Posh pick-up tested: Volkswagen's all-new Amarok lands in NZ

Thursday, 11 May 2023

• VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK

• Price range: $65,000–$90,000 (plus on-road costs and Clean Car fee)

• Powertrain: (Life) 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder diesel, 125kW/405Nm, part-time 4WD. (Style) 2.0-litre biturbo four-cylinder diesel, 154kW/500Nm, part-time 4WD. (PanAmericana/Aventura) 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6, 184kW/600Nm, selectable 4WD.

• Transmission: 10-speed automatic

• Economy and emissions: (Life) 9.2L/100km, 242g/km (Style) 8.3L/100km, 218g/km (PanAmericana/Aventura) 9.6L/100km, 254g/km

• Available: Now

The Volkswagen Amarok isn’t exactly a household name amongst the popular double-cab set. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been successful.

The first-gen Amarok was launched in 2010. More than 7000 have since sold in New Zealand. The year it launched was the first of ten consecutive years of growth for Volkswagen New Zealand – a feat it says was achieved in part because of the Amarok’s contributions.

A lucky 13 years on, and there’s an all-new Amarok. And thanks to comprehensive development processes, a focus on refinement – and the model’s ties to a certain blue oval cousin – its more appealing than ever.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

The new Amarok launched earlier this week, with journalists getting the chance to take each model in the range for a spin around the gravel trails of Woodhill Forest, whilst simultaneously trying to dodge the spontaneous lakes lingering from this week’s wild Auckland weather.

**READ MORE:

* Volkswagen details Ranger-based next-gen Amarok

* Ranger V6 rocks, VW boss says

* This is the new face of New Zealand's best-selling vehicle

* Volkswagen Australia unleashes hardcore Amarok

**

In brief, the Amarok is offered here in four trim levels; the $65,000 Life, the $75,000 Style, and the $88,000 PanAmericana and $90,000 Aventura flagships. The two base models get a 154kW/500Nm single-turbo 2.0-litre and a 154kW/500Nm 2.0-litre biturbo, and the range-toppers share a 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. Each can tow up to 3500kg.

Since the Amarok’s engines have the same CO2 ratings as the Rangers, they garner the same Clean Car Discount fees. Whilst the 2.0-litre biturbo is reasonably clean, the V6 currently gets hit with a $3,900 fee … which will be bumped to a fee of $6,555 once the next wave of Clean Car changes lands on July 1.

Volkswagen is also bringing in a handful of 2.3-litre petrol models later in the year as a bit of a dress rehearsal for possible future inclusion on a larger scale.

If those power figures and engine sizes don’t sound awfully familiar, they probably should. Throughout the launch, Volkswagen continually referred to the ‘other manufacturer’ involved in the Amarok’s development – like characters in Harry Potter trying anxiously to avoid naming Lord Voldemort.

It’s no secret that the Amarok is a close family relative to the Ford Ranger. The pair share the same T6 architecture, the same powertrains, and the same 10-speed automatic transmission. That 2.3-litre is the turbofour from the Mustang and Focus ST.

Volkswagen has always been staunch about how the new Amarok would not be a lazy rehash of its source material, to the point of hiring 20 international engineers for the redevelopment project and plonking them in Australia for several years, purely in an effort to make the Amarok feel like a Volkswagen.

Outside

Remember the Mercedes X-Class? One of its critical failures was how the production version toned down the lines and shapes of the concept it was based on to the extreme. Specifically, it clearly toned things down so that the design was easier to graft onto the Nissan Navara it shared its DNA with. The masses thought it was a ruse from the start.

Volkswagen hasn’t done that. The production Amarok, while softened, looks just like the concept teasers. Chiselled and industrial, its gouged bodywork and squared-off arches look mature and purposeful. According to the brand, the only bits of Ranger that remain on the outside are the wing mirrors, door handles, and the glasshouse.

The German firm’s efforts to make the Amarok look more like a Volkswagen are commendable and, by and large, successful. The squared-off arches, more rounded nose, and different character profile of the door skins give every impression that this is a Veedub from the ground up.

Inside

Volkswagen’s engineering and design team have worked their plastic surgery magic inside, too. The dashboard looks like a by-birth member of the Volkswagen family, with particular thanks owed to the application of its own interface software and a less cluttered, more utilitarian layout. The rocker switches and permanent shortcuts at the base of the 12-inch portrait touchscreen deserve specific praise. As does the lack of any of the haptic feedback malarkey from the Golf and Tiguan.

Admittedly, there are quite a few Ford assets that remain, like the palm-shaped gear lever in the higher grades, the handy integrated door handles, and some of the switches. The greatest sin of them all is that the Amarok uses a rebranded Ford keyfob. Surely someone like Volkswagen can find a way for the bit of the car you carry around in your pocket or bag all day to be the same as the one you get with a Golf.

Rants aside, it’s nice inside the Amarok on first impression. The soft-touch faux leather panelling on the dashboard and door cards is well executed, Volkswagen’s in-house front seats are comfy, and because of the T6 platform’s longer wheelbase there’s an extra 46mm of legroom for those in the back seat.

One of the biggest triumphs is safety spec. The entry-level Life gets almost everything in Volkswagen’s armada of passive and active tech, ranging from radar cruise and lane-keep assist, to an impressive nine airbags, to traffic sign recognition.

Only intelligent radar cruise, the 360-degree camera, and advanced park assist are locked behind other specs. Those who opt for the Life also have to get by with an old-school key; an oddity in a $65,000 vehicle.

On the road

During our drive we got a taste of each engine. Barring the base model 2.0, each is an engine I’ve sampled in a Ranger. And, their characteristics mostly carry over without much interference. The single turbo rattles a little more than the biturbo, but performs well all the same. The V6, meanwhile, is a juggernaut – packing a 19kW/50Nm advantage over the old Amarok V6.

The Amarok’s bespoke suspension geometry is the result of years of testing in Australia – not unlike the Ranger, ironically. In a case of ‘great minds think alike’, the Amarok’s damping and road holding feel, on first taste, very similar to the Ranger. Both are forgiving and smooth, with a unibody-like feel on tarmac and plenty of articulation off it.

Although the Woodhill trail we drove was mostly fairly tame, there were a few holes and divots that the Amarok had to navigate, no doubt made worse by the recent floods. The Amarok and its split part-time and selectable 4WD systems performed admirably in the conditions.

Admittedly, it did bottom out more often than I expected, and the flagship Aventura struggled to get up one particular rutted hill, most likely due to its low-profile road rubber. The all-terrain-shod models had no such issues.

Which would we have?

It wasn’t long ago that we were coughing and spluttering at the prospect of utes being priced above 80 grand. Now, there’s a bunch of them, including the Amarok PanAmericana and $90,000 Aventura. I expect it will be the Style that lures in the most punters. Its rather high spec, biturbo engine, and plush two-tone interior make it the best value proposition of the bunch. It looks a lot less bare bones than the Life, too.

It feels every bit like a match to Ford’s 2.0-litre Ranger Wildtrak. No surprise then that the pair are priced almost identically, with Volkswagen undercutting Ford by a cheeky $990.

Bonus images