Golf Alltrack
 

Not a perseveration thread... as we pulled the trigger today.

Long story short, many things lined up... The GTI was beginning to have a couple of strange trim issues, mainly due to the large glass moonroof. That was going to be a tough and pricey fix. It was also a bit small for the two of us traveling with our XL dog. E.g., her collapsible crate does not fit in the back when the dog is in the rear seat (the last cars in our fleet that could do that were the 535i and the JGC, both gone).

All 2018 and 2019 VW's get a 6/72 warranty. When we checked out the wagons back in 2017, they were on the pricey side. Now, they are on their way out, no more after 2019 and discounted.

So we got a manual Golf Alltrack... Last of an era; a green, manual, AWD wagon. In addition to the above factors, the deals were serious as well as C having one more month left to qualify for her PhD recent graduate discount, all stacking...

So far we are happy... The GTI was getting beat (nothing engine, suspension, brakes wise but more body/trim) at 4 years /48k miles (C did 44k miles in 32 months). Hopefully this car holds up better, and we won't have to invoke the generous warranty.

Interesting combo. There can't be very many AWD manual wagons available out there from any brand. Enjoy!

That is on my list to look at. Would love a review after you’ve driven it awhile.

I have an acquaintance who has one of these. He's delighted with it, aside from the wimpy engine. (He got it flashed like a week after he bought it.)

Congrats, It's cool that you purchased it. Its great to support the idea of a manual wagon. I have a friend with a manual one as well. They've been really happy with it (other than his wife took out whatever the massive sensor is in the bumper and it was an expensive fix)

Nice car indeed. Seems like a very practical choice, and definitely the end of an era.

Enjoy!

I’ve never seen that car before ... now I need to research it

Congratulations... any interior pictures ... would love to see it !!

Congrats and enjoy! I have always had concerns buying a car after its retirement is announced, but we all know how long you keep cars ;)

This car is not about the driving experience, it's to get you to the destination in a pleasant, civilized way. It's an alternative to the RAV4/CR-V solutions which are obviously very strong contenders. We are essentially seeing convergent evolution as all cars become like the rav4 and the cr-v, perhaps all EV's will become like Teslas in many ways.

Its power is a significant step down even coming from a stock GTI, not to mention one like ours with the APR tune likely putting out 290hp/315tq. I don't know the numbers, but I know it lights up the fronts in gears 1 through 5). The brake feel on the GTI is more consistent but actualy requires more effort (R brakes) and the LSD on our perf package did great in turns, allowing to apply power without doing the FWD wash-out.

This car's drive is a bit more Audi-like, perhaps those a4 avant's from 2001 to 2005 with the 1.8T. Maybe a bit lighter on its feet, but generally a smooth operator and not very fast compared to the GTI. Ours without the pano roof, is likely about 3350lbs, not a lot by today's standards. It's no faster than RAV4's, they might even be faster if you mash the go pedal and let the AT and Hybrid add to the pick up, but this car is C's choice. It even externally resembles her first manual car, the dark green Impreza wagon. It is quieter and slightly more spacious feeling than the GTI, providing for a better passenger experience.
I found that I needed to keep the car in 1 to 2 gears lower to keep it in boil and make some passes. It also balances differently in and out of turns. Hard to describe but a bit more audi-like. Applying power cancels the initial understeer, I'd need to drive on snow to comment. The weight distribution is more like 55/45, not the hot hatch 60/40. Being raised it also some roll, not major but noticeable. There is a SportWagen 4motion that is the same car but lower, but cloth seats and the smaller gas tank were a no go for C.

We are very happy with the interior even if we lost some options going down o the S trim level notably Fender Audio and the bi-xenon headlights... but both SE and SEL make the pano roof mandatory and that was a definite NOT for us. VW hasn't figured it out how to make them, even the smaller roof on our GTI had problems. One bonus was losing the GTI seats. C liked them but I never got comfortable in them (the reason why I didn't get an r32 back in 2004 were the seats). These non-sport seats are much better for my upper back not being pushed out of the bolsters. I'm not a huge guy but the 42-44 chest range is max to beyond max for the GTI/R seats.

All trims get leatherette, not a huge step down from the hard leather of the GTI. A big step up from the base cloth of the Golf and the SportWagen as well as stronger against those monster paws. Trunk is pretty big to being with and just like the GTI, the floor can be removed to provide another 3-4" of depth.

Tuning? I haven't forgotten it. The APR tune on the GTI gave us no issues up to 48k miles just good power and drivability. However, the 6/72 is important and C has no interest in giving up that coverage. I've also thought of piggy backs, so that might be the best of both worlds (JB1, JB4) but again, too soon to say... As she drives much more than I, about 16-17k/year, she very much appreciates that this car is going to take Regular 87. I'm not sure you can up the boost with that.

Golf Alltrack
 

Nice! Love that color on the Golf wagon. Really understated and classy car. Your wife has a great taste.
Can’t remember are these 5 speeds or 6?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you, 6-speed.

Nice. I wondered what these are like.

I think they have a bit of ride height, so I worried they handled like a top heavy pig.

Equ ... just curious have you ever counted how many cars you’ve owned ?

It has to be a lot !!

I always keep track in my phone ... just wondering if you keep track too.

It’s really too bad they didn’t put the 2.0 in these, but what does it have? 1.8?

They have +1.4" on the regular Golfs, half of that coming from the taller tires. Nope, pig would not be accurate. It's only slightly slower in the turns than a GTI, and it's not comparable to any CUV, SUV or pickup truck. It's lighter and lower than those.

Many, I have a file somewhere.. However, this is C's car and she goes through them every few years as well. Since I've known her, a new Ford Focus Hatch, Subaru Impreza Wagon, Honda Civic Si Hatch, e39 BMW 528i (the only one we shared ownership on), Golf TDI Hatch, the GTI and now the Golf Alltrack wagon. The Focus and the Alltrack are the ones bought new. She has never liked the sedan 3-box form nor has she ever liked a raised car/CUV/SUV. Either hatches or wagons for her...


1.8... It's just nice little engine that doesn't beat anybody - especially off the line - but it is very smooth. She got 28mpg on 93 with the GTI and hardly ever used the available 300hp (either commuting or driving the dog around). If she can get anything close to that on 87, it's already a win. Delta is like 60c/gallon.

Nice car, equ.

May you have many enjoyable, trouble-free miles !!

My nephew bought a new VW CC a few years ago with a manual. I really liked driving it.

Pretty cool C is into cars ... she has had some cool ones !! Hope you both enjoy the new ride !!

This will see some action at the slopes this winter, no? Is it your only awd now?

I hope so... but no, it's the first time we've both had awd, I have a 340iX.

Congrats:cool:

Does VW do a good job with a flat power curve or is it a little peaky?

2.0l in my GTI is decent to rev out, doesn’t fall off like my old audi 1.8t for a long time ago.

It will be good to tack your ownership/service/dealer experience, too, as I recall that aspect drove JST crazy.

I don't know how to answer this. The car is smooth, there is not much power so not much curve to feel or to be annoyed by... It does need some revs 3.5 to 4k to get moving, sometimes a double downshift. It's also geared quite tall... I wonder if VW did going from Golf Sportwagen to Alltrack what Porsche did going from 987 to 981: keeping the box and rear-end internals the same while adding 1" to the total diameter giving an instant 4% taller gears. Alltrack rides on 1" taller wheels/tires than the other GTI/base Golf or even the R.

It's sad that these are going away. I used MT one of these is a good option as a first car for the kids in a few years.

Any more thoughts on this car, Equ? There are a couple of manuals in my area. I’d have to see if my troublesome knee could handle it, but it’s better these days.

2220 miles today in just about a month. Cara's car history has been Focus hatch, Impreza wagon, Civic Si hatch, e39 528i, Golf TDI and finally GTI. She never ached for luxury or power, she likes a manual transmission, good mpg's, low running costs and the hatch/wagon form factor (dislikes sedans and SUV's). Beyond that she's never commented on 130hp in the Impreza, or RWD vs. FWD, or the 290hp in the GTI that she liked but rarely used. She thinks about cars about as much as I think about our washing machine.

The Alltrack is a good utilitarian machine for her commute and for driving the dog around. It's really just a normal car, how good cars used to be 10-15 years ago. It would compare with an e46 325xiT if you could buy one new. It's a bit retro in that you have to drive it to extract performance, so I'm not sure you'd like it after 240i's or boxsters, just not in the same category. Think a better, German, Corolla wagon. Or a quirky option to getting a RAV4. Compared to SUVs, CUVs... It's no Macan, but it's dramatically cheaper, simpler, lighter without losing space, perhaps gaining some. If you are interested in effortless A-to-B speed or the feeling of being coddled in BMW-luxury, look elsewhere.

The steering is good enough; perhaps better than the f30 3-series. Two assist levels available. Suspension is firm and yet has some lean, definitely prefers slow-in to corners, the chassis is easy to feel though and doesn't introduce unpredictable slop (I'm looking at you Jeep GC). The clutch is light, catches low and reasonably progressive. I will complain about throttle response, the usual VAG crap, I'm kinda used to it since my 2010 a4, doesn't make it good though. Might be worse than BMW's, which is not great to begin with. Not sure why only Porsche seem to be able to make a modern direct injection engine with great throttle/fueling. Perhaps they care about mpg's less. The awd system is imperceptible. I did a hill start on ice and while I didn't hammer it, I also didn't notice power shuffling around or even a hint of wheelspin. The car just went.

Ours is the bottom S spec, sure it kept the msrp low but the real reason was to avoid the dreaded sunroof (leaked on our GTI and had an even worse reputation on the Alltrack/Sportwagen). Unfortunately, this meant forgoing the better stereo, headlights and keyless entry. Cara doesn't mind at all, she still loves it.

Perfect. Just what I was looking for. Thank you. And good tip about the sunroof...My head tells me go stripper utilitarian; my heart says I'd be happier with something like a 3 wagon--even if I have to go used and a bit more expensive.

EDIT: Having searched for awhile for used 3 wagons, I think I'm going to have to be patient and wait for a bigger crop of 2018s to come on line.

Hmmm. Manual SportWagen 4 motion not too far from me. It's kind of hard to beat a new car at this price. (And I'll bet there's still bit more play in it.) I haven't had cloth seats, though, since 1985...

https://www.jimellisvolkswagenkennes...150d9a9a8d.htm

One thought is this could become my son's first car when he goes off to college in 4-ish years. So the long warranty would be welcome.

Just not really ready to pull the trigger on anything until I've found my next living situation.

Edit: There are also quite a few used Jetta TDI wagons being sold with extended warranties. But, they are getting long in the tooth at this point (most are 2014) and they are FWD. If I'm to add a practical family car, I'd like it to be AWD.

Another edit: Has anyone driven a Subaru Crosstrek? It's available in a manual. I would never do a CVT....

We have a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek with the CVT. We test drove a manual version but my wife decided to go with the CVT.

How come? Other thoughts on power/handling/size/reliability?

Not sure if the CVT in the Crosstrek is the same that was in our 2013 Oubtack, but...

I did not hate the transmission. It was the first CVT that seemed to work like a CVT is supposed to and it was pretty good at it. Much, much, much better than earlier CVTs in other cars and (like planet and solar systems in front of any CVT Nissan has done).

And everything was great until at six years and 130k it threw a bunch of transmission codes and learned that when it starts throwing those codes, it's about done. When it goes, it's not really fixable because there are no parts. It's not cost-effectively replaceable because there are no reman units. Used ones are really hard to find (I looked and enlisted a few other people to help), and when you do find them, it's like taking a second shot in Russian Roulette without spinning the cylinder since all the Subaru CVTs of that generation are likely to go bust. To make used ones even more enticing, when they are findable, they're almost as expensive as new ones, which are about $3k.

Subaru loves them so much, they've extended the warranties on that generation and the previous one and have special hotlines setup for them.

But I'm not bitter.

I'm not sure VW has a better track record. I guess I should drive a Subaru wagon, because I'd really prefer that size. But, I'm enamored of the stick idea to make it moderately more interesting. Then, I'd really have everything backwards--the sporty car with an auto, and the boring car with a stick. The secret agenda, though, is passing a stick down to my son, hoping he would need to concentrate more on driving more than in an automatic....

I know I’m in the minority on the board but I’d rather have my kids drive an automatic and be able to concentrate on the road and other drivers instead of having to worry about how to drive a manual.

Today the other drivers out there are so distracted by their phones, phone calls, etc I really did not want to put another obstacle in the way of actually driving.

I did teach my son who was my first child to get his license how to drive a manual but his first car was an Automatic (actually a DCT:D)

She was simply ready to let go of constantly manually shifting a transmission. We test drove a manual and both liked it. Not as tight and precise as BMW manuals but it was miles better than the manual in the Corolla she was driving. The 2018 received a little more horsepower which helps with acceleration. It handles more like a sedan than my X3 and I think it actually has more cargo space. The size is perfect for us. Cleveland roads are terrible and the suspension / tire combination does a fabulous job handling them. We have had no issues but Subaru did have several critical recalls recently that impacted several of their models. Our local dealer fixed all three over a weekend and provided a loaner to us.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...dfbe65d8c5.jpg

Good info. Thank you!

I disagree with this. Having a manual forces you to pay attention to driving. It also makes it a lot more difficult to text and drive.

I had a new Subaru Forester for a day in 2018 and hated the CVT. For reference, depending on application and tuning, I do not hate the 8-speed ZF auto-box. To each his own...

Totally agree with Nicks take. Finding a manual for the kid to learn on in 2023 is going to be a pain but I will do it.