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Originally Posted by r_mutt
hello gents-
just trying to make up my mind here about which new Golf Wagon to buy. in an area with some snow so All-Trak is nice for those jaunts up north to go skiing, but realistically, i really only see 10-20 snow days a year. so a few questions:
is the premium for the all-track worth it?
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It is for me, for reasons that have nothing at all to do with snow. I much prefer the DSG to a 'standard' automatic and you get that only with 4-Motion. I've driven an automatic FWD Golf wagon, and the driving dynamics of the Alltrack are IMHO much better. It's even possible that 4-Motion may help on wet days with the right turn from the stop sign on the hill where I always got squeal & wheelspin with my JSW TDI. But for me, it was all about the DSG.
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Originally Posted by r_mutt
does the sunroof affect the utility of a Whisper Bar and euro bike rack?
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I have no personal experience, but I believe this has been discussed in the VW Vortex Golf Wagon VII forum.
Quote:
Originally Posted by r_mutt
my last 6 cars were manual- including my present TDI. what do you gents think of the DSG? i like the control and involvement i get from of shifting myself. am i going to miss shifting?
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My personal cars had MT for over 20 years, but since 2003 I've had automatics in my cars, including a DSG in my 2014 JSW TDI. I test drove an Alltrack with 6MT before deciding, and for me, as BB King put it, "The Thrill Is Gone."
I thought this was going to be the outcome based on the misery I had going to the Shenandoah Valley last Oct for the Bike Festival: almost an hour of bumper-to-bumper getting on I66 at the Beltway, and then about a half-hour of the same at the other end getting off I66 onto I81. That would have been unbearable in a MT.
But just to see if it would be fun, I tried one and I wasn't moved. This isn't like the choice between the 5MT in my 92 Saab 900 vs the pathetic 3-speed auto; here the DSG is a stellar choice.
BTW - I seldom manually shifted the DSG in my JSW, other than to control speed on long downhills (e.g., coming over the Blue Ridge from the Shenandoah Valley with a typical automatic if you just let it roll the car's going to get up over 90 and there's a good chance the Sheriff's going to be waiting down there with a radar gun) or to force a downshift without having to open the throttle wide. I have no need to manually shift every gear: the DSG does it every bit as well as I would do with a MT.
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Originally Posted by r_mutt
did anyone get the drive-assist package? what's it like? is this available with the 6-speed manual?
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I got the driver assistance package on my SE Alltrack because I wanted Park Distance Control (sonar in the bumper). I had it in my 5-series BMW and I missed it every day in the JSW TDI. Some of the other stuff I really don't care about -- I never once turned on the cruise control in my JSW, and in 150,000 mi in my BMW I think I might have used it for maybe as much as 50 miles, so BFD about adaptive cruise control. I wouldn't mind the auto dimming rear view mirror (my wife has that in her Prius V and it's a nice feature) but I think I'd like to rip Lane Departure out by the roots if it came in my package (which it does not). As for high beam control - I so seldom ever use high beams it wouldn't be worth having it. The Lighting Package is a big deal for plenty of guys over on the VW Vortex, but these days I drive so seldom at night other than in the city that it wouldn't be worth getting for me if it was a separate item. Why it's available only in the SEL is a total mystery to me, though. A poster child for "dumb choice," really, considering how many people desperately want it. As for automation to parallel park the car - it's there, but I'll be damned if I ever turn it on. I learned how to do that more than half a century ago and I can manage very nicely without the robot doing it for me, thank you very much! Another one to rip out by the roots, in my book.
The content of the DAP varies based on the trim level: the SEL has more stuff. Also, DAP is sold orders only on S and SEL. Quoting from the order guide posted on VW Vortex forum:
P53 Alltrack S & SE Driver Assistance Package
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Park Pilot (Park Distance Control),
front & rear, w/ Park Assist; Front Assist w/ Autonomous
Emergency Braking – Sold orders only for Alltrack S
P52 Alltrack SEL Driver Assistance & Lighting Package
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Park Distance Control (Park Pilot),
front & rear, w/ Park Assist; Bi-Xenon headlights w/ AFS &
Light Assist (high-beam control); Front Assist w/ Autonomous
Emergency Braking; Lane Departure Warning System (Lane Assist);
Auto-dimming Interior Rearview Mirror