The Golf has been one of Volkswagen’s biggest sellers in America for many years. In 2017, it debuted the Alltrack, a more utilitarian version with a slightly taller ride height, standard all-wheel drive (AWD), a different grille, and body cladding around the wheel wells and bottom of the bodywork. Volkswagen made some changes under the hood for 2019.

The Alltrack offers one engine, a 1.8-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder good for 168 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. It drives all four wheels through either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. As of this writing, fuel economy numbers aren’t available.

Cargo space in the back measures 30 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 66.5 cubic feet with them folded, which is a notable improvement over the 23 and 53 cubic feet of the standard Golf. Relative to other cars in this class, the Alltrack has a nice interior with good fit and finish.

Trims include S, SE, and SEL. The base S trim gets synthetic leather seats, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a single USB port, and air conditioning. A few active safety features come standard on the Alltrack S as well, but to unlock more of them buyers will have to step up to SE and SEL trims, which add an 8.0-inch touchscreen, a moonroof, and better stereos. The SEL trim also gets auto-dimming headlights, a power driver’s seat, and a navigation system.

On the safety front, all Alltracks come with forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking and a post-collision system that will engage the brakes to minimize damage after impact. Higher trims get features like blind-spot monitors, active-lane control, and rear cross-traffic alerts. Crash testing has been incomplete, but the standard Golf has gotten mostly top “Good” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

There isn't much like the Golf Alltrack on the American market. The closest thing is the Subaru Outback, another vehicle that’s more rugged than a station wagon, but not quite an SUV. Golf fans looking for a more rugged ride should consider the Alltrack.