I had an 1999 Alfa 156 (the 2.0 Tspark) which was fun to drive but build quality was rubbish. Interior quality while the design looked good, get closer and it was wobbly and loose. The wipers failed when rain got into the wiper circuit, which is mounted on the wiper motor in the rain tray!
My current Audi A4 Avant is the same age, and holding up much better. The interior is nice, comfortable a good drive and the estate is very practical. Mine's just the 1.8 20v n/a which is fine for me, but the 1.9 TDI will be much better for towing.
One issue is that whether the A4 will be heavy enough to tow the Golf on a trailer. The towed weight has to be a proportion of the tow car's weight.
Also do you have an old enough licence to mean that you can tow something of that size without needing to do a towing course ?