Golf Alltrack APR Stage 1 Tune Review

In this episode of TheFadShow I take my Golf Alltrack to get an APR stage 1 87 octane tune and give my review of it.
IG~dom.ferr.90
Music:
------------------------------
The Way by LiQWYD / liqwyd
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/3HGU9tD
Music promoted by Audio Library • The Way - LiQWYD (No C...
------------------------------

[@dankatz3]

We have a 2019 SEL in the green/brown combo with a manual. It is my wife's car and she came from a 2012 GTI. She missed the power. We did a stage 1 tune at our local VW dealer. As you mentioned, marked difference! It is worth every penny! She now enjoys the car a lot more.

[@thefadshow]

Glad to hear it! Good find on the color combo!

[@5Minuteman]

That is the rarest of this generation. I would not go beyond stage one because it should have collector value one day

[@dankatz3]

Agree. We also have no need to go beyond stage 1. We never rev above 4k rpm. Almost 30k miles of happy driving

[@TUONOv4]

Ready to bite the bullet on my ‘19 Alltrack 6s. Great video and info. Thank you. 🚗💨

[@ChrisEvans-jr4wm]

Great review! I'm going for the APR stage 1 87 tune for my 2017 Golf Sportwagen S 1.8 TSI 5MT.

[@thefadshow]

Thank you!

[@erikvonboltenstern1186]

Thanks for the review. I'm considering a stage 1 tune for my '17 SportWagen AWD with DSG. As this is our daily driver, I'm interested in the potential fuel economy gains. As you mentioned in the video, you hadn't noticed any because of a heavy foot from testing it out, but I'm wondering if you've noticed any improvement in the 2 weeks after posting the video.

[@thefadshow]

Yeah there is a small gain maybe 5-10% if you can keep your foot out of it.

[@erikvonboltenstern1186]

@@thefadshow Thanks for the response. My main concern is highway driving on road trips to see the family. I'll sacrifice fuel economy for smiles during spirited driving 🤘

[@N734NJ]

Hello! Former Stage 1 '17 GSW 4mo here! Loved, it and got like 33mpg on many a road trip (hand calculated). Decided to change to Unitronic because of the Stage 2 issue, but APR, either way, won't steer you wrong.

[@5Minuteman]

@@N734NJ what was the issue with the apr?

[@TheKatastrofen2]

I did BSR Stage 1 with sport intake on my 1.8 TSI Alltrack, so we're looking at 230+ hp, makes it a great daily to be honest.

[@vinyfiny]

You probably need to factor in an upgraded clutch (and possible larger breaks) into a turbo upgrade. It's substantially worse return on investment, but really the only way to get more power without buying a different car.

[@sultanofswing7198]

I did APR Stage 1 93 octane and dsg tune at the same time. I run consistent sub 6 second. Unloaded car came in at 5.5 0-60.

[@thefadshow]

DSG is definitely the faster way.

[@SevenEleven07]

How's the car holding up man ?

[@Gamgam4843n]

dsg you can get 6 flat with a stage 1. thinking of selling my mk6r for one mainly for driving on ditchy dirt roads and practiciality. Good cars!

[@frankforty9]

sweet gravel bike as well!

[@thefadshow]

Thank you!

[@tedm9865]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Does this clean up the rev hang at all? I’m on the fence of doing this tune. I’ve got the same car you do in an S trim level. I do lot of driving for work sites that are mostly highway. Looking forward to your response.

[@thefadshow]

I honestly never noticed the rev hang before so I can’t speak to that. Funny that is my most asked question and I never thought about it.

[@sultanofswing7198]

I’ve had the apr 1+ 93 for over a year. The answer is no it doesn’t help with rev hang.

[@TheSilencer100]

Hey I love the video I currently have a 2017 alltrack with 60k miles on it and am thinking about the APR 87 tune (the one you got) I am curious to know. Did you add anything specifically for the tune to the car or not, I’m also wondering have you noticed any weird sounds since you got the tune or has everything stayed normal?

[@thefadshow]

Nope you don’t need anything. I changed my spark plugs early and will probably change them out more frequently but it’s not required. I can hear the waste gate more prominently now but I also have an open intake. I speculate without the open intake you wouldn’t heat anything different.

[@Darylrb1983]

Hows the clutch holding up?

[@thefadshow]

Doing fine so far hasn’t slipped at all.

[@ericmohlenhoff1431]

Watched all your videos...love your car passion....and the fact you owned a rare 6mt Cayanne..so cool. Anyway...just bought a '19 Alltrack SEL 6mt with 9K miles. Want to do APR Plus tune to keep the warranty (same tune as stage one but more expensive due to APR matching the VW powertrain warranty)..my questions is about throttle delay and rev overrun....there's a thread on VWVortex about there being huge throttle input delay on the 87 oct tune with the manual and also lift throttle overrun/rev hang. Have you felt any of these issues and if so how bad. I also own a '18 GTI SE 6mt which I feel has some throttle input delay but its really the turbo getting caught off guard and needing a second to start spoiling before throwing you back in your seat. Never had overrun/rev hang in the GTI. Just curious as to your experience/thoughts on these issues with 87oct tune and the manual.

[@thefadshow]

Personally I don’t understand why people hate rev hang so much. Yes it is different I will admit but to me doesn’t detract from the driving experience. I guess if you were tracking the car maybe it would matter but for a daily doesn’t bother me. I never noticed it until people started mentioning it. I wouldn’t let it stop me the stage 1 is well worth the money.

[@ericmohlenhoff1431]

@@thefadshow thanks for your reply. I haven't noticed the rev hang in my new Alltrack but I did find the coding to change the throttle response to Audi in the OBD11Pro app and applied it to my Alltrack and the response is completely different and instantaneous. If you have access to OBD11 I would highly recommend it.

[@latrace1986]

wait, so I'm a little bit confused... When you break down the costs of all of the parts and the software tune, what exactly have you purchased for your car? You mentioned intercooler, intake, and downpipe -- did you purchase all of those? What's absolutely necessary to do a stage 1 tune?

[@thefadshow]

Stage 1 is just software

[@brianbelknap8736]

Now that you’ve been driving it with the tune for a while have you seen positive or negative impact on your fuel economy. I do lots of highway driving in Utah running 80 miles an hour I’m considering doing this upgrade to help with passing on Mountain Grades. Any feedback on fuel economy would be appreciated. Thank you so much

[@thefadshow]

It’s 10% better if you can keep your foot out of it. It will drink more if you’re using the tune every light you pull away from and every highway merge.

[@G.H.74]

What mods did you do before this?

[@_MrLee]

I love my SEL Alltrack. I wanted to know the first steps to take making it better and faster

[@thefadshow]

Stage 1 tune and done.

[@drewprunier8180]

you might have covered it and i didnt catch it. But how did you stock clutch hold up to the power of the stage 1 87 octane?

[@thefadshow]

Stock clutch holds fine. Same part number as the GTI clutch. Mine holds the IS20 power fine too.

[@iankelly7864]

Any reliability issues since your tune? I have an 18 sportwagen, thinking about doing this.

[@thefadshow]

No issues at all.

[@Maximummoiton]

Damn can’t wait to do this to mine! How much did the shop do it for?

[@thefadshow]

500

[@yukonboy03]

So better gas mpg if you baby it. Nice. What about needing a new clutch?

[@thefadshow]

Mine has been fine Alltrack clutch is same part number as GTI not much more torque than GTI after stage 1.

[@5Minuteman]

@@thefadshow okay now I think I understand what you're saying. So the GSW has a different clutch with manual than the alltrack?

[@jessebalboa4717]

I bought a used 2019 Alltrack SEL manual (like yours, but in red/black) with 6200 miles. Unicorn really. Got a quote for $750 for the APR 87 octane stage 1 tune. Issues I see are warranty void and long term clutch degradation. Any comments on warranty items on your car and clutch performance? Thanks!

[@thefadshow]

No issues with the clutch what so ever. I do expect to have a shorter life but it will be an opportunity to upgrade. Some dealerships are okay with mods depends where you take it. Luckily the bottom ends of the EA 88 gen 3 is very solid. Most damage I can see is replacing the water pumps that are known to fail out of pocket instead of warranty. Can’t be that much. Turbo life will probably be shorter too but worth it to me. That would be another opportunity to upgrade and plenty of take off IS12s out there.

[@jessebalboa4717]

@@thefadshow had the 87 APR stage 1 tune dome today. First is very geary and revvy, but second and third are madmen. A huge acceleration improvement and certainly fun!

[@edwardstewart4430]

Wow! 6200k miles. I just picked up a 2018 with 17k miles and was worried that was the actual mileage. Now I feel better 😅

[@stevedong5117]

2019 SEL manual here! You are not alone.

[@ericmohlenhoff1431]

@@stevedong5117 just picked up a 2019 SEL manual black/black with only 9600K on the ODO....so happy with this purchase.

[@silentvalue]

That road leaving dubsquared is so bad 😆

[@5Minuteman]

How's your clutch holding up?

[@thefadshow]

No issues same part # as GTI.

[@josh8344]

Which turbo do you have on your car?

[@thefadshow]

Currently IS12

[@mademad2]

Hi does the tube help with rev hang? Thanks

[@thefadshow]

I don’t know why automotive journalists always hit VW for that in their manuals. They make them which is much better than most modern car companies. It doesn’t bother me so I couldn’t tell you. I don’t notice it unless I am focusing on it.

[@austinsaunders9538]

I absolutely hate that also, doesn’t make for smooth shifts unless you drive like a granny or slip the clutch. Hate it!

[@dylanmoreno7928]

how much did it cost you

[@thefadshow]

500

[@houndsmaster34]

How funny.. I have a manual Alltrack and a manual 9-3 Aero as well. lol

[@thefadshow]

Small world but only so many wagons out there.

[@inraid]

Too much talk, too little info, annoying soundtrack

[@MrDmarvin]

if you really want more information you would not hang out looking on youtube. there’s groups on Fb reddit etc. don’t complain that there’s not enough pictures there, though you’ll seem like a ninny there too.