Page 41 - Layout 1
P. 41
AUTO REVIEW
After two very difficult years caused by added numerous body embellishments senger room, but the wagon configuration
getting caught cheating on emissions tests in which give the car a decidedly Patagonia-ish adds significant utility. With the rear seats
the U.S., Volkswagen has decided to claw vibe. It is to the Golf Sportwagen as the folded down I was able to fit my 29” moun-
their way back onto the shopping lists of Crosstrek is to the Subaru Impreza, but don’t tain bike in the back without any difficulty.
American car buyers by, at least partially, fol- be surprised if the Alltrack sells far better
lowing Subaru’s example. than the Sportwagen. It’s worth noting that Volkswagen proba-
bly can’t take this whole Subaru-ization
Regular readers may recall that I’ve been Driving the Golf Alltrack is a lot like driv- thing too much farther. The Passat sedan
impressed with Subaru’s ability to grow their ing the Sportwagen, not surprisingly. All All- would look dumb lifted and dressed up as a
sales in the U.S. despite having no SUVs or tracks are AWD, so they’re slightly heavier sorta SUV, and I don’t think Golf hatchback
crossovers in a market where SUVs and and better in inclement weather, not that I would look much better. Volkswagen has a
crossovers are king. How did they do it? encountered any during my week with the “Dune” version of the New Beetle which
They took their cars, added AWD to all of car. Toodling around town and cruising on looks pretty good, but it’s FWD only and re-
them, and then made most of them look like the highway were easy in this car, as was ally just an appearance package rather than
sorta-SUVs even though they weren’t. The driving on twisty back roads. Volkswagens a legitimate attempt to add off-road func-
result? Huge sales success. In 2013, Subaru generally offer a more athletic driving expe- tionality.
passed VW in vehicle sales in the U.S., and rience than their Asian and American com-
in 2015 they sold more cars than Volkswa- petitors, and that’s true for the Golf Alltrack. Having said that, selling just one Subaru-
gen had ever sold in this country (582,573 That means it has more verve when you ac- ized car is probably enough now that the all-
in 1970, in case you were wondering). celerate and sharper handling than competi- new Atlas SUV is here to battle the Ford
tors like, umm, the Subaru Crosstrek. Explorer, Toyota Highlander, and Honda
Naturally, being a smart and successful Pilot, and a redone Tiguan with more space
multi-national company, VW hasn’t enjoyed For the record, the Alltrack actually has an is just around the corner. As always, Phil
watching Subaru et al. eating their proverbial off-road driving mode that you select using Hornbeak is available through the BCMS to
lunch, so they’ve decided to do something the touchscreen. No, it doesn’t turn the car help you buy the right car or SUV for the
about it, which brings me to the subject of into a Land Rover, but it does engage hill de- best possible price.
this month’s review – the Golf Alltrack, a scent control and change throttle and trans-
Subaru wannabe if there ever was one. Car mission settings to better handle non-tarmac The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is an attrac-
buyers in 2017 want SUVs and crossovers situations. tive vehicle that borrows a page from Sub-
first and foremost, yes, but they’re also ok aru’s playbook and will likely succeed in the
with cars that look like they could go off Most Alltracks will come with a six-speed market for all the reasons outlined above.
road. They just don’t want compact hatch- dual clutch automatic, but, Alleluia!, a 6- Given the serious (self-inflicted) problems
backs, large sedans, or, OMG no, minivans. speed manual is available. I respect any dual- Volkswagen has been dealing with for two
clutch gearbox and am grateful that VW is years, they need every sales hit they can get.
A quick aside: in the late 1980s Toyota staying strong and avoiding CVTs. The only
added the word Altrac to all of their cars with engine choice is a 1.8 liter turbo four that If you’re in the market for this kind of ve-
AWD. They dropped the term in 2000, but makes 170 HP. hicle, call Phil Hornbeak at 210-301-4367.
you’d think they would take exception to VW
using the same word with different spelling The interior is better than most other cars Steve Schutz, MD, is a
for their AWD wagon. Apparently not. in this class, though it won’t make the design- board-certified gastroenterolo-
ers at Lexus or Audi lose any sleep. The ma- gist who lived in San Antonio
To their credit, Volkswagen made sure the terials and ergonomics are nice, and the in the 1990s when he was sta-
Golf Alltrack was a good looking car. Yes, it’s touchscreen is much better than previous tioned here in the U.S. Air
essentially a Golf Sportwagen, but they’ve Volkswagen efforts. We’re talking about a Force. He has been writing auto reviews for
lifted it by 1.4 inches – a la Subaru – and Golf here, so naturally there’s not a lot of pas- San Antonio Medicine since 1995.
visit us at www.bcms.org 41
