2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack: A Winning Wagon!
The 2018 Volkswagen Sportwagen – especially in Alltrack form seen here – is one of the first new VWs tasked with dragging the brand out of the doldrums caused by 2015’s Dieselgate. Along with the Atlas, Tiguan and eGolf, it has the unenviable task of shirking the spectre shod upon the brand’s small cars that have made so much use of the brand’s diesel platform. That’s a tall task, especially in North America, where diesel has never had the cache it has in other markets, particularly Europe.
One car, one engine
It should come as no surprise that the Sportwagen Alltrack – it has its own spot on VW.ca, but really it serves as the Sportwagen’s top trim in Canada, while there are numerous Alltrack trims in the US – comes equipped with a single non-diesel engine choice, although the 1.8L TSI engine it does get is a very good one. It makes 170 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque, enough to have the car feeling positively sporty when you stop the throttle. Aided by a new-for-2018 6-speed DSG transmission, the Alltrack springs forth from stop with gumption, doing a good job of making the driver forget that it’s actually a car aimed at drawing crossover buyers away from their RAV4s and CR-Vs. I wouldn’t call it a Golf R, but it’s got enough get up and go to once again show why the station wagon is such a good alternative.
I must disclaim that as a weirdo automotive journalist, I have a soft spot for wagons of all shapes and sizes. It’s just something many of my colleagues and I have an affinity for. It’s why we will never understand why Subaru killed off the wagon-like WRX STI hatch, or why more people aren’t rushing the stage at the police auction to get their hands on that glorious, green 1982 Volvo 240. It’s just the way we’re wired.
Here’s the thing, though: it’s not that the cult of the wagon is one completely disconnected from reality. There are many, many reasons why wagons work, and they extend far beyond the fact that they’re so much more fun to drive than most crossovers.
For starters, with their long, flat load areas they have almost as much storage as their CUV counterparts; actually, this car actually has more cargo space than does the latest Tiguan, which is bigger than it’s ever been. That’s quite something, and the space is made all that much more accessible by the lower liftover height. There’s more overall interior volume in the Tiguan and the second-row seats are a little roomier, but it’s not a completely black-and-white situation here. Especially when you consider the Sportwagen’s rear underfloor storage, which is kind of divided into two parts, provided you’re willing to store stuff around the spare tire and subwoofer.
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