Estate and Alltrack

Overview

The Estate is the Golf 7 hatch body extended behind the B-pillars. VW presented the Variant from spring 2013 and built it until 2020¹. It uses the same MQB platform as the hatch, and VW's own launch wording says both have the same wheelbase². UK order books opened on 2 July 2013 from GBP 17,915 on the road, which VW put at only GBP 765 more than the equivalent hatchback².

Three Estate derivatives followed in 2015: the Alltrack, the R Estate and the GTD Estate³. The Alltrack is an Estate only. There was never an Alltrack hatch⁴.

Body

5-door estate only, MQB platform²

Production

2013 to 2020¹

Boot

605 litres to the rear seat backrest, 1,620 litres to the front seat backrests, on every Estate including the R and the Alltrack³⁵

Drag coefficient

0.27 "ideal"¹

4MOTION in the UK

Alltrack and R Estate only⁵

Estate timeline and UK trims

UK engines at launch, 2013

S, SE and GT only, every engine with stop/start and battery regeneration².

UK launch prices, 2013 (OTR)

UK engines and trims, November 2018 VW official

Year-by-year changes across the whole range are on the model years page.

Dimensions, weights, boot and load space

MK7.5 UK figures, from the November 2018 VW UK brochure unless another source is given VW official⁵.

Boot and load space

VW prints the same two boot figures in every Estate column, the R and the Alltrack included⁵.

The comparison VW drew at launch was with the MK6: 505 litres and 1,495 litres for the old Estate, and 380 litres for the hatch².

UK unladen weights VW official

UK unladen weights include 90% fuel, a 68 kg driver and 7 kg of luggage⁵.

Payload at launch was quoted as 600 to 611 kg depending on engine². The rear axle follows the engine, not the body: a 1.6 TDI Estate is on the twist beam and a 2.0 TDI Estate is on the multilink axle, exactly as on the hatch. The full engine list is on the range page⁵.

Towing and roof load

Braked trailer limits are quoted on a 12% incline⁵.

Unbraked trailer limits run from 640 to 750 kg depending on engine, the Alltrack TDIs taking the highest figure at 750 kg. The towbar noseweight limit is 80 kg on every Estate that has a figure, and maximum roof load is 75 kg on all of them, Alltrack and R included⁵.

Both Alltrack TDIs at 2,000 kg are the highest braked figure in the MK7 Golf range. VW's own framing puts the clearance, the Offroad profile and 4MOTION together and calls it an ideal towing vehicle for trailers of up to 2,000 kg³.

Two earlier figures do not match the MK7.5 table. The 2013 launch release gave towing as up to 1,600 kg braked on a 12% incline², and VW Newsroom quotes the Variant at up to 2 tonnes depending on version, which is the Alltrack TDI figure rather than an ordinary Estate's¹.

Trailer Assist is offered on the Estate. It is selected from the in-car menu and the trailer is then steered backwards with the mirror adjustment switch⁵.

Estate-specific equipment

• Roof rails are standard on every UK Estate: black on S and SE, anodised silver on GT².
• A multi-level cargo floor is standard. It is height-adjustable and fully removable, and gives a flat load area with hidden storage underneath².
• A roller-blind loadspace cover with a net partition is fitted. Both stow under the boot floor when they are not wanted²³.
• The 60:40 split rear seatbacks are released remotely by levers in the luggage area side walls. The backrests then fold forward on their own to a nearly level surface with the cargo floor³.
• A space-saver spare wheel is standard on all UK Estates except the BlueMotion².
• The facelift additions VW names for the Variant are Traffic Jam Assist, Trailer Assist and Discover Pro gesture control¹.
• German special editions applied to the Variant were Allstar, on the Variant from December 2016, and Join from December 2017¹.

4MOTION in the UK

In the UK the only four-wheel-drive Estates are the Alltrack, where 4MOTION is standard on every engine, and the R Estate. Every other UK Estate column in the November 2018 table is front-wheel drive⁵.

• The system is Haldex 5 with an electro-hydraulic oil pump. The rear axle is decoupled under low load and when coasting, and VW quotes nearly 100% of drive torque as available to the rear axle³.
• There are no mechanical transverse locks. Four-wheel electronic differential lock inside the ESC does that job, with XDS+ on the front and rear axles³.
• An ordinary 2.0 TDI 4MOTION Estate, not an Alltrack, existed in continental Europe with the MQ350-6A manual gearbox. It does not appear in any UK table. See the range page for the gearbox families⁵.

R Estate and GTD Estate

Both cars take their engines unchanged from the matching hatch, so only the deltas are here. The full specifications are on the Golf R and GTD pages.

R Estate

• Engine and drivetrain are identical to the hatch R of the same vintage: 2.0 TSI EA888 Gen 3, 221 kW / 300 PS at 5,500 to 6,200 rpm and 380 Nm from 1,800 to 5,500 rpm at launch³.
• DSG only. No manual R Estate was offered in any market or any model year⁸⁵.
• At launch: 0 to 80 km/h in 3.8 s, 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 s against 4.9 s for the pre-facelift hatch DSG, 250 km/h limited, 7.0 l/100 km and 164 g/km on NEDC³.
• MK7.5 UK car: 310 PS, DSG only, 1,593 kg unladen, 55 litre tank, 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 s against 4.6 s for the hatch, 155 mph, 98 RON, 39.2 mpg combined, 164 g/km and ABI insurance group 39E. The Estate table prints 380 Nm where the hatch table prints 380 Nm for the manual and 400 Nm for the DSG Sources differ⁵.
• Body: the lines are shared with the hatch only as far as the B-pillars. From the rear doors back it diverges, with an R-style rear bumper, a high-gloss black diffuser, four chrome tailpipe trims, aero flaps on the D-pillars, LED number plate lights and dark-red tail lights³.
• Chassis is the hatch R setup unchanged: sport suspension 20 mm lower, progressive steering at 2.1 turns lock to lock against 2.75, fully defeatable ESC Sport and optional second-generation DCC with a Race mode. 18in Cadiz on 225/40 R18 is standard, with 19in Cadiz and 19in flow-formed Pretoria optional³.
• The UK MK7.5 Performance Pack derestricts the Estate to 168 mph against 165 or 166 mph for the hatch, and the hatch's rear spoiler lip is not part of the Estate pack¹⁴.
• UK price in November 2017: GBP 35,700, DSG only¹⁴.

GTD Estate

• Engine identical to the GTD hatch: EA288 2.0 TDI, 135 kW / 184 PS at 3,500 to 4,000 rpm and 380 Nm from 1,750 to 3,250 rpm, with two balancer shafts, 2,000 bar common rail injection raised from 1,800 bar, a NOx storage catalyst and Euro 6³.
• At launch: 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 s with either gearbox, 231 km/h manual and 229 km/h DSG, 4.4 l/100 km and 115 g/km manual, 4.8 l/100 km and 125 g/km DSG³.
• Sport suspension 15 mm lower, not the R's 20 mm, with XDS+, ESC Sport, progressive steering, 17in Curitiba wheels on 225 tyres, bi-xenon headlights, Composition Touch and automatic climate control as standard³.
• MK7.5 UK car: 144 mph manual and 143 mph DSG, 0 to 62 mph in 7.9 s manual and 7.8 s DSG, 1,466 kg manual and 1,492 kg DSG unladen, 1,600 kg braked towing, 58.9 to 60.1 mpg combined, 124 to 125 g/km and ABI group 27E⁵.
• In the UK in 2015 the DSG cost GBP 1,415 more than the manual⁸.

What the Alltrack is

The Alltrack is a raised, body-protected Golf Estate with 4MOTION as standard and an Offroad driving profile. VW positions it as the Golf-class equivalent of the Passat Alltrack introduced in 2012, and says it is based on the body of the Estate in the same way³. It was sold as an estate only; no Alltrack hatch was built⁴.

Alltrack timeline and markets

In the US the Alltrack is a MY2017, MY2018 and MY2019 car only. The EPA model lists show no Alltrack for 2015, 2016 or 2020¹⁷¹⁸. Alongside it the US also had a plain Golf SportWagen 4Motion, again MY2017 to MY2019 only¹⁷.

Alltrack engines

Europe at launch

Four engines, all TDIs being EA288 with an oxidation catalyst, a DPF and a NOx storage catalyst³.

The 1.8 TSI 180 PS was new to the Golf line-up when the Alltrack launched³.

UK, November 2018 VW official

US

Every US Alltrack is the 1.8T EA888 with a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG with Tiptronic. MY2017 is rated 170 hp at 4,500 rpm and 199 lb-ft at 1,600 rpm, dropping to 168 hp for MY2019¹⁵¹⁶.

Alltrack ground clearance

VW's own documents give two different raises, and the difference matters when you are matching suspension and underbody parts. Sources differ

There is no single figure to quote. The only absolute clearance published in any of these documents is the US one, 6.9 in or 175 mm; no European figure in millimetres was found¹⁹.

Alltrack dimensions and weights

UK MK7.5: length 4,567 mm, the same as an ordinary Estate; width excluding mirrors 1,799 mm; maximum height 1,515 mm; height with the tailgate open 2,020 mm; wheelbase 2,629 mm; turning circle 10.9 m⁵. UK weights and towing are in the tables above.

US figures: overall length 180.2 in and width 70.8 in; passenger volume 94.3 cu ft; cargo 30.4 cu ft behind the rear seats and 66.5 cu ft with them folded; headroom 38.6 in; shoulder room 55.9 in front and 53.9 in rear; legroom 41.2 in front and 35.6 in rear. All of them are identical to the SportWagen's¹⁹. US curb weight is 3,369 lb manual and 3,422 lb automatic for MY2017, and 3,351 lb and 3,395 lb for MY2019¹⁵¹⁶.

Underbody protection and styling

Front

A low-profile high-gloss chrome radiator grille crossbar runs into the headlights, over a matt black honeycomb grille with a chrome Alltrack badge and a honeycomb lower air intake. A full-width crossbar in matt Reflex Silver carries the standard fog lights, which include cornering lights, and the underbody protection is finished in Reflex Silver³. The US description adds a redesigned bumper and an extra underbody guard¹⁹.

Side

Black wheel-arch mouldings continue into mouldings above the side sills and into the lower bumpers. The flared side sills are painted matt Reflex Silver, the mirror caps are glossy Reflex Silver, there are Alltrack badges on the wings, a matt chrome trim strip under the side windows and silver anodised roof rails³. The US cars get the same silver roof rails, Reflex Silver mirrors and lower window chrome, with a panoramic sunroof standard on SE and SEL¹⁹.

Rear

A new rear bumper carries matt Reflex Silver underbody protection, and the tail lights are dark red³. The exhaust gives the engine away: the 180 PS TSI has a dual-branch exhaust with chrome tips on both left and right, while the TDIs have twin chrome tips on the left side only³. VW UK calls the same rear trim matt chrome-effect underbody protection trim, and notes that bi-xenon headlights were standard on the UK Alltrack⁴.

Interior

Alltrack-badged seat covers, Dark Magnesium centre console and dash accents, a Tracks inlay on the dash and door trims, door-trim ambient lighting, Climatronic, LED reading lights front and rear, Composition Touch, the Driver Alert System, a chrome trim strip with a 4MOTION badge on the centre console lid, stainless steel Alltrack door sill guards, aluminium-look pedals and footrest, and an optional black headliner³. The US interior differs: V-Tex leatherette across the line including a Marrakesh brown, heated front seats standard, and a 12-way power driver's seat on the SEL¹⁹.

Offroad profile, ABSPlus and running gear

• The Offroad driving profile turns on a hill descent function that holds a constant speed down a slope, changes the accelerator pedal response, and switches the ABS to an off-road configuration where modified control thresholds build a wedge of gravel in front of the wheels³.
• VW UK names that ABS mode ABSPlus and says it is Alltrack only: a special program in the ABS control unit, active only in extreme off-road use and below about 3 mph. It briefly locks the wheels, then reduces brake pressure, so a wedge of gravel or sand builds ahead of the tyre. That shortens the stopping distance while the car stays steerable⁴.
• US cars add an Off-Road HMI screen in the navigation system showing a compass, steering angle and altitude¹⁹.
• Suspension, as VW of America describes it: struts at the front with coil springs, telescopic dampers and an anti-roll bar; a multilink rear axle with coil springs, telescopic dampers and an anti-roll bar, given its own suspension tuning¹⁹. VW UK calls it heavy-duty running gear and off-road suspension⁵⁴.
• US brakes: 11.3 in vented front discs and 10.7 in solid rear discs, with three-channel ABS and EBD¹⁹.
• Steering is an electric rack and pinion at 13.6:1, 2.76 turns lock to lock, with a 35.8 ft turning circle¹⁹. At 2.76 turns the Alltrack does not have progressive steering; the R Estate's progressive rack is 2.1 turns against 2.75 for a standard one³.

Alltrack wheels

• Standard: 17in Valley, a design unique to the Alltrack, with 205/55 tyres in the international press pack³⁴.
• Optional: 18in Canyon, listed internationally and on the US SEL³¹⁹.
• The UK MK7.5 Alltrack also offered the 18in Kalamata⁵.
• The US MY2019 Driver Assistance and Appearance package for the SE added the 18in alloys plus LED headlights with AFS, Lane Assist, Light Assist, Park Distance Control and Park Assist¹⁶.

Part numbers, offsets and the disagreement over the Valley's width and tyre size are on the wheels page, which is not repeated here.

Alltrack prices and US ratings

• US MY2017: from $25,850 for the S manual, which arrived early in 2017, and $26,950 for the S with DSG, up to $32,890 for the SEL. The press kit summary gives the launch range, DSG first, as $26,950 to $32,890¹⁵¹⁹.
• US MY2019: from $26,895 plus $895 destination¹⁶.
• US EPA: MY2017 22/30/25 mpg with the DSG; MY2019 21/30/24 manual and 22/30/25 automatic¹⁵¹⁶.
• The 2017 Alltrack holds a 5-star NHTSA overall rating, with Automatic Post-Collision Braking and Intelligent Crash Response standard¹⁹.
• Two US recalls name the Alltrack: 19V879 for mis-machined front wheel bearings on the 2019 GTI and Alltrack, and 23V604 for an ignition switch that may fail in heat on the 2019 Golf, Alltrack and SportWagen²⁰. Recalls across the range are on the range page.
• No UK price list for the Estate or the Alltrack was found. The three archived VW UK Golf price lists, from July 2014, February 2017 and May 2020, are hatchback only²¹²²¹³.

Wheelbase figures do not agree

Four VW figures are in circulation for cars that are supposed to share a wheelbase, two of them printed on the same brochure page. Sources differ

So the R Estate is printed 6 mm shorter in the wheelbase than the R hatch in the same table, and the Alltrack is 9 mm longer than every other Estate, while an older VW press pack gives the R Estate a third figure again⁵²³. Nothing found explains the Alltrack's extra 9 mm, and nothing says whether the rear axle location or the subframe actually differs. Quote the figure from the document for the car in front of you and do not use a wheelbase to tell these cars apart.

Not yet found

• A UK Estate price list does not exist, which is a stronger finding than not found: VW UK published no Mk7 Estate price list and no Estate brochure at all. The press site has no document search, so its press-kit index was swept in full, 82 kits and the 129 documents behind them, and none is a Mk7 Golf Estate price list²⁴. The VW UK used-car brochure archive was then swept by filename: the Mk7 folder holds the hatch brochures of December 2013, December 2014, November 2015, November 2016 and February 2017 and nothing for the Estate, and the only Estate files are MK7.5, from June and July 2017²⁵. So only the 2013 Estate launch release, the February 2017 UK trims release and the November 2017 R Estate price are usable, which also leaves UK Estate wheel fitment by trim unknown.
• Insurance groups for the pre-facelift Estate. The VW UK range press pack of September 2016 prints ABI groups for the hatch range only, with no Estate entries at all²⁶.
• A European ground clearance figure in millimetres for the Alltrack, from a type approval or a self-study programme, to settle 15 mm against 20 mm.
• Why the Alltrack's wheelbase is printed 9 mm longer than every other Estate's, and whether any axle or subframe part differs.
• Whether XDS+ is actually fitted to the Alltrack, since VW UK leaves it off the standard list.
• UK Alltrack standard equipment by model year. The 2016 and 2018 brochures describe the car but no UK specification sheet per model year was found.
• Whether the Estate has any body-specific rear spring or damper rates, a raised rear spring seat or a different rear axle part number beyond the engine-based twist beam and multilink rule. Unverified