2017 Golf Alltrack First Drive

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Early last week, Volkswagen was in Seattle to launch the 2017 Golf Alltrack, a raised and ruggedized version of the Golf SportWagen intended for the Pacific Northwest and Colorado where such things provide you with more social currency than cigarettes in jail.

Like the Audi Allroads, the Volvo Cross Countries, and, more to the point, the Subaru Crosstrek it kind of walks the line between car and crossover, leaning heavily towards the car side of the equation. And in that, the Alltrack does a good job. It feels a lot like a normal car (I mean a lot a lot), but thanks to its four driven wheels and a special off-road mode, it’ll get you pretty far off the road, too. Before we get into that, though, a little about myself.

I don’t like fish (bear with me). It’s not that fish is bad, or wrong, or that I’m above it. It’s that it tastes like fish. When people find out that you don’t like fish they always try to convince you that you’ll like it the way they make it, because it doesn’t taste like fish. Then why don’t we have chicken?

I don’t like crossovers. It’s not that crossovers are bad, or wrong, or that I’m above them. It’s that they’re crossovers and that’s not a flavor that I like. But automakers are constantly trying to convince you that their crossovers drive just like cars, they feel low and “sporty” and you’ll like it the way they make it. But, then why don’t we have chicken?

Well, Volkswagen’s making chicken. Or a car, actually, but the point remains that instead of making a crossover that can kind of go off road and kind of feels like a car, they’ve made a car that kind of goes off road.

As mentioned up top, the Alltrack fits into a class of sorts with the Audi Allroads, the Volvo Cross Countries, and the Subaru Crosstrek. The Allroad and the Cross Country, though, are priced well above the VW, so they don’t matter as much as the Subaru.

Where the Subaru has gone all utilitarian with the Crosstrek, as is their wont, Volkswagen has gone for a plusher, more luxurious feel inside. While the Subaru comes with cloth seats as standard, Volkswagen only offers leatherette. This is a nice touch for a press trip, and the interior is certainly nicer than the Crosstrek’s, but I can’t help but wonder if rugged-wagon buyers will like that. People who own dogs will probably worry about the seats, and same goes for people who have muddy boots, wet paddles, or snowy skis. Volkswagen argues that the leatherette will last longer than cloth, but if that’s true it’s an intellectual argument in the face of an emotional problem. Sure you say that it lasts longer, but I don’t feel that it will and people always go with their guts.

In the driven wheel department, too, Volkswagen may have the disadvantage. While VW’s system (a Haldex system) can send 50% of the power to the back wheels, Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system can send up to 100% of the torque to the wheel with the best grip. This, apparently, is better. Fortunately it’s Subaru that’s making the intellectual argument in this case, because the phrase “viscous coupling” would make a Victorian  lady faint. Just saying “four-wheel-drive” will likely suffice for the majority of shoppers.

On top of that, the Alltrack’s system is fine. On our trip, Volkswagen took us to an off-road trail in the mountains on Bainbridge Island (a short ferry ride outside of Seattle) and the Alltrack performed admirably. On its way up the trail there were some pretty steep grades and some pretty loose dirt, and though the wheels occasionally slipped, my driving partner got up the hill without much fuss. And on the way down, the hill descent mode took care of me as I descended an equally steep and even more rutted hill.

On the road, meanwhile, the Golf Alltrack shines. It’s every bit the Golf you know and love. You don’t really feel the 0.6 inch lift, and the 1.8L engine (170hp and 199lb-ft of torque) feels exactly like you’d expect, if less than exciting now that it’s pushing about 3,400lbs. The six-speed dual clutch auto is probably the Alltrack’s greatest advantage over the CVT Crosstrek. Continuously Variable Transmissions may be feats of engineering, but my God are they dull. VW’s DSG, meanwhile, is no manual, but the paddle shifters on the steering wheel are fun enough when the road gets twisty and in auto mode the ‘box is as smooth as a circle.

Volkswagen is also promising a six-speed manual version of the Alltrack that it says will be available in early 2017. There’s not much new to say about the transmission except thank God Volkswagen is offering us a third pedal. And it’s not even just on the base S model. The SE trim—that is to say, the mid-level trim that comes with the panoramic sunroof, keyless entry, automatic windshield wipers, and more—will also be available as a manual in early 2017. The top SEL trim will not be available with manual, though.

Although the leatherette seats may be a concern for what you put in your Alltrack, there won’t be any concern about how much you can put in it. With 30.4 cu-ft of cargo space with the rear seats up and 66.5 with them down (they fold 60/40 with a passthrough in the middle), the Alltrack is more spacious than both the Crosstrek and the Tiguan. And there’s storage to be had up top, too. Thanks to its relatively low height, the Alltrack is easy to get your skis (or a kayak) on to and off of.

It’s hard to predict how the Alltrack (starting at $25,850) will fare against the cheaper CrossTrek ($22,445, for a 2016 version). Volkswagen is up to its old tricks, charging more for a base car, but giving you more as standard. As an avowed VW fan, though, I think this is a better package than the Subaru. It has more power, more cargo space, and it doesn’t look like…  well, a Crosstrek. It also makes more sense to me than any crossover, but I don’t like fish, so take that with a grain of salt. Still, though, wagons are having something of a cultural moment, so hopefully that means that this one will sell like gangbusters.

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