A NATIONWIDE internet outage on a Friday and the presence of a Volkswagen Golf Alltrack in our garage. The perfect catalyst for a long weekend trip to the bush so unplanned that we had to buy a change of clothes and a toothbrush on the way. And nappies for the baby.

Put it this way, we had the kind of adventure car advertisers would love audiences to believe is only possible in their latest and greatest crossover or SUV, but made real.

Before our impromptu wonderful weekend of surprises, we never would have guessed the Alltrack could be this good.

Volkswagen’s jacked-up, all-wheel-drive Golf wagon adds several layers of versatility to the already accomplished all-rounder upon which it is based.

The concept is nothing new – just ask Subaru – and the Alltrack is an admirable representative of the type of a car for those hooked on the advantages of an SUV but don’t want to just be one of the sheeple who mindlessly buy one because they’re fashionable.

Count us in.

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