Volkswagen’s biggest news for the 2017 model year is the arrival of the Alltrack, a version of the Golf SportWagen equipped with 4MOTION all-wheel-drive plus a Subaru Outback?like treatment of raised ride height and body add-ons to give it that much-loved off-road crossover appearance. Even as it follows in Subaru’s knobbly tire treads, though, VW will also offer a configuration that Subaru has dropped from its Legacy line-up: a standard height all-wheel-drive station wagon. And with an available manual transmission, to boot.
They’re singing our tune?an all-wheel-drive wagon with a stick is a rarity in the U.S. market, and this is likely to be the most affordable one that avoids raising the center-of-gravity, and thus should handle much like the delightfully nimble standard Golf SportWagen. On the other hand, VW says the 4MOTION hardware will be available to American buyers only on the base S trim level of the Golf SportWagen (the Alltrack is treated as a separate model using neither the Golf nor the SportWagen badges). Its 170-hp 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mates to either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. The 4MOTION system from supplier Borg-Warner employs a central electrohydraulic clutch system that directs all torque to the front axle until slip is detected, but can route as much as 50 percent to the rear wheels. Although VW displayed a 4MOTION-equipped SportWagen at the 2014 New York Auto Show (photo above...