2018 Subaru Outback vs. Volkswagen Golf Alltrack: Which is the Best Family Adventure Car? [Video]

The 2018 Subaru Outback and Volkswagen Alltrack may both make sense as family adventure cars. However…

For decades, both Subaru and Volkswagen have been playing the wagon game. You may or may not have realized that, depending on where you live. In places like Colorado, Subarus dominate the roads, and cars like the 2018 Subaru Outback become synonymous with the state. They’re absolutely everywhere, and that raises an important question. If you were looking for what we at TFL call a “Colorado car” – something rugged and off-road adventure-worthy for the family, which is your best choice? Is it the 2018 Subaru Outback, or the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack? We compare the two in a series of tests to see which contender truly fits the bill of the Colorado car distinction.

On one hand, the 2018 Subaru Outback we’re testing has some important edges on the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. It’s bigger, for a start – more crossover-like than a typical wagon. While the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack sits lower to the ground with a lower roofline like a normal car, the Outback is taller, with greater ground clearance. That means there’s ten more cubic feet of cargo space, which is crucial when carting around a family and all their adventure gear. The Golf Alltrack, on the other hand, has a turbocharged engine and a manual transmission, which enhances the fun factor.

When it comes to out-and-out figures, the 2018 Subaru Outback wins hands down. With a 3.6-liter, six-cylinder horizontally-opposed Boxer engine making 256 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, you’d expect it to walk away from the Alltrack. After all, the Volkswagen packs just 170 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque from its 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. There’s just one elephant in the room…and it’s not just the fact that Roman isn’t exactly impartial in this review. Watch the video above to find out more!

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