Volkswagen Problems

It all depends on where you get your information from, John. Like you, I’ve certainly read reports that the Alltrack franchise is being put to rest in North America in favour of SUVs, but a quick chat with VW Australia revealed that the concept still has legs out here. Perhaps the confusion is over the USA market axing of the cars, while the Alltracks sold here are generally sourced from the German VW factory. In any case, you can expect to see Alltracks in VW showrooms for the foreseeable future.

The big question is whether they’ll be available with a diesel engine. My VW insider “hopes so” but recent reports that all VW passenger cars will be petrol powered puts that into doubt, even if the Alltrack models are classed by some sections of the trade as light-commercials. Even if the Alltrack concept survives with a diesel engine option, count on there being a petrol-powered variant available as well.

In any case, the notion of the Alltrack becoming a depreciation victim here because the USA stops selling them is not going to be a reality.

If it’s a dual-mass flywheel, then $2000 doesn’t sound excessive, but to be sure phone around a few VW dealers and get their process.

None of the vehicles you’ve listed are exactly low-maintenance units. They all have complex all-wheel-drive drivelines (which will be appreciated when towing a heavy trailer across a wet showground) and they use the latest common-rail diesel technology which is fairly intolerant of poor servicing.

As for a power tailgate on a ute, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. But some of the wagon versions of these vehicles can be optioned with powered tailgates. The catch there is that these vehicles use coil sprung rear axles (as opposed to the leaf-sprung ute versions) so they’re not as adept at towing. The Toyota Fortuner, for instance can’t match the HiLux’s 3.5-tonne limit and makes do with 2800kg; not enough for your requirements. The Ford Everest (based on the Ranger) is a little better at 3000kg, but still trails the Ranger’s 3500kg towing capacity and is right on your self-imposed minimum.

A Golf with that mileage after just three or four years on the road is a bit of an anomaly. How has the car been used? Was it a delivery vehicle in a previous life? I’d be asking some tough questions and diving deep into the vehicle’s service history to find out how it’s been driven and serviced before taking the plunge, because that mileage is about double what I’d expect from this make and model.

The biggest potential reliability glitch with this car is the DSG transmission. While VW claimed that all the evils were fixed by the time the Golf 7 came out in 2013, experience suggests that there are still some examples of this gearbox giving trouble. Symptoms include a loss of drive, poor shift quality, shuddering on take-off and a gearbox that seemingly loses the plot on occasions.

And I’m afraid your alternative rings a few alarm bells as well. The Hyundai also uses a double-clutch style transmission and while it hasn’t suffered the litany of problems that the VW unit has caused over the years, it’s still a bit of an unknown quantity. Certainly, some customers seem to be unhappy with the unit in terms of its longevity and replacement clutch packs are not unknown.

Also, you seem to have a knack for finding cars with double the expected kilometres on board. I’d expect a 2018 i30 to be showing closer to 25,000km than the 50,000km on the one you’re considering. Cars with higher than expected mileage can be bargains, but you’ve really got to dig into their past to ensure they haven’t been abused or suffered from poor servicing.

You could disconnect the battery without any drama, or you could just leave it locked up in the garage. Should you do so you shouldn’t have a problem starting it on your return.

We can understand your feelings about the centrally-mounted screen in the Tesla, though you do get used to it surprisingly quickly.

As for the other models you’ve mentioned, we’ve had to get the crystal ball out to attempt to answer you!

The Polestar 2 will be on sale by the end of 2020, if all goes to plan. The company will be pushing hard to make that happen. 

The VW ID3 is likely not going to be here until 2021, likely the mid or latter part of that year. It certainly has a lot of potential, and with pricing set to start below $50,000, it could well be The People’s (Electric) Car. 

There are other options coming, though it depends on your diary and your budget.

You could consider the Tesla Model S, which may have been around for a while, but that also means it has a more traceable reliability history. It has a digital instrument cluster in the regular spot as well.

Have you looked at the Jaguar i-Pace? It has a claimed range of 470 kilometres, though it is on the pricey side of the equation, starting from about $125,000.

Indeed, a high price tag is a common theme among those EVs with big battery capacity and expansive driving range, because you’re basically covering the cost of the batteries with your money.

For instance, there’s the Audi e-tron quattro, which is due here in early 2020. That model will have a range of “more than 400 kilometres”, and - we suspect - a price tag above $120,000. 

The Mercedes EQC is about to go on sale, too. Range for that mid-size SUV is pegged at about 450 kilometres, but again, you can expect a high price tag.

If 2021 isn’t too long to wait, there’s the Volvo XC40 Recharge coming then. Based on our previous experience with Volvo XC40s, it’ll be a great small SUV, with predicted range of 400km - though we think that’s understating it, because it has a 78kWh battery pack, and it has AWD too.

At the more affordable end - though admittedly still not quite meeting your expectations for range - there’s the very impressive Hyundai Kona Electric, which has a WLTP range of 449km, and a price tag of around $65k. It isn’t all-wheel drive though.

And MG is about to launch a real upstart in the segment, with the ZS EV hitting showrooms soon for $46,990 drive-away, albeit with a range of 262km. It’s also FWD only. 

The Mini Cooper SE will also arrive in mid-2020, with pricing set to be less than $60k. But again, a range of 270km will likely rule it out for your needs, and its 2WD as well.

Another new small EV due next year is the Mazda MX-30. Pricing is still to be confirmed, and range isn’t great at about 300km. It’s FWD too. 

In short, at this point in time - and out towards the end of 2020 - it looks like you’ll either need to spend a big amount of money on a premium EV to get the best range possible, or you’ll have to get used to the Model 3’s screen. You could always get an aftermarket head-up display fitted…

The market value of your car, Clare, if you were to sell it privately is probably between $10,000 and $12,000, so $7000 as a trade-in is roughly what you’d expect. It might be a fraction low, but without seeing the car in the flesh, that’s difficult to say for sure. In any case, it’s in the ball-park. That’s how dealers make money on used-cars; they buy them at their price and sell them at yours.

Assuming you’re trading the car in on a new vehicle, the important thing is not how much the dealer offers for your trade-in, but rather the change-over number. That is, the amount you have to pay to get into the new car. A dealer can often flatter you into thinking you’re getting a good deal by discounting the price of the new car, but if they also slice a few dollars off the value of your trade-in, you’re back to square one, right?

Volkswagen dealers will recommend this extra service (usually at the six-month mark) for any vehicle that operates in what’s termed `extreme’ conditions. Those conditions can include high ambient temperatures, dusty conditions and even short, stop-start running. But it’s only a recommendation and not having it done shouldn’t affect your warranty or service record.

Generally, it amounts to a change of fluids and an upload of any software changes (the latter you’re entitled to for free under warranty at your next scheduled service anyhow). A lot of owners reckon this is a money grab, while others think that a year between oil changes on a high-performance engine like the Golf R’s turbocharged unit is too long in the first place. In the end, it’s up to you to check the owner’s manual and decide for yourself whether the way you drive falls into the extreme category.

Hi Chloe, the wrench symbol is the service indicator light on this generation of Passat. I would take the car to your nearest licenced mechanical repairer and have them read the fault codes logged in the ECU, which is basically your car’s brain. Basically, when a part of your car stops working properly it sends an error message to the ECU, which has an error code it can display when the mechanic plugs their scan tool into the computer. This model Passat had an issue where the service light would come on, requiring the ECU’s software to be updated by the dealer. I’d take the car in and see what error codes come up as the first job.

It depends what your priorities are, but I’d be going for the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 version; it has good performance, decent fuel consumption, is well equipped, and comfortable on road.