[Short drive] Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

What happens when you take a Golf Estate and give it the same ground clearance as a crossover? You get a Golf Alltrack.

The same engine from the Golf comes standard in the Alltrack and well is the only engine choice you have. It’s a smooth 1.8-liter turbo which offers decent torque at low revs and also has low running costs as well, despite having standard all-wheel-drive. There’s only a six-speed auto gearbox on hand but it does such a good job that a manual gearbox just seems redundant. It doesn’t take much to get the Alltrack going because it feels eager and even when you’re not driving it like a hooligan; it’s very much smooth at relaxed speeds. Steering feedback is what it should be, responsive and with tons of feedback; while the chassis is nothing to brag about. It’s still comfortable and secure enough for most buyers’ likings. You won’t complain much about wind and road noise either.

The interior feels very upscale with plenty of adjustments for both the driver’s seat and front passenger. The infotainment system is pretty simple and straight forward, however we still say with touch screen designs, there are tons of menus that make them distracting while on the go. We highly suggest getting familiar with it or keep it simple while on the go. The materials used inside of the cabin feel top notch. The rear seat is decent in space but it can get a little cramped if taller passengers are in the front seats. The boot space is roomy with the seats in place but with the seats folded down it’s roomier than most small crossovers.

Standard S trim comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, rearview camera system, heated front seats and V-Tex leatherette seating surfaces. SE trim adds panoramic sunroof, Fender premium audio system and keyless access with push-button start. Top of the range SEL 18-inch alloys, navigation system and sport seats for the driver and passenger.

The Golf Alltrack adds all-wheel-drive and added ground clearance that makes it a Subaru Outback rival. Sadly however, the Alltrack isn’t as roomy as an Outback and it’s also quite more expensive too. But for those who really do care about the badge, the Alltrack is a great choice but it’s not the best choice and we certainly wish some features were standard instead of optional.

Likes: Comfortable to drive daily. Refinement is what you’d expect of a VW. Standard all-wheel-drive is almost as good as Subaru’s.

Dislike: It can get expensive. Awkward placement of the push button ignition switch.

What we'd like to see (part one)

Cadillac XT5

We like the Cadillac XT5 as it is comfortable to drive with a very luxurious interior. However, what we'd like to see Cadillac do is offer the twin-turbo 3.6 from the CTS and offer it as an optional engine on the XT5. While the standard 3.6 (non-turbo) engine is decent in flexibility and running costs, however you can option for a 2.7 twin-turbo six-cylinder in the Lincoln MKX.



Nissan Rogue Sport

The Rogue Sport is a solid option in the compact crossover segment. It's stylish, roomy and has very attractive running costs. However, the most expensive trims makes the Rogue Sport look overpriced compared to some keen rivals. What we'd like to see Nissan do with the Rogue Sport is take the 1.6 turbo from the Juke and place it in the most expensive trim level. The 2-liter four-cylinder is decent but it isn't very flexible where it matters the most.



BMW Xdrive40i or X1 M

The X1 is a great little crossover from BMW. It may not be as sharp to drive as the previous generation but it still is fun to drive and affordable (if you pick wisely from the options list). What we would like to see with the X1 is a more powerful engine option. BMW can easily take the 2-liter turbo from the 3-series and add it to the X1 or even increase the output of the current 2-liter turbo engine to at least 300hp as a competitor to the GLA 45 AMG.



Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

What would be really cool is if VW replaced the SEL trim 1.8 turbo with the 2-liter turbo engine from the GTI and made it a poor mans Audi. We know this will never happen, but it would be pretty cool to see some kind of GTI Wagon sold here in the US, plus VW has nothing to lose considering they need all the sales they can get and the Alltrack is selling pretty good. It would certainly shake things up in this segment considering that most options all have similar horsepower for similar money and VW would have again the best of the segment in terms of interior and even performance.