Volkswagen Confirms All-Wheel Drive Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon For 2017
Wagon fans, your moment of Zen approaches: Volkswagen has confirmed that it will bring an all-wheel drive version of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon to the Canadian market. You'll have to wait quite a while to get your hands on one - Volkswagen plans a fall 2016 launch for the AWD model, which translates to the 2017 model year - but it's the first time in a long time that Canadians will be able to sample a VW hauler capable of spinning all four wheels.
Plan on the upcoming VW Golf Sportwagon AWD to feature the same 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that currently generates 170 horsepower under the hood of the front-wheel drive Golf and Golf Sportwagon, matched with a six-speed automatic transmission. As to whether a TDI all-wheel drive Golf Sportwagon could see the light of day, VW wasn't willing to fully commit to an answer for North America. The concept itself could be hampered by technical problems, such as how to package the urea tank required for the current TDI to meet emissions regulations if there's a differential sharing space under the Sportwagon's cargo floor. It's a bigger issue than you might think, given that the front-wheel drive Golf hatch and Sportwagon each swap out the gas-powered model's independent rear suspension in favour of a simpler, less capable setup in order to accommodate the 15 litres of AdBlue fluid.
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Either way, Volkswagen hopes that the upcoming VW Golf Sportwagon AWD will prove to be a tempting lure for pulling customers away from the Subaru Impreza hatchback and Subaru Outback crossover. Personally, I see the all-wheel drive Golf Sportwagon stealing away more Tiguan customers than anyone else, because what is a Tiguan owner, really, other than a VW fan who couldn't get an all-wheel drive wagon with the right logo on the hood?