VW Reveals Outback-Rivaling Golf Alltrack Ahead of Paris

To give the Golf Alltrack that soft-road ability, VW is outfitting the wagon with its latest 4Motion all-wheel drive system from Haldex. The setup can decouple power from the rear-axle when not needed to save fuel. To further improve traction, the Alltrack gets VW's electronic differential lock, and the car can individually brake its inside wheel during hard cornering for better handling.

Volkswagen also wants the Alltrack to be able to visually show that it can handle getting away from the pavement, even though it starts life as a standard Golf wagon. That means jacking up the suspension an extra 0.75 inches and adding black moldings all the way around the car. There are also redesigned bumpers for the front and rear and silver underbody protection, plus new accents like anodized roof rails and silver mirror caps. The interior is essentially unchanged from the wagon, except for altered trim and Alltrack badges.

The European engine range for the Alltrack has four options: a 1.8-liter turbocharged gasoline unit with 178 horsepower, a 1.6-liter turbocharged diesel with 109 hp and two tunes of 2.0-liter TDI oil-burner with either 148 hp or 182 hp. The top petrol and diesel versions come with a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox as standard.

While the pumped-up body and slightly higher ride height might not make it to North America, earlier photos showed the newly re-dubbed Golf Sportwagen with 4Motion badges for the US (at least on the TDI model), and we wouldn't be surprised to see VW chase the popular Subaru Outback with the vehicle seen here. For now, though, all we know is that UK sales of the Golf Alltrack begin in the summer of 2015