MY17 Golf Alltrack 132TSI Premium

[Biff]

Hi all,

Nice to be on here. I'm the happy owner of a secondhand Golf Alltrack that I bought last April, my first VW and first car after 5 years being without wheels. I've started a new job in Sydney that requires a lot of commuting, hence the sudden need for wheels. I had intended to get a car again but not for another year or two. My previous job had me doing a fair bit of travelling around NSW, and you realise how many unsealed roads are still out there. I wanted a vehicle that I could take touring and not baulk if a road went from tar to dirt. Equally, I wanted something that was nice to drive on road. I've always liked that Alltrack/Allroad/Scout versatility and 'many talents' type of vehicle. I looked at some SUVs and also some Subarus but things like weedy na engines and CVTs turned me off. In the end, I had it down to either a Golf or Passat Alltrack, and the right model Golf came up when I needed to buy. Both could carry a full size spare, another important consideration.

I wanted the Premium model and have not been disappointed, it's a great car and nails that semi-premium brief that VW do so well. The engine is a cracker, I wanted a turbo with a nice flat torque curve, and despite putting the boot in often (because it feels good!) I'm still getting low 7s on the commute, which is mostly motorway. I made a few mods - new tint to replace the cheaper tint the first owner put on, and which was bubbling; paint correction and ceramic paint protection; and I swapped out the wheels and tyres. I had read several reviews of an overly firm ride on the Premium's 18s and this was confirmed on the long run back from Ballarat where I bought it. I was going to go down to the base 17s, also better for gravel road puncture protection, but the guy from JAX said there was an intermediate size available in some other markets, and I went with those, 225/50R17s with XL tyres, on SSW Blade alloys. Very happy with that combo.

There are a few minor issues with the LHD ergonomics but you get used to those. Some extra ground clearance would be handy as well. But I really love the LED headlights, the first time I've had them, they are a big safety advantage in rural night driving. The digital instruments and mapping are also fantastic. The only real gripes are the DSG and the sunroof shade, I really wish VW would use a solid shade rather than the semi-transparent one. On really hot days you notice the heat coming through, although the black exterior and black leather interior probably don't help. As for the DSG, I have read countless opinions and reviews of them so was eager to try it myself. Up and rolling it is brilliant, but those low-speed issues that some complain about I have noticed as well. Starts and sudden low speed prods of the accelerator can feel very lurchy, but for 99% of the time it's a great transmission.

Anyway, I have bored you enough, thanks for reading. I do have one minor but very annoying issue I can't fix, more on that in the next post.

[Flipper Dog]

Biff, you can't really say you have it without providing photos as proof

[Biff]

Lol true! I did actually post a couple of days ago and included a pic but the post never appeared, and I guessed I wasn't allowed to add images until after the first post. Anyway, here she is.