When this 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack joined Kelley Blue Book’s long-term test fleet way back in November of 2016 it brought with it the promise of semi- rugged wagon-tastic adventures. Did it deliver? Yes. In fact over its two-year, 23,457 miles, the Alltrack reliably shuttled Kelley Blue Book staffers and their families from California to Texas and countless destinations in between. With all-wheel drive and a slightly raised ride height our VW Alltrack was easy to climb aboard and made a superb partner for jaunts to the mountains, deserts and the beach, all the while the tidy-sized Alltrack delivered an engaging drive that SUVs struggle to duplicate. Speaking of SUVs our Volkswagen did a nifty impression of one offering 30.4-cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, that’s about what you’ll find in a Mazda CW-5. As a bonus our Alltrack featured handy seat releases in the cargo area. Aside from $240 worth of service appointments, our only expense was gas, which we used modestly thanks to fuel economy that regularly landed within a stone’s throw of the EPA’s 25 combined mpg estimate. Supporting that efficiency was a spunky turbocharged 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine that delivered eager thrust and came paired with VW’s quick shifting DSG dual-clutch transmission.Despite occasional clumsy shifts we never regretted choosing the dual clutch, however we should mention that a manual gearbox is available for those unaffected by hellacious Los Angeles commutes. When it arrived in November of 2016 our 2017 Alltrack SE trim had an MSRP of $32,195, $4400 of which came from options including a driver assistance package featuring adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and automatic emergency braking. As fans of active safety tech the packages $845 fee was well worth it. Lastly VW deserves special kudos for its early adoption of modern smartphone integration. Our 2017 model featured bold Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard equipment. Truthfully the screen resolution could have been better, but Volkswagen addressed that issue with an upgrade in 2018.All told infotainment stood out as a strength among our Alltrack’s many strengths. At the moment America has an inflamed obsession with SUVs, but our time with the Alltrack has proven there are advantages to getting your all-weather traction and cargo space in a wagon shaped box. .
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