Volkswagen Amarok pick-up 2.0-litre BiTDI 180 PS 4MOTION Selectable 6 speed manual (2012 - ) expert review

Volkswagen Amarok pick-up 2.0-litre BiTDI 180 PS 4MOTION Selectable 6 speed manual (2012 -    ) expert review

£23,526 OTR

Verdict 4.3 out 5

“Out of all the pick-ups, the Amarok is one of the best-looking. It’s also one of the biggest but that means you need to be confident with its size. If you don’t mind handling a brute then this is for you. It also has the largest load bay out of its rivals which means this could easily be your ideal work/life vehicle, particularly if you want a European alternative to a Hilux, L200 or Navara.”

PROS

• Exterior looks

• Volkswagen build quality

• Selectable 4WD on the move

CONS

• Wide down narrow country roads

• Pokes out of standard sized parking bays

1. Exterior

We drove the double-cab Amarok, in the mid-range Trendline trim with VW’s twin-turbo, 180bhp 2.0-litre BiTDI engine. It has a ladder-frame chassis with huge tyres and a driving position that makes you feel like you’re at the helm of a tank. Amarok is actually the name of a gigantic wolf in Inuit mythology said to hunt down and eat anyone foolish enough to hunt alone at night and this is reflected in its extremely dominating looks; it’s the bonnet shape that does it and those wide extended wheel arches. On the tailgate is a large centrally located Volkswagen badge with the handle to open the tailgate just above. There’s also a chunky-metal namebadge saying Amarok on the left hand side and because this is the Trendline edition, there’s a badge on the right hand side which says TDi 4MOTION. If you’re a driver sat behind it in traffic, it looks like it means business. 

There are three model lines and which one you pick determines what the exterior looks like. This mid-range Trendline has body-coloured door handles and mirrors, front fog lights and extended wheel arches while the top-end Highline has chrome detailing on the front bumper, with chrome door mirrors and privacy glass for the rear passenger windows – it’s that little bit more shiny-looking.

Alloy wheels are standard on all of the models and you can choose from 16 to 18 inches. We had 17 inch 'Aldo' alloy wheels with 245/65 R17 tyres on ours.

Our Trendline model came with some extras, which you might want to consider too. There’s Starlight Blue metallic paint (£540), a leather multifunction steering wheel (£108) and a Bluetooth connection (£240), which in our eyes should really come as standard. Finally there’s a protective coating on the rear load area which copes with chemical/oil spills and prolonged exposure to sunlight (£582). 

Our rating: 4

2. Interior

The cabin has the classy Volkswagen-look dash and components, and the build quality is really solid. There are some rough plastics in some areas but that’s expected in a workhorse. Five people can sit in this in comfort and the load bay is the most spacious of the pick-ups, it can fit an EU pallet. Our Trendline model had Anthracite ‘Trail’ cloth upholstery. For leather seats opt for the Highline version. 

Our rating: 3

3. Ride and Handling

The handling is pretty good for a vehicle of its size and dimensions, and you’ll really enjoy driving it. You can place it precisely where you want it and it doesn’t float or wallow.  The Amarok is also excellent off road. The only thing I did find was that changing gear requires a bit more arm movement and patience than in an average car. The ride is good for a pick-up considering it has leaf-spring rear suspension but the 4WD options affect the ride and handling. VW calls its four wheel drive system, 4MOTION (which is why the 4MOTION badge is on the tailgate of our model). But there are two versions of 4MOTION on the Amarok – there’s a permanent system and a selectable system. Which one should you choose? Well, the permanent system has the leaf-springs setup for more on road use, restricting the load in the back to 1,600kg so think about going for this if you’re just driving on road most of the time. The selectable system, which is the one we tested, means that there is a row of three icons next to the gear lever and up and down arrow-buttons which let you select rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive or low range. This selectable 4MOTION system also has a high-load suspension capable of carrying 1,860kg – an extra 260kg over the permanent system. The low range works a treat and it’s great to be able to change the drive mode while you’re moving along, particularly if you’re faced with a change in terrain ahead. In all-wheel-drive mode however, I did find that the rear wheels felt skittish and fidgety when turning round tight corners or pulling out of junctions on the road. Off-road it’s fine; because the tyres dig down into the ground. All models get a rear diff lock and hill descent control and off-road ABS. We tried the off-road ABS on an icy, snowy field and it’s incredibly good. 

Our rating: 4

4. Practicality

At 2.2 metres wide the Amarok is possibly a little bit impractical for day-to-day driving jobs like going to work or into town. It pokes out of parking bays. I loaded up the back with garden rubbish to take to the recycling centre but was asked for my “pass”. Turns out the Amarok is seen as a commercial vehicle (even if you clearly have kids in the back seats) so the council want you to pay if you visit the tip. Where the Volkswagen Amarok wins on practicality is its double cab, its ground clearance of 265mm, its ability off-road and its load carrying space.  The rear passenger seats can also be folded flat across the cabin, which gives you secondary loading area but under cover. The double cab is great to carry children in plus you can get a third person in the middle. The passenger windows are powered but can be disabled by the driver. Another practical advantage over rival pick-ups is the ability to switch between 4x4 modes on the move by pressing the arrow-buttons down by the gearshift, but this is only on the selectable 4MOTION versions. 

Our rating: 5

5. Performance

The 2.0-litre engine doesn’t really get going until you really put on the revs. And at low revs you have to be careful not to stall it!  Remember, the Amarok already weighs two-tonnes even before you load up the rear or put passengers inside the cab so you’re having to get a lot of weight moving in that first gear. However, there’s a plus side and this is the lovely throaty sound of the engine when you rag it at higher revs. Overtakes in the Amarok are easy and satisfyingly pleasing to do, especially because it’s a pick-up, and you don’t really expect something like this to do that. You’ll need to work that engine hard though! At low revs, there’s a slight clatter but all diesel-engined pick-ups have this and the most important thing is that this stops once you’re cruising. Our only niggle is the effort needed to move the six-speed gearshifter around the box (it feels stiff between second to first and third down to second) but this is more of a get-used-to-it-over-time issue than being a manufacturing issue. The 0 to 62mph time is 11 seconds and it has a maximum speed of 111mph – impressive figures considering its weight and just from a 2.0-litre engine.

Our rating: 4

6. Equipment

Our Amarok came with a UV resistant load mat, priced at £582 fitted. You can also choose an optional secure toolbox which fixes across the rear load area. Covers for rear are also available, whether soft or hardtop and bodycoloured. Inside, you can add heated leather seats, a satnav and parking sensors. If you don’t add any other extra, then the one we’d suggest you must add are the parking sensors. Although visibility is good out of the rear it’s hard to keep an eye on exactly what the four corners are doing – and remember this is a big, wide pick-up. The radio/CD unit has six speakers in the cabin but annoyingly you have to pay extra for an iPod adaptor (£208) and Bluetooth (£240). Haggle at the dealership and you might be able to get those thrown in for free. We also recommend you add the note clip (£11) and the attachment point magnet (£11) which go on the dash and make it easy to store paperwork on. Front and rear rubber mats cost a further £83.50.

Our rating: 5

7. Cargo area

The rear loadspace in a pick-up is so important and the one in the Amarok has a length of 1,555 mm and an overall area of 2.5 m2, which is enough to carry a Euro pallet sideways. There’s even a light on the outside of the cab above the rear window to illuminate the load area. This can be switched on and off from the cabin – ideal for winter working. There’s also a brilliant built-in step in the tailgate which makes it easy to stand on and throw items in the back. Some rival pick-ups don’t have this step as standard.

Our rating: 5

8. Running costs

Fuel consumption is surprisingly good and our Amarok returned about 28.6mpg in the real world. There’s an 80-litre fuel tank so you’re looking at a £115 fill up at the pumps – but this will get you about 500 miles. Buy one from new and you get three years of breakdown cover from Volkswagen Assistance for the UK and in Europe. The warranty lasts for three years or 100,000 miles and the insurance group is 7 E. CO2 emissions aren’t quite below the 200g/km threshold – they’re at 211 g/km.

Our rating: 4

9. Safety

VW is well known for its excellent ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) and it’s on the Amarok too. This monitors understeer, oversteer and vehicle slide and if it detects some, it reacts in under a second by applying the brakes to any or all of the four wheels and adjusts the engine's power too. You also have ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), off-road ABS, Brake Assist System (BAS), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Hill Hold Assist, Hill Descent Control and Trailer Stability Control. Brake hard in an emergency and the hazard lights come on automatically. The driver and front passenger have airbags and there are front side and curtain airbags. It also has a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser and remote central locking with an interior locking switch and remote key.

Our rating: 5

10. Why buy?

Because you want a stylish pick-up from a reputable manufacturer. If you want to carry four people – perhaps your family at weekends - and a lot of goods on and off the road then the Volkswagen Amarok is an ideal choice. Plus it’s the only vehicle in its class that can carry a Euro pallet loaded sideways in the rear.

Our rating: 4

 

By Dan Tye