Golf mk7 Alltrack and vw out of favour?

[Redalltrack]

My first post.
Over the years I have owned a full range of cars from the low to the higher end. I have had 4 new golf GTI's in the past but poor vw dealer service put an end to my loyalty. I have had reliable Japanese cars of late and was looking to replace my Nissan xtrail.
Needed a practical car for an active outdoor lifestyle. After loads of research (incl this excellent forum) I have returned to the VW golf fold. I purchased a "Das Weld approved" 1 yr old pre owned tornado red 184 hp dsg golf estate Alltrack with the neat factory towbar (saves all sorts of problems with aftermarket fitting) and mudflaps (loads of posts in the forum re mudflaps). Quite a scarce car. Bought for a good price. Generally pleased with it although the jury is out at the moment re colour choice.
I am expecting banter re buying a barge etc etc which I can live with but the purpose of the post is twofold:-
1) In my research, I could not believe the underwhelming and at times negative feedback for the VAG group. VW dieselgate is still damaging brand. Most reviewers and press advice is not to buy VAG, not diesel, not dsg gearbox and even family estates now out of favour. I have ignored all of this - hope it is not a mistake.
2) The Alltrack seems to have gone under the radar of most people and not that popular which puzzles me. A perfect family outdoor car. GTD performance and economy (but with the traction of 4wd), very comfortable, decent standard spec, a smaller manageable footprint than say a Passat or Superb estate but with the kerbweight and ability to tow decent sized loads (I dare not say caravan) - I know I will get hammered by the GTi guys for this comment but will take it on the chin! With the additional raised ground clearance there is no need to worry about damage caused by speedhumps or rough roads/tracks etc. Perhaps it is viewed as a niche car.
Any comments would be welcome.

[fredgroves]

I didn't think they still made those? But seems like they still do.

Probably unpopular because it's not a SUV shape like the toe rag. Everyone wants something that looks like a peasant crusher.

It's more akin to the old volvo xc, which is a bit of a thing people didn't seem to want.

[phope]

As you say it's a little known model but with many redeeming features  -simply because people like fashionable SUVs

It reminds me of the Skoda Octavia Scout model in many ways - a practical family car in a traditional format, with a raised ride height

[Guzzle]

Yes they do still make them, but indeed they are a very rare car. I only recall one solitary occassion when i've seen one outside of dealer premises.

Not popular presumably because as Fred says the suv styled Tiguan and now T-Roc appeal more to the image conscious, and the cheaper but more practical Skoda Octavia Scout appeals more to the cost conscious, and is more established in the 4x4 estate marketplace.

However i'm sure it will still be a very good car that should serve you well. If you bought at a good price and are committed to it for the longer term then depreciation should not affect you any worse than it will affect the rest of us. There does seem to be an irrational hatred from some quarters for all things VAG, especially since dieselgate, however this doesn't really bother me to be frank. As long as the government are fair and allow us diesel drivers a period of adjustment, and a viable alternative before they start clobbering us with punitive tax rises then i'm not going to worry.

Welcome to the forum, you can be our official Alltrack correspondent.

[phope]

I don't really see dieselgate having that big a difference on sales to be honest - the entire VW Group seems to be performing well in terms of sales and profits during 2016 and 2017 (even after allowing for ongoing dieselgate costs), and with the investments that they are making into the upcoming pure electric models from all brands for release from 2019 onwards, they should be well placed to have models available for sale that people want

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/volkswagen-profits-more-than-double-second-quarter-2017-european-sales-carmaker-sales-forecast-a7862761.html

[Watts]

Some pictures would be good Sounds pretty good to me. Plenty on here rate the DSG highly and although it looks like times are changing against diesel it's not all doom and gloom yet. As for reliability, so far I've had a wheel bearing go likely pot hole damage and that's it in over 2 years. I'm sure you'll enjoy it and there are plenty of mods if you're into personalisation.

[fredgroves]

Tbh I remember a lot of people asking for a gtd with 4wd...you got one pretty much

[Arnold_Lane]

The Octavia Scouts are well thought of by owners and the Alltrack is VW's version. Even Seat do an equivalent Leon.

We have an Audi A6 Allroad (bought new) and choose it over a Toureg because it simply drove much better and uses less fuel. Mercedes have brought out an E Class version and I suspect BMW won't be far behind with a version of the 5 Series.

[Papa John]

Hello and welcome. As long as you can justify your own purchase and enjoy it for what it is, who gives a toss what any other fecker thinks? I know I don't. 

A somewhat contemplative... Papa John.

[Paul larter]

Hi I have a mkv gt tdi with 4 motion and a mk7 Gti pp and the mkv 4 motion is great too drive in the wet! and can put the power down better? then the Gti!