VW Alltrack

[Eddie]

Hi there,
New to this site. Been on Barking Bears forums for years, Saw some folks who bought the Alltrack, wanted to get reviews, the site closed. So, anyone here drive this? Impressions, especially in winter? And looking for opinions of rear seat leg room. I am 6' and wasn't thrilled with it, then again, read many good reviews about this. Now, here is my main question. This really has to do with most cars and ground clearance. I don't do much driving in the snow, but living in NYC, parking on the streets, looking for being able to park on a pile of snow without shoveling. I am not talking blizzard dumps, but 4 - 6" of snow. Not to mention getting over the snow plowed garbage. I LOVE this VW, yet the ground clearance is 6.9". The Subie Outback is 8.7" and other SUVs are 9 - 10". Will ground clearance make that much of a difference? I drive an 09 Jetta. Love it. But sitting so low to the ground, getting in an out is uncomfortable. Not to mention the 5.4 ground clearance. I have at time got hung up on snow parking, having to shovel underneath it. YES, I know, it will be once, or twice a year worrying about this. Yet driving around, doing errands, I still have to park. Plus the higher the clearance, I would sit higher, more comfortable getting in and out of the car.

 

[tch]

No direct experience with scenario you cite, but.... I chose the VW 4motion (Alltrack w/o the cladding & leatherette) precisely BECAUSE it sits lower. I do a lot of roof-rack toting, and the compact SUV's and Outback would require me to get a stepladder to really reach a roof rack. That said, the 4Motion sits lower than the Alltrack (by just a little bit) and both VW's sit lower than an Outback or Honda CRV (a car I really wanted to like).

Upshot? If ground clearance is important to you (it wasn't for me), then don't buy a VW. They do sit lower and you may have issues once or twice, and you will feel the same kind of in-and-out issues you have with your Jetta. For best road manners on clean pavement, lower is always better....but if you want to plow over/through snow, it won't be.

 

[ADKmel]

I'm a die hard Subaru owner on my 14th. I live upstate NY on a dirt road that turns to mud in spring. we get big dumps and the Subaru has never let me down.
I also sell real estate and often am on roads w/rocks so the clearance was a major thing for me. I loved the legacy but no clearance. I am an instructor, this year PSIA just changed sponsors to VW's from Subaru's so I'll be interested to read other's opinions on the alltrack.

I agree with @tch on the lower is easier to use the roof racks. I put my skis inside and need a small step stool to put kayak on top but you being 6ft tall probably will be ok.. there's also a subaru thread going on too..

 

[Sibhusky]

I have the Alltrack, got it just as the ski area opened. It is somewhat easier to get out of than my Audi A4 Avant was. We also own an Outback. It is slightly easier to get out of than the Alltrack. But I'm still capable of getting in and out of the Audi without grunting.

The clearance (6.9") is quite a bit higher than the Audi (4.3"). I never really had a problem with the Audi, so the fact that I didn't have a problem with the Alltrack doesn't mean much. The Audi might plow the whole driveway on the way out to go skiing, but it didn't stop it from moving.

I have to confess to not having sat in the back of the Alltrack. It doesn't look that roomy to me, but is supposedly better than my old car. My daughter and husband are the size that fit on buses, and they haven't complained. (My husband's height is in his torso, not his legs. The daughter is 5' 3.5" -- we used to say 5'3", but the last doctor told her she'd grown in her twenties to 5'4". I don't buy it.). They don't sit behind me often, I'm 5'8", but the height is in my legs.

If the driving experience is important to you, I'd get the Alltrack. If the interior room is the important thing, then get the Outback.

 

[Philpug]

Here is my Long Term Test of the 2017 AllTrack with some other members who also have one. At this point, I have about 11K miles on ours. As far as ground clearance, this is THE BEST snow car I have ever owned. I will say, as a 6'er, room behind you will be snug but if you are comfortable in the 09 Jetta, you will be OK in this.

 

[Ken_R]

Hi there,
New to this site. Been on Barking Bears forums for years, Saw some folks who bought the Alltrack, wanted to get reviews, the site closed. So, anyone here drive this? Impressions, especially in winter? And looking for opinions of rear seat leg room. I am 6' and wasn't thrilled with it, then again, read many good reviews about this. Now, here is my main question. This really has to do with most cars and ground clearance. I don't do much driving in the snow, but living in NYC, parking on the streets, looking for being able to park on a pile of snow without shoveling. I am not talking blizzard dumps, but 4 - 6" of snow. Not to mention getting over the snow plowed garbage. I LOVE this VW, yet the ground clearance is 6.9". The Subie Outback is 8.7" and other SUVs are 9 - 10". Will ground clearance make that much of a difference? I drive an 09 Jetta. Love it. But sitting so low to the ground, getting in an out is uncomfortable. Not to mention the 5.4 ground clearance. I have at time got hung up on snow parking, having to shovel underneath it. YES, I know, it will be once, or twice a year worrying about this. Yet driving around, doing errands, I still have to park. Plus the higher the clearance, I would sit higher, more comfortable getting in and out of the car.

Rear seat legroom is a bit tight. The Forester and Outback really are roomy back there, it is somewhat unique in the marketplace of similarly sized vehicles. Even a Tacoma is tight back there and so are the new Colorado/Canyon crew cabs. (I am 6-2 though).

Regarding snow performance, with good snow tires it should be superb just like the subbies. Off-road well, you need good all terrain tires for that and that might require some mods.

 

[Carl Kuck]

So 11K miles in less than a year is long term? Wow... try 8 or 9 years with over 170K miles on the clock!

 

[Philpug]

So 11K miles in less than a year is long term? Wow... try 8 or 9 years with over 170K miles on the clock!

11K in about 6 months..we are behind our usual pace.

 

[Carl Kuck]

11K in about 6 months..we are behind our usual pace.

Heck, that's barely broken in!

 

[Sibhusky]

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-th...long-term-update-drivetrain/2100004434/?r=100

A snip:

the Alltrack boasts the same DSG dual-clutch unit used in the hot GTI and hotter Golf R models. We’ve found VW’s paddle-shift DSG an ideal partner for the free-revving TSI engine, serving up quick, smooth and consistent cog changes that impart a tangible element of sporty flair to the Alltrack while letting it roll from 0-60 in slightly under 8.0 seconds.