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This is the second generation of Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, following on from the model offered as part of the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf range. It’s a niche within a niche, an off-road styled version of a small family estate car - the latter already a dying breed as more drivers move into crossovers and SUVs.
For some though that will be part of the appeal, and with standard all-wheel drive and a punchy 2-litre diesel engine, the Alltrack doesn’t just look good but also gives the Golf just a little more rough-road and loose-surface ability, in much the same way Audi’s Allroad and Volvo’s Cross Country models have done for decades. If you can find one, it’s an appealing SUV alternative.
It’s also not a car with many real rivals, if you don’t include all those conventional family SUVs on the market. There’s the Ford Focus Active, but that was front-wheel drive only, while the Audi A4 Allroad and Volvo V60 Cross Country are likely to be more expensive for cars of equivalent age.
If you can find one - as Volkswagen has never sold many of either generation Golf Alltrack - we’d say yes. You pay a premium for the Alltrack over a regular Volkswagen Golf Estate, and you’re not getting the performance of something like a Golf R Estate, but treat it as a better-driving, big-booted alternative to an SUV and it’s easy to see the Alltrack’s appeal.
Being diesel-only means the Alltrack might seem a bit anachronistic, but the 200PS unit has plenty of torque and really punches hard, being one of the quicker Golfs this side of a GTI. With standard all-wheel drive, you can deploy that power in all weathers too, and the extra traction and ground clearance will no doubt be handy for those who live in rural areas and see poor weather each winter.
The diesel is frugal too, and it’s good to drive - you get less body lean than with an equivalent SUV, direct steering, and plenty of grip. It also rides well, helped by the fitment of relatively small (by modern standards) 17-inch wheels and slightly more sidewall to the tyres. It’s refined over longer distances too.
We still have misgivings over VW’s current infotainment system, which can feel overly complex and is further burdened by frequently-used controls like heating or lighting using touch-sensitive buttons. But otherwise the cabin is smartly designed, and very spacious - with a very useful 611-litre boot.
It’s been a while since Skoda has offered an Octavia Scout, but that car is probably closest to offering what the Golf Alltrack does. The Ford Focus Active is similar but front-wheel drive only, while models like the Audi A4 Allroad, Volvo V60 Cross Country, and Subaru Legacy Outback are all larger and more expensive, like-for like.
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There’s only one - the Alltrack is itself a trim line (albeit a distinctly different one from other Golf models), comes only as an estate, and is fitted with just one engine, a 200PS turbodiesel. As Alltrack sales are likely to make up only a small proportion of overall Golf Estate sales, you may well be constrained to what’s available - which might also mean waiting a while if you want an Alltrack in one of the brighter or more unusual colours.
The Alltrack is both a variant and a trim level, so beyond any options added by the first owner, Alltrack models should have a pretty similar level of equipment.
The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack’s dimensions are:
The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack’s boot size is:
Golf Alltrack pricing started well under the £40,000 mark which means it avoids the government’s luxury vehicle surcharge for VED or ‘road tax’. As a regular diesel vehicle then, you’ll pay a flat rate each year, currently pegged at £180.
You’ll find the Golf Alltrack in insurance group 26, just over half way up the 1-50 group scale. That’s a little more than for its group 22 predecessor, but the new car does have higher performance. The Ford Focus Active starts from as little as group 13, but the Ford doesn’t offer all-wheel drive, nor a model as powerful as the 200PS Golf.
Read our full Volkswagen Golf Alltrack review