Golf Alltrack.
Volkswagen of America, Inc., has debuted the U.S. production version of the all-wheel-drive Golf Alltrack, which goes on sale in the fall as a 2017 model.
The Golf Alltrack is based on the Golf SportWagon—winner of the 2016 Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Best New Family Car.
The Golf Alltrack shares its underpinnings with its Golf family siblings, from its MQB architecture to the turbocharged and direct-injection powertrain.
Its EA888 1.8-litere, four-cylinder TSI gasoline unit puts out 170 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque. At launch, it will be mated to a six-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission—a six-speed manual transmission will be available at a later date.
The Alltrack’s defining characteristic is its 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system, which uses the latest generation Haldex-5 coupling, activated via an electro-hydraulic oil pump.
In normal driving, the Alltrack acts like a front-wheel-drive car for better fuel economy, but as soon as the system detects wheel slip, up to 50 per cent of the drive torque can be shipped to the rear wheels.
In addition to the Haldex coupling that acts longitudinally, electronic differential locks (EDL) at the front and rear axles act laterally in concert with the electronic stability control system. The system briefly brakes a wheel that is slipping, enabling uninterrupted and stable transfer of drive power to the wheel on the opposite side.
Exterior
The Golf Alltrack’s exterior includes cladding for key body pieces—bumpers, wheel wells and side sills—providing off-road protection and the front fascia incorporates foglights and a unique honeycomb grille.
The S and SE trimlines have 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, while the topline SEL trim has 18-inch wheels.
Silver detailing, including roof rails, matte mirror caps and diffusor.
nterior
Leatherette seating surfaces are standard and Alltrack receives a unique brown leatherette option in addition to aluminum pedal covers, door sills with Alltrack branding and ambient lighting.
Standard infotainment features include: a 6.5-inch capacitive color touchscreen with proximity sensor, rearview camera, and VW Car-Net App-Connect connectivity.
A Drive Mode selector includes “Off-Road Mode,” which adds hill descent control and optimizes traction control for off-road terrain. The Off-Road HMI displays compass, steering angle, and altitude when driving off-road.
With the rear seats up, the spacious trunk boasts 30.4 cu ft of space: when the 60:40 split rear seat is fully folded, that figure rises to 66.5 cu ft of storage. The split folding rear seats are accessed by release levers in the cargo area, maximizing convenience.
Alltrack features no fewer than six airbags as standard along with a number of electronic safety systems.
All models are equipped with standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC), the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System and an Intelligent Crash Response System. Available driver assistance systems include: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist), Lane Assist and front and rear Park Distance Control with Park Assist.