How Capable Is the Volkswagen Golf AllTrack Off-Road?

CARS.COM — When you stop to think about it, it’s rather fitting that the Volkswagen Golf used to be known as the Rabbit because the Golf family continues to expand pretty rapidly. The latest spawn is the 2017 Volkswagen Golf AllTrack. It’s based on the Golf SportWagen but adds a few features designed to make it more at home off the road.

Related: 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Wagon Starts at $27,770

How well does it perform off-road? I took a rather bright red example of the AllTrack to one of my favorite haunts, Hungry Valley State Vehicle Recreation Area, to find out.

The Golf AllTrack still has a lot in common with the Golf SportWagen. It uses the same powertrain: a 170-horsepower, turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder that makes 199 pounds-feet of torque mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic. It’s a good combo; the engine is great, with plenty of power and an even delivery both on the street and off-road.

The two vehicles also have the same 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, which has a front-wheel bias on the street but can shift 50 percent of the torque to the rear wheels when slippage is detected. It will also work with the traction control system to use the brakes to stop the left or right wheel when those slip, shifting power to the wheel on the other side which has traction. 

So what are the differences? They start with styling: VW added rugged-looking black cladding to all sides around the bottom of the AllTrack. Underneath, there’s an extra 0.6 inches of ground clearance, for a total of 6.9 inches. There’s also a drive mode selector, which adds an Off-Road driving mode that activates the hill descent control and alters how the traction control responds. 

I took the AllTrack down one of the green-rated trails (the easiest level) at Hungry Valley and a few things became apparent right away. First, using the drive mode selector drastically changes the feel of the car. In Off-Road mode, it really smooths out inputs from the throttle and you can feel the traction control working overtime when the wheels slip. However, about a half mile down the trail, I had to stop and work my way back where the trail had been washed out slightly, leaving a rut about a foot deep. Even with the added ground clearance, the AllTrack just doesn’t have the space to clear ruts or obstacles. I went back to the same trail with a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk a few weeks later and blew threw it without issue.

Next, I took the AllTrack on a series of hill climbs, which highlighted another feature that the AllTrack shares with the SportWagen: street tires. On a smoother hill climb with loose dirt and a decent grade, I charged up the hill only to lose traction at the same point each time. The system tried valiantly to find grip; I could feel it moving the power around to all four corners to no avail. I had to back out and find an easier way up the hill.

Hill descent control, activated by moving into the Off-Road driving mode, worked well, however. Instead of using the engine and a low range to keep speed down like an SUV, the AllTrack uses its brakes and traction control system to keep things tidy on steeper descents. The system did trip up when the tires would lose grip on the loose surface. It’s a disconcerting feeling to slide down the hill with the tires locked up.

The hill testing in both directions made me think that with a proper set of all-terrain tires, the Golf AllTrack would be much better off-road. Trying to climb hills with loose dirt was like trying to play a soccer game in wooden clog. It was hard to tell how good the AllTrack actually was when its footwear was holding it back so much. Slap a good set of all-terrain tires on it and suddenly the AllTrack could become much more capable.

There was one area where the AllTrack did well: It is much more at home running over dirt washes or flatter unpaved surfaces. Though the suspension doesn’t have much travel, it’s still fairly comfortable in these scenarios. There’s also plenty of power and torque to have a little fun in the wash. With the traction control flipped off, the AllTrack will fling dirt pretty well.

In my weeklong test, I found that I liked the 2017 Golf AllTrack quite a bit, but for reasons related to engine and performance instead of off-road prowess. Like the other members of this class, the AllTrack won’t be able to get to the same places a decently equipped SUV will; it just doesn’t have the ground clearance, suspension travel or grip to keep up. Changing tires would help, but I’m afraid that would hurt its on-road manners, which are excellent. At the end of the day, I wasn’t sure if I was glad that I brought the AllTrack to the off-road park — but I was glad that I got to drive home in it.