Volkswagen Amarok

It’s been worth the wait. Volkswagen’s new ute, the Amarok, is here. The Volkswagen Amarok is a special beast that is built tough and ready for work, and it’s finally made it to the shores of Australia and has been met considerable demand from Aussies looking for a great looking, tough-as-nails ute that's great to drive and easy on the wallet with attractive prices.

Unlike the Touareg, the Volkswagen Amarok takes its name from the other climatic extreme: “amarok” means “wolf” in one Inuit (Eskimo) language/dialect. By a very lucky coincidence, this sounds like ama rocas, which is the Spanish for “loves rocks” – a great name for a tough 4x4 truck. (Incidentally, it’s a pity that Fiat didn’t do the “let’s see what it means in another language” test when it named the old Nova: no va is Spanish for “it doesn’t go.”). This double meaning probably wasn’t hard to find: the Volkswagen Amarok will be built not in Germany but in VW’s South American plant in Argentina, where the Volkswagen Amarok will first hit the roads.

As the wolfish name suggests, this 4x4 from Volkswagen is designed to be tough and capable in the wilderness, able to go the distance in any terrain and any weather. Glancing over the lines and build quality, and it is evident that it has been put together as well as any Hilux or Navara equivalent – if not better. Practicality is in the forefront of the VW designer's minds, so it is good to see that the new Volkswagen Amarok is a roomy dual-cab ute with the ground clearance and big paws (like a real flesh and blood wolf) that looks more than able to handle the rough stuff off road. It sits on the road with a muscular stance and big, chunky styling. Equipped with ABS, ESP, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control, the 4Motion AWD system is as capable as they come for doing the business offroad. You can opt for the switchable AWD version that can run between 2WD and 4WD at the touch of a button.

The load deck of the Volkswagen Amarok offers plenty of space to chuck fence posts, tools, hay bales and the like for the net job on the list. A single cab variant is planned for some stage in the future – but the dual cab’s 2.52 m² load area looks roomy enough to carry a decent load, and it’s tough enough to take whatever you choose to pop into it. Take a look in the drop down tailgate, and you’ll find a cleverly stashed toolkit can be placed inside the storage compartment. Fog lights and body coloured door handles complete the styling package. The VW Amarok looks tough, yet you can see elegant glimpses of the Scirocco and the Golf inside the big ute’s detailing. I rate this as the best ute design on the market, perhaps, equal with the tough looking Nissan Navara.

The dash seems to be vaguely retro-styled with round dials and knobs all within easy view and reach of the driver – all tying in nicely with the Volkswagen logo planted plumb centre of the steering wheel. After reviewing the full specs of the Volkswagen Amarok include cup holders, dinky storage compartments about the cabin, flip up back seat pads for more storage space, a nice audio system and a payload of 1147 kg. Comfortable seats, electric windows, air conditioning and all your usual luxury items are all there. High-end features can be added as options. Seated inside the Amarok’s interior, and you quickly notice the quality of the fit and finish. This is the best ute interior you’ll find, at present.

The bush-bashing VW Amarok is to be powered by a very efficient bi-turbo, TDI diesel-donk. The four-cylinder, direct injection engine is 2.0 litres in capacity and boasts plenty of power, a maximum of 120 kW at 4000 rpm, to be exact. Towing is a breeze with 400 Nm available from between 1500 and 2000 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox is nicely linked to the engine’s power, and the big Amarok has been designed to lead the pack for efficiency and for emissions. You can expect a combined fuel economy figure of around 7.9 litres/100 km and a figure of 208 g/km of CO₂ emissions.

The Amarok marks Volkswagen’s entry into the ute market, and it looks like it will be a worthy competitor for this market segment. Farmers, hunters, commercial operators and those with even the slightest bit of wilderness in their blood will find the Volkswagen Amarok to be a very decent choice indeed. So, if you liked this VW Amarok review, why not be one of the first to get your hands on the all new Volkswagen Amarok!

The current model series includes the:

· Amarok Highline

For any more information on the 2013 Volkswagen Amarok, or for that matter a car other than a VW, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you'd like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Volkswagen dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet - car buying made easy!