2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack AWD

Station Wagon’s

There aren’t a whole lot of choices out there for stations wagon’s in the U.S. With sales in SUV’s skyrocketing, it seems wagons have been somewhat pushed to the side. This is changing with the arrival of a few more wagons hitting the market this year. One of the few manufacturers that continued to make wagons has the clue in their name… that’s right it’s Volkswagen. Since the late 90s Volkswagen has had the Jetta Wagon and since 2009 the Golf Sportwagon.

In 2017, VW introduced the Alltrack version of the SportWagon.

Golf Alltrack 4Motion Specs

The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack has more technology, higher trim levels and more ground clearance than the SportWagen version. VW describes it as the ‘Adventurous Wagon’.  4Motion AWD is standard on all trims; S, SE, SEL. Even more rare than an AWD Wagon is that it’s available with a 6-Speed manual transmission (S and SE trim levels). The DSG 6-Speed automatic transmission is available too.

The engine is a turbocharged 1.8 L making it ideal for maintaining power at altitude. Fuel economy is estimated by the EPA at 30 mpg on the highway, 22 mpg in the city with a combined rating at 25 mpg for the automatic transmission. The manual transmission option has an estimated combined fuel economy rating of 24 mpg. Unlike some of the older Volkswagen models that only ran on premium gasoline, the Alltrack runs on regular gas.

Passenger volume is 94 ft³ and cargo volume is 30 ft³.

Alltrack safety

The National Highway Traffic Administration  (NHTSA) awards the 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack with an overall safety rating of 5 stars. The most possible stars that can be awarded. At the time of writing this, there have been 0 recalls, 0 investigations and 0 complaints to the NHTSA.

Standard on all Golf Alltrack’s is at least 6 airbags, ABS, Electronic Stability Control and Automatic Post-Collision Braking.

Driver assistance technology depends on the trim level. The SE trim level has most of the features minus Adaptive Cruise and Lane Assist, which are standard on the SEL.

• Front Assist
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Lane Assist
• Park Distance Control with Manoeuvre parking
• Parking Steering Assist
• High Beam Control
• Autonomous Emergency Braking
• Blind Spot Monitor
• Rear Traffic Alert

Infotainment

Standard on all Golf Alltrack model is compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto making smartphone integration easy. The Alltrack S has a 6.5″ color touchscreen with capacitive touch. The SE, and SEL trim levels get the 8.0″ color touchscreen (also capacitive). Bluetooth technology is standard on all trims. The SE and SEL get a JPEG Viewer, USB port, SiriusXM satellite radio (trial for 3 months). Voice activated text messaging is available through Bluetooth. An 8-speaker audio system is standard on S, and SE trim levels. The SEL trim gets a Fender Premium Audio system.

Leatherette

No cloth seats for this adventure Wagon. Even the S trim line comes standard with leatherette seat coverings ( which are very close to a real leather). Available in Black Beige or Brown. The SEL comes with a choice of two colors for the leatherette, black or brown.

The Test Drive

The Volkswagen Alltrack is nice to drive. I tested it during a press event with the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press in Denver Colorado. I navigated through heavy city traffic and on highways. The Alltrack is effortless to drive, has tight steering and a firm suspension. There is even a sport mode which enhances that driving experience should you want a tighter and faster response. Driver assistance features such as blind spot monitoring and lane assist were especially usually in heavy traffic situations. Control and buttons are easy to find. If I could describe the car in one word, it would be homey. You don’t need to think about it too much, you just get in and drive. It’s comfy and everything is ergonomically placed.

I did climb in the trunk

Just in case you wondering if is possible to fit a 5’3″ person in the back, it is. With the back row (2nd row) of seats folded down, I fit exactly long ways. The seats don’t fold completely flat, but if you keep feet at the tailgate end it’s probably do-able!

Price

As per the Volkswagen website, the 2018 Golf Alltrack with 4Motion starts at $25,955 MSRP (not including taxes, delivery, title or other options).

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