A Fond: Farewell to the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack: A Great Car You’re Not Buying

Get ’em while you can!

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is an outstanding small family vehicle for folks who need all-wheel drive. It has just enough height to be good on mild off-road trails and snow while being perfect for overall handling. Along with that, it’s economical, utilitarian and downright fun to drive.

It’s a shame it’s going away.

(Image: TFLcar)

Three things stand out for when comparing the 2019 Volkswagen Alltrack to vehicles like the Subaru Crosstrek, Mini Clubman AWD and even the larger Buick Regal TourX (among others).

  • One: its performance to value proposition.
  • Two: it’s utility to size tradeoff
  • Three: its fun character.
[Photo: TFLcar]

Performance

The 2019 Volkswagen Alltrack 168 horsepower, turbocharged 1.8-liter engine makes 199 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission is optional. If you like to mix your own coffee – and have a little fun in your commute, the manual is a great choice.

In this configuration, Volkswagen says you can get 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. I averaged an excellent 27 mpg doing lots of highway driving and aggressive canyon carving.

[Photo: Volkswagen]

Comfort and Utility

Cargo space is good in the 2019 Volkswagen Alltrack. There’s 30.4 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and a maximum of 66.5 cu-ft with the seats folded. That’s right between the Subaru Crosstrek and Subaru Outback.

Seating is comfortable, especially with the squishy leatherette surface. It’s easy to clean and has good bolstering for all butte largest passengers. The back seats are fine for average sized passengers, but tall passengers will not enjoy the lack of legroom.

My 5’7″ teen fit behind my driver’s seat with no problem. I’m 6’1″.

Price and a less expensive alternative

Prices start at $26,895 for the base model S. That still gives you a few goodies like heated front seats ad blind spot monitoring. Work you way up to the $30,495 SE, you get the panoramic sunroof, sound system and bigger touch screen ad keyless access. At the top of the heap, the $34,995 SEL gives you navigation, dual zone climate control and adaptive cruise control.

While these prices are okay – keep in mind that this car is going away and dealers are hungry to make deals. Stories of thousands off the MSRP have reached TFL, and I got a random offer for a loaded SEL that was almost 15 percent lower than the MSRP.

If you need to save even more moo-lah, consider the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen. You can get one, comparably equipped for thousands less. It doesn’t have the lifted suspension, off-road-looking bits or the exact same content, but it’s mostly the same.

You can get a 1.4-liter turbo with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual for less than $23,000. That smaller turbo works great and it’s the same lauded engine used in the base Volkswagen Jetta. An all-wheel drive 1.8-liter SportWagen starts at just over $25,000.

2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

Verdict

Simply put: I would buy this vehicle. Even took the spouse to look at a few to evaluate her interest. While she’s on the fence, I would love to jump on the massive dealer incentives and kickass warranty (Volkswagen’s transferrable 6-year/72,000-mile limited warranty is very competitive).

I’m sad to see this car go. It means less driver fun is coming by way of crossovers that have no options for manual transmissions (something I love) and AWD. Bummer.

Enjoy the video!