adopted EA888 180-hp 1.8-liter gasoline TSI 4-cylinder, mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic. Europe gets 3 diesel options, as nicely: a 110-hp 1.6-liter TDI and a 2.-liter TDI with either 150 or 184 horsepower. We like the diesel, whose character befits the Alltrack’;s rugged demeanor, but it will not be coming here for now simply because our TDI models demand an emissions-scrubbing urea-injection program that can’t be packaged with the Golf’s all-wheel-drive setup and its multilink rear suspension. (U.S.-spec Golf and Golf SportWagen TDIs have a torsion-beam rear suspension.)
Yet the 1.8-liter engine will be just fine, delivering acceptable efficiency for the sort of duties one can anticipate most Alltracks will execute, and it must be capable of accelerating the automobile to 60 mph in, we estimate, 7.7 seconds and on to a best speed of 125 mph or so. We also know the 1.8 to be perfectly livable, as it is the same engine that powers a Golf hatchback at present in our lengthy-term fleet.
Greater late than by no means, we say. The Golf SportWagen Alltrack is a welcome entry, and it could turn out to be a genuine headache for Subaru’s larger Outback models, as effectively as a quantity of duller crossover SUVs.
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2017 VW Golf SportWagen Alltrack Initial Drive: VW’s Take on the Outback Formula
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