In spite of all the events caused by the emissions scandal and its consequences, Volkswagen continues to work to strengthen its positions on the U.S. market and in this sense the automaker will introduce the 2017 Golf Alltrack at the 2016 New York auto show.
The Golf Alltrack is based on the Golf SportWagen and will be go on sale this fall. Volkswagen originally showed the Golf Alltrack as a thinly disguised concept at the 2015 New York auto show, but it took until now for the model to reach production-ready status. The Alltrack rides 0.8 inch higher than the regular Golf SportWagen, giving it a total of 6.3 inches of ground clearance. The Alltrack also gets all-wheel drive, whereas the SportWagen only powers its front tires.
Dealers and customers wanted to see a Golf SportWagen with the all-terrain capability that comes from an all-wheel-drive system, and the automaker took this into consideration. Joerg Sommer, vice president of product marketing and strategy at Volkswagen of America, said in a statement that they are excited to introduce the Golf Alltrack to meet the active lifestyle needs of their customers. It will easy if taking into consideration that under the hood of the new Golf Alltrack will be a 1.8-liter turbo-four shared with the Golf TSI and Golf SportWagen, producing 170 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque. Transmission choices include Volkswagen’s six-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual, the latter of which will be available at a later date. The car’s all-wheel-drive system stays in front-wheel-drive mode by default to maximize fuel economy.
Pricing will be announced closer to the arrival of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack in dealers this fall. We should however expect a small premium over the Golf Sportwagen, which runs from $22,445 to $30,285.