2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SEL Review - The AWD Manual Wagon with ALL the Features 

GREAT car. Still thinking about it

As a former owner of an alltrack manual SE, it was truly a fantastic car. I never had any issue with mine, and took it on fun adventures to go car camping all over. I regretfully gave it up. This one is really dope, especially with the SEL trim bits like fender audio system, headlights, and nicer seats. The upgrades on this one are really nice too. Whoever ends up with it will be a happy camper!!

Blame VW all you want, 99% of buyers in the US bought one of their NPC-mobiles over the Alltrack even when it was available new. Dream spec is a green exterior with tan interior. Manual should go without saying.

I am sitting in an alltrack watching this video. I love this car so much. You should buy this one! You will love it too

Seriously underrated car. I wonder what it would take to get VW to build a one-off “R” variant

Love my alltrack, great thing about these is you can make a poor man’s Golf R wagon with all of the bolt-ons. A once affordable hot hatch is now over 50k new.

I just bought a 2017 SEL manual and LOVE it! I handed down the family 2012 Jetta Sportwagen manual trans. to my teenager and she is so proud she is the only one of her friends who knows how to drive stick!

LOVE my 2017 VW Golf AllTrack SEL! The automatic 2.0 Turbo DSG is a blast... especially when using the paddle shifters. The thing really moves and is fun on windy country roads. Plus it's practical to boot... perfect Dad Wagon!

That trunk maybe two Alanis units but that swivel hitch is beyond cool!!

Excellent review! Thanks for taking a detailed look at what is a great car. We bought our 2017 with a few thousand miles on it at a huge discount from a dealership in Indianapolis. It had been sitting, and they couldn't get rid of it (remember that VW killed these things here because of their abysmal sales). The dealership owner and his son had driven it to the east coast and back for the US Open tennis tournament, and that's it. I drove it for three years and in the midst of the pandemic car shortage a different VW dealership in Indianapolis paid me THE EXACT same price I paid for it in 2017! We drove it and loved if for three years for free! These are really great cars. I'm surprised she didn't ever once mention that it is quick. Not fast, but quick. If you've ever driven similar Subarus this thing will feel like a rocket compared to an Outback, Crosstrek or a Forester. It's so cheap and easy to electronically tune and the bigger VW turbo bolts right on. You could turn one of these things into a close approximation of a Golf R pretty quickly and reasonably (and many have). There are probably only a few things you will dislike with this car. As others have mentioned, the panoramic roof WILL leak. I also had three separate incidence of broken speed sensors on the wheels when snow/ice would jam into wheel wells and break them. This would immediately disable all of the car's ABS and AWD systems so you'd immediately go from an amazing winter car to a super-sketchy, disabled, barely-running vehicle. All three of the sensors were replaced for free under warranty, but sheesh, should they break and fail that easy in inclement conditions? If you're a music person, the Fender system with the sub in the spare tire is really good. Airplay and an Aux-In make it versatile. Unbelievably, there is also a one-slot CD player in the glove box and also a 32GB SD card slot! I purchased a 32GB SD card, loaded it full of music and just left it in the car. Most people won't use it, but it sure was handy to have all of that digital music in a "hard-drive" in the car.

This is the best VW I've driven. Took one on a 1500 mile road trip and it was fantastic. I also took it on a rally track and had a blast

I have a 2017 Alltrack with 100k miles that's still going strong and drives like new! Best car I've ever owned.

I just got a 2017 yesterday! So far so good!!

Bought a ‘19 and it’s still the best car I’ve ever bought. Plenty of power and a 6spd manual. Tons of room and so much fun to drive.

I own a 2019 Golf Sportwagen with the DSG. It’s a fantastic car and I don’t envision selling it anytime soon.

I have a 2019 Alltrack SEL DSG night blue with Marrakesh brown sport seats...Love it. Recall by VW fixed sunroof issues of prior years. This baby can rip like a GTI and is highly tunable. And it is a looker. My little badass estate! No boring SUVs for me!

You see quite a few of those here in Australia, as well as the Passat Alltrack. I love these cars

VW peaked in 2016 prior to Dieselgate. These AllTracks are awesome vehicles when they have all of the options.

I owned a new 2019 Alltrack SEL 6spd. It was a great wagon. I really liked it but sold it during the pandemic for a small premium. It only had 6k miles when I sold it. I love wagons. I still own a B6 Passat Wagon VR6 4Motion.

When I met my wife, sadly I was driving a ‘79 puke coloured 2-door with a less than attractive ‘plaid’ interior… DIESEL! She now drives a loaded Jetta (Highline/SEL in USA) which she LOVES… and I’ve been trying to get her to switch over to one of these Golf estates (wagon) with a manual. One day… maybe. I love them. Thanks for the video.

I’ve got a 2019 SEL manual in tornado red with black interior that I bought used 2 yrs ago with 6k miles. Added a stage 1 tune. It’s the essence of what my idea of a VW is

Love my 2017 Tornado Red Golf R.

My dad has a 2015 golf tdi wagon and it gets 50 mpg if he babies it. It was the car I got my license in too. He bought it a year or two after dieselgate when they were effectively worthless but now he could probably sell it for what he paid for even though it has 180k miles on it

Hi Alanis, nice one! see, the VW Golf is probably the best all in all car out there, particularly the GTI is for sure the reference for all hot hatch models from any given manufacturer and if you want a really sporty one, you have the R32 which is really an amazing little sports car with the energy and driving mojo of a way bigger one. On top of that, this is a subtle practical family wagon with the benefits of the well proven german technology. a win win for the next owner for sure. Much love as always from West Spain 🙂

"We'd be a little cozy." I found that to be hilarious! Nice car and it would probably last a person many years with proper maintenance.

The swivel hitch reminds me of the chair that George Clooney's character built in Burn after Reading. You know what I'm talking about...

I'm on my second 2017 Alltrack. The first was an SEL I bought new for only $27,500. I modded the hell out of it. I bought a Kia Stinger in 2020, sold that in 2022 for exactly what I'd paid for it, and am back in Alltrack SE. This one isn't modded beyond DSG and ECU tunes. I plan to keep it until it's mechanically totaled someday.

I remember Doug's channel when he was just driving around harassing people with nice cars to take pictures. And now he has made this huge platform for himself plus cars and bids. And Carson Bibbs was brilliant because he can get his hands-on whatever car he wants first to either buy it or review it. Doug is no slouch. Doug is a very smart guy. Unfortunately he doesn't look any cooler than any of the Big race cars he drives but at least his Passion for automotive Always comes through in his videos

Omg Blue Eyes White Dragon riding that Golf, great video 🙂

Nice review. I suggest you get Doug to spring for a golf shirt with a "Cars and Bids" logo and a stylish pair of cargo shorts.

I enjoyed my ‘17 Alltrack SEL, but with DSG. Silk blue metallic, Marrakech brown interior. I do miss the “flip out” rear camera, but I enjoy my ID4 pro s AWD a lot.

Great video, I used to own a manual mk7 GTD and I dont remember that having a manual handbrake.

I still think the last "reliable" Golf was the MK4. I put reliable in quotes because even then, it had quite a number of issues that the Japanese competition just didn't.

My Current daily driver is a '17 Alltrack SEL with the DSG, and its fun to drive daily and even cruise around. Too bad that the US market, or at least the manufacturers, have taken most of the wagons from us.

Mileage is great on mine (2019 Man trans, S trim). I get 33+mpg on my normal 30-40min stop/slow-and-go city commute.

Amazing car! I owned a 2019 SEL 6MT in this color, with the Marrakesh brown interior. Loved it. Is this a Canadian model due to the real leather and the availability of the 6MT in the SEL prior to 2019?

I need that Volkswagen swivel trailer hitch! Where can I get it?

12:05 that's the reason why vw group cars are so popular as driving school cars here in Europe, is a very easy and forgiving manual transmission

Fantastic cars with huge potential and aftermarket support too. I’ve had mine 7 years now and have done many of the same modifications as the owner of this one, including the digital cluster, red overhead ambient light, euro low profile headrests. Canadian models got lucky with real leather, and all model years got the top trim SEL with the 6 speed. US market only got that in 2019.

I've got an '18 Sportwagen 4Mo with a 6spd. It's so good! Also, the motor is very stout, so getting double the power is more than doable

Will Alanis fit in the trunk/cargo space? Let’s find out!

Awesome, awesome car. I love my sportwagon, even if it isn’t as fancy as the alltrack. Better keep any eye on that sunroof though…

I daily a 2014 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI with a 6 speed manual!! I'm so bummed that it will be tuff to find something that gets 50 mpg, can put a crazy amount of stuff in, and is fun to drive when it's time to replace it😕

I love these. I wish they had the 2.5 tho not the Di tsi motors

Missing the euro tail lights. I have them on my 7.5 R It’s a must have

i owned this and really enjoyed it

Makes sense why it’s a 6 speed SEL. I have the SEL auto MK7 lol… literally got it after someone crashed into my GTI. It doesn’t have as much power but it still has a lot of torque. Definitely more roomier with similiar width of a GTI. Super nice commuter car. It’s nice to have at least one auto car lol. My fun car is a 68 beetle 4 speed 😂

We drove 4 hours across NY to get a '19 6spd alltrack for my wife this year 😂

Throw on a gentle tune and you can add some zip too.

This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale.

VW Canada got the ideal Golf Wagen: the Sportwagen ExecLine. It has all of the options on the SEL, AWD, and none of the black cladding. The USA only had AWD except on the base models.

I had a 2017 Alltrack S trim DSG. I miss that car everyday. It was truly unique. I had a time and a couple bolt ons on it. It was truly a blast. It just was a lemon unfortunately

I had Sportwagen with the DSG. Great car but wish I could have found a manual one

I wanted one of these pretty bad. Wagon, Manual, AWD!

I have a 2019 Alltrack S 6-speed in the same color (we would have loved the beautiful green color) with the awesome brown interior that looks WAY more premium than the black. The S is sans sunroof (and leaks!), but you give up some other bells and whistles that I have managed to live without just fine. It has a Stage 1 APR tune (240 hp), and it is quick when you want it, but gets 40 mpg on road trips! There's really nothing else like it, and it drives like a more expensive car. It's crazy that VW failed miserably at marketing these, and the MK8 Alltrack is still available in Europe. Btw, I don't notice the issue you mentioned about the shifter in mine. I think it shifts really well.

I haaaaaate color matched headliners with dark interiors. Gray all the way

you were close by nrg stadium and yes these my town roads are terrible that my lowered passat broke my radiator on my tdi 😂

Why would you need a slow 'auto-park' feature if you can drive a manual?

I've been thinking about getting an Alltrack to replace my 2019 Jetta S manual after moving to a much more rural area since my Jetta is just awful in the snow. I was expecting it to be better than the 2003 Jetta I scrapped but it's actually worse.

Oh my..!

I drove a new manual Kia sportage that had a shifter like that. Drove me nuts

this was shot by the astrodome on old spanish

Do you ship to puerto rico

I have a 2013 Kia Ceed 1,6 diesel wagon with 6-speed manual, nice to know i drive a cool car 😂

I like the contrasting headliner.

I own a 2019 Alltrack SEL with 29,400 miles on it. The sunroof drains were clogged, and this caused a leak which stained the headliner and the rear hatch carpet. The dealer says cost of labor to replace the headliner and carpet is $6,100 not including parts. The dealer will not honor the warranty, saying clearing drain tubes is part of regular maintenance. This doesn't seem right at all, particularly because there is also an extended warranty just for the sunroof. The extended maintenance schedule says the drains should be cleaned as part of the 20k mile service, which I had completed at another VW dealer. I am getting docs on that in an attempt to get VW to cover this. VW USA was not helpful either so far, but I can't see how they can deny warranty if I had the 20k service. I'm still working on this to get it resolved while car remains at dealer.

I miss the VR6 Passat Wagon.

What about the VW Rabbit, let's not forget about the GTI. How is the salty underside?

We're riding with ya.

keep a clutch job in the budget

Shoutout to the I AM VERMONT STRONG license plate!

Nice shorts

Mmm throw a golf r motor in 🤔?

Somebody call Kaiba, we found another Blue Eyes!

5:06 careful there … careful 😊

I love AlanisKing❤❤❤

Beware that the Alltrack sunroof has been plagued by leaks. It's a great car but be sure to buy one without a sunroof.

Are you kidding? I autocrossd my '09 SportWagen 5 cly. What a hoot!!! Then stopped at Home Depot on the way home. 😂❤🎸(Seriously)

Chill review i like the style

I used to work at a car wash and i hated when a manual VW rolled up. The catch point on the clutch is very high. My friend who only drove manual VW's conversely thought that other cars had the opposite problem that the catch points were too low or too forgiving. No! It's a VW thing and everyone else are normal!

Perfect car..3 friends have them.( 2 are manuals)…I love my Xc70 ( auto..sigh)

It got to the point that VW couldn’t give these away (in the US). Unfortunately folks prefer the Taos and Tiguan over this wagon. 😢

Did Alanis give everyone the finger @ 16:09?😏😉

NICE!!!

Review should have been done in bad snowy weather

It's weird that all golf 7s have an electronic handbrake

If you’re ever in Boston…..

Yess king go off

"If our phones die, we'll just have to make conversation". NOOOOO!!! How can you even think that?!? 🙂 Introverts carry backup batteries for their phones 🙂

I have a 2019 SEL 6spd. It is truly a great car. 60k trouble free miles. Stage 1 tune and a clutch pedal stop are all I’ve added. Total unicorn that is way under the radar. No sunroof issues. No carbon issues (yet). Great seats, like better that my Volvo that preceded it. Great gear ratios (not stupid short). Totally fun machine.

Her shirt is sick😱

VAG ftw

Wanted this car to succeed to badly, but it felt anemic compared to my diesel sportwagen.

5' 8" 1/2"ish!! #drinkinggame

Or the successor of the Rabbit

Who spends more money for an Alltrack an then lowers it ? 😅

She's a natural.

Most annoying sound effect in the beginning of the video when logo showed up

Idk if anyone else said it but is her shirt a blue eyes white dragon

Can anyone in the cars and bids family get a proper height measurement and stick with it, instead of guessing all the time!!