2015 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Wagon Review – Better Than The Tiguan… Much
The skinny: Volkswagen’s new Golf Alltrack wagon comes packing “a lot of car”.
With all-wheel-drive surefootedness, underbody protection and a raised stance for getting to those more out-of-the-way places, it has a lot to offer the family buyer.
Add in a spirited turbo-petrol engine, and a big, practical boot, and it starts to make the Tiguan – that other Golf-based small SUV – look a little dumpy and unnecessary.
We don’t much like the small 6.5-inch information screen; we also don’t like a space-saver spare in a car designed for excursions onto gravel roads.
But for getting to the snow swiftly, safely, and in comfort, the new reasonably-priced Golf Alltrack has a good story to tell.
Vehicle Style: All-wheel-drive wagon
Price: $37,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 132kW/280Nm 1.8 4cyl TSI turbo petrol | 6sp DSG sports automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.7 l/100km | tested: 10.2 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Over the past decade, sales of traditional wagons have plummeted as the Australian family-buyers’ love affair with the SUV has become ever-more passionate.
But Volkswagen, like Subaru before it, has an answer. These brands (plus, notably, Skoda and Audi) offer wagons that successfully bridge the gap between the traditional two-wheel-drive wagon and the 4x4 SUV.
All of which have special suspension settings and quite sophisticated four-wheel-drive systems.
While they are clearly not rock-hopping 4x4s, they are just the thing for families who travel to the snowfields or like a bit of explore a little way off-the-beaten-track.