WASHINGTON: The Golf Alltrack wagon, a derivative of the Golf SportWagen, is headed for the US with 4Motion all-wheel drive system and is due to arrive in October.

With a 55-litre fuel tank, the Alltrack uses Volkswagen’s EA888 1.8-litre turbocharged TSI engine with 170hp at 4,000rpm and 270Nm of torque from 1,600rpm and is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox - a six-speed manual will be made available later.

The Golf Alltrack arrives in three trims - S, SE and SEL, and gets new bumper styling, added underbody guard and matte aluminium radiator grille crossbar, while sitting 15mm higher in terms of ride height at 175mm.

In addition to the standard foglights and LED Daytime Running Lights (all trims) with automatic headlight activation (SE and SEL only), a Driver Assist & Lighting Package is available for the Alltrack SEL that adds automatic headlight adjustment and replaces the halogen headlights with Bi-Xenon units.

There's also body cladding on the side sills and around the wheel arches, silver roof rails, Reflex Silver side mirrors, lower window chrome molding, 17-inch aluminum-alloy “Valley” wheels (18-inch “Canyon” on the SEL) and a panoramic sunroof for the SE and SEL variants.

At the rear, the Alltrack sports dark-red taillights, a new bumper with silver underbody protection, chrome exhaust tips

Inside, the driver centric cabin features 2,670 litres of space as well as 861 litres (1,883 litres with the rear seats folded).

The seats have V-Tex leatherette surfaces—including a unique “Marrakesh” brown color option—are standard equipment across the line, along with heatable front seats. A 12-way power driver seat is standard on the SEL trim, while the black headliner is standard fitment.

Depending on variant, there's KESSY keyless access with push-button start, Fender Premium Audio System, Climatronic automatic dual-zone climate control and an eight-speaker audio system.

Notable equipment includes a rearview camera, Bluetooth connectivity, Volkswagen Car-Net Security and Service, MIB II infotainment system with a 6.5-inch, 800x480 capacitive colour touchscreen display with proximity sensor and 2.5D navigation.

The infotainment system is Apple iPhone® and iPod® compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirroLink as well as AUX-in, SD card, USB port, rearview camera display, Bluetooth compatibility, JPEG viewer, SiriusXM® Satellite Radio, and HD Radio.

The latest-generation 4Motion system is activated before any wheelspin occurs, helping eliminate nearly all traction losses.

The system achieves this by using an advanced control function based on specific driving conditions.

When operating under a relatively low load or when coasting, the front wheels are driven and the rear wheels are decoupled, which can help save fuel.

However, the rear wheels can be engaged in fractions of a second whenever necessary via the center differential, which is activated by an electro-hydraulic oil pump.

A control unit continually calculates the ideal drive torque for the rear wheels and controls how much the multi-plate clutch should be closed by activating the oil pump.

The oil pressure increases the contact pressure at the clutch plates in proportion to the torque desired at the rear axle.

So, the amount of pressure applied to the clutch plates can be used to continuously vary the amount of torque going between the front and rear wheels, up to a maximum of 50% at the rear axle.

In addition to the center differential that acts longitudinally, electronic differential locks (EDL) that are a function of the electronic stability control system act laterally. The system can briefly brake a wheel that is slipping, enabling uninterrupted and stable transfer of drive power to the wheel on the opposite side.

With a MQB chassis architecture and 287mm (front) and 262mm (rear) disc brakes discs equipped with three-channel ABS and electronic brake pressure distribution.

The Alltrack also features an Off Road Mode setting that alters the ABS system, accelerator pedal character and activates the hill descent function.

The available Off-Road HMI that is part of the navigation system displays compass, steering angle, and altitude when driving off-road.

Alltrack is also equipped with the XDS+ Cross Differential System — a feature originally developed for the performance-oriented GTI model.

This technology acts somewhat like an electronic substitute for a traditional mechanical limited-slip differential, working by actively monitoring data from each wheel sensor.

If the suspension becomes unloaded, the system automatically applies braking to the driven inside wheel as needed to help reduce understeer (the tendency for the front wheels to run wide).

This not only helps stability, but can also help improve handling and cornering performance.

The 2017 Alltrack has been given a 5-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).

A standard feature on all Alltrack models is the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System. This builds on the premise that a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact—the most significant of which can cause additional collisions.

The Automatic Post-Collision Braking System addresses this by applying the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping to reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of additional damage.

The Alltrack also includes Volkswagen’s Intelligent Crash Response System that shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and switches on the hazard lights if the car is involved in certain types of collisions.

All Alltrack models are equipped with standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as well as other optional driver assistance packages such as adaptive cruise control (ACC), forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking (Front Assist).

Other systems include front and rear Park Distance Control (ParkPilot), and Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist).

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