By EWAN KENNEDY
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is an interesting variant on the Golf station wagon, offering a tougher look, some off-road ability and easier entry and exit.
While not a full-on SUV in the accepted sense, the Alltrack upstages many SUV lookalike vehicles that only have two-wheel drive and are nothing more than station wagons with macho bodies.
The body protection side and wheelarch panels give the Golf 7 Alltrack a serious appearance, as does the revised design of the bumpers.
There’s also additional protection on the underbody.
Bi-xenon headlights have a cornering function that may prove handy in tight running on bush tracks, it will be equally useful in normal driving conditions.
Inside, Alltrack has leather upholstery, and the steering wheel and gearshift knob are trimmed in the same material.
Golf Alltrack has the latest VW infotainment system with an App-Connect system that works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It operates through a higher definition 6.5-inch Discover Media unit.
This is smaller than we are accustomed to in many new cars and while the quality of the images is good the quantity is somewhat lacking. There’s USB, SD card and Aux connectivity.
Golf Alltrack has 605 litres of cargo volume and the squared off tail has a length of 1055 mm, increasing to 1831 mm to the back of the front seats.
Safety and convenience are enhanced by a luggage partition net, as well as shopping bag and load restraint hooks.
Power comes from a 1.8-litre turbo-petrol unit producing 132 kW, and 280 Nm over a nice spread from 1350 rpm to 4500.
Transmission is by six-speed DSG and uses the latest version of Volkswagen’s all-wheel-drive 4Motion system which includes a Haldex coupling.
Drive is normally only to the front wheels, with the rears being brought into play when the computer judges them necessary.
Volkswagen included some off-road dirt sections on the drive program that was part of Alltrack’s Australian media launch in Canberra.
This included the infamous ‘Mineshaft’ drop that’s very much part of top level car rallying in this country. However, we used it to test the hill-descent feature – not to become airborne at breakneck speed!
Alltrack’s off-road mode got us down the vertigo-inducing dirt slope without touching the brake pedal once.
We found 4Motion fast acting in dirt running, indeed virtually instantaneous with only a few moments of wheel spin before the system allocated torque to the appropriate corner of the Alltrack and kept up our forward progress.
On road we found Alltrack to be smooth and comfortable in its ride, indeed probably more comfortable than many current sedans and hatches due to the fact that the Alltrack has sensible tyres instead of the currently fashionable low-profile units.
Active safety features include ESP, multi-collision brakes, driver fatigue detection system and a low tyre pressure indicator.
Passive safety if provided by seven airbags including front, front side, curtain, as well as a driver’s knee airbag.
The Golf Alltrack wagon comes only in one version, priced at $37,990.
An optional $1300 Driver Assistance Package has adaptive cruise control, front assist with city emergency braking, park assist and a proactive occupant protection system.
There is also a $2500 Alltrack Sports Luxury Package with a panoramic, powered glass sunroof, 18-inch ‘Canyon’ alloy wheels, gearshift shifter paddles and dark-tinted rear-side and rear window glass.
Interestingly, the Golf Alltrack operates in the relatively rare market segment of jacked up wagons.
It’s cousin is the Skoda Scout, the Golf is smaller than VW Passat Alltrack and its close relative the Audi Allroad; Subaru Forester began life as a station wagon but soon morphed into a real SUV; Subaru Outback wagon is a big mover in this field, but is also larger than the Golf Alltrack, Subaru XV is more hatch that wagon, as is Volvo V40 Cross Country.
On the face of it Volkswagen’s new Golf Alltrack has a clear run in this area of the Australian car market, which is going to prove interesting on the sales front.
