2017 volkswagen golf sportwagen

We take the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack right into the heart of its ideal market: Vermont. What is it? In a market saturated with crossovers of all sizes, the wagon has seemingly disappeared into the background. Buyers are after car-based SUVs. And just as we thought wagons are dead, several automakers reintroduced some new long-roof offerings, indicating otherwise. Volkswagen is one of those automakers, and they just recently introduced a new version of the Golf Sportwagen. It’s called the Golf Alltrack. It follows Audi’s allroad recipe of increasing ground clearance and beefing-up the undergarments to make a more versatile vehicle. Given how I find myself as part of the ideal demographic and potential buyer base of the Alltrack, Volkswagen offered us one for review. The US outdoor industry comprises of $887 billion of consumer spending annually. Part of it involves the National Park system managing over 420 sites spread over 84 million acres … [Read more...] about Review: The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack swings at a growing niche and hits the nail on the head

A Great Crossover Wagon Gets Even Better Volkswagen has been hard at work beefing up its CUV/SUV offerings over the last 12 months. In 2017 they replaced their German-built Touareg with their first US-built full-sized SUV, the Atlas, introduced an updated Tiguan with American-sized version and introduced an upscale version of the Golf SportWagen named the Alltrack. Don’t call it an off-road station wagon The Alltrack, introduced in 2017 is a compact AWD station wagon that is designed to compete in the space occupied by the likes of Subaru, Volvo, Audi and Mitsubishi. Granted that US buyers are somewhat averse to the name “Station Wagon,” so VW has revamped the Golf wagon with increased ride height, aggressive body cladding, and VW’s 4Motion AWD system, along with other upscale content. For 2018, the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack continues to improve with added content, new styling, added safety features and lower pricing. Here’s what’s new for 2018 The … [Read more...] about Road Test: 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

A Compact Go-Anywhere Package The 2017 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen is a bit of what one cartoon character used to call a “way-back” machine. While a completely contemporary automobile, the SportWagen has the capability of taking me back in time to another era. Compact outside, spacious inside, ready to hit the road Station wagons are a bit of a time warp for a reviewer my age (i.e., baby boomer). We grew up with them in the day before minivans, SUVs and crossovers. They were the multi-purpose vehicle capable of hauling the family, a week’s worth of groceries and all of the camping gear and luggage needed for two vacation weeks on the road. The same characteristics continue to drive the popularly of Swiss Army knife-type vehicles like the station wagon. It’s differentiated from its more “modern” successors by one main attribute—sedan-like ride height. In turn, that brings more sedan-like handling, driving characteristics and fuel economy with … [Read more...] about Road Test: 2017 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TSI S 4Motion

The Best Value EV available today? In 2018 the battery electric vehicle (BEV) revolution is firmly in place, with BEVs here to stay. There is now a myriad of BEVs for the buyer to choose from, but now the question is—Which one is the best value today? BEVs primarily fall into three categories: Outstanding in its field Short-range or “1st Generation” BEVs that have a range under 110 miles, Mid-range BEVs that have official ranges of 125 to 200 miles, and Long-range BEVs that have published mileage ranges more than 200 miles. Pricing for short and mid-range BEVs start under $35K, and long-range cars start between $40K and $65K. Add to this all BEVs are not sold nationally; with some only sold in the 16 states that have adopted California’s more stringent emission standards. But if you live in one of these 16 states and are in the market for a best-in-class BEV, may I suggest that you consider the 2018 Volkswagen e-Golf. A Golf Is a Golf We’ve just spent … [Read more...] about Road Test: 2018 Volkswagen e-Golf

VW’s Seven-Passenger Large SUV Siblings Volkswagen is a latecomer with its three-row Atlas SUV. Designed for the American market, the Atlas lives up to its name–it’s big, which is a good thing if you need to seat up-to seven people. For most, this is something very few of us do on a regular basis. However, if you have a growing family and need the extra storage space for all their (and their friends’) gear, the 2018 Atlas should be on your wish list. VW wants to play with the big boys VW designed the Atlas interior to be open and inviting, even for passengers venturing into the third row. You need to be a Cirque du Soleil contortionist to access or comfortably sit in the far back of many seven-passenger SUVs. Not so with the Atlas, as VW has made the access easy with fold-and-slide second row seats, and a third row bench with good thigh support and a comfortable angle for the seat back. Maybe six-footers would not want to spend a few hundred miles back there, … [Read more...] about Comparison Test: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL Premium 4Motion vs. Atlas 2.0T SE