Volkswagen Amarok

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It's a new design from one of Australia's most respected aftermarket aluminium tray manufacturers.

Volkswagen was considering a Ford Everest-style 4WD wagon to accompany the latest Amarok ute – which shares its DNA with the Ford Ranger.

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With the new Volkswagen Amarok hitting dealerships, the rage against its platform-sharing with the Ford Ranger is unfounded.

Purchased new 190,000k ago, the AMAROK has been the best twin cab ute that I have owned in terms of performance, ride and comfort. It's a great bus. The motor pulls strong when accelerating and handles light towing with ease. The ZF8 gearbox is amazing and makes the Amarok ideal for touring. On long hauls, it spends the the majority of time in 8th and 7th gear giving great economy. I love driving it in sports mode and for a big heavy unit, it really goes hard when pushed. Heaps of up and go for getting past road trains. It has made several crossings across the country easily and although I havent done any technical off road, it excels in the sand when going forward and handles dirt roads easly. The rear tub is huge, and when fitted with a canopy, the volume of camping gear that you take on a trip is impressive. Fitted with a TJM bullbar, ARB canopy, and LongRanger auxillary fuel tank makes the car both work and family friendly. The standard 80L tank plus additional 61L gives me a country range of 1500km. I'm in my fifties and over time I have owned many twin cab 4x4 utes - Toyota Hilux (X2), Triton (x3), and prior to the Amarok, a 2010 3.0L Colorado. On average I have kept these cars for between 150k to 200K km's. Although the Amarok has been the best car to own in terms of performance, comfort and driving enjoyment, it has been a very disappointing in terms of fixing stuff that never went wrong on the other cars that I have owned. Compared to the Japanese manufactured cars (the 3L Colorado had an Isuzu diesel), the VW is high maintenace and just so expensive to fix when a part fails. I'm happy to accept some issues as wear and tear even when meeting all scheduled services, but the number of issues and cost associated with rectifying them has taken the shine off owning this vechicle. I;ve been going through councelling but i think a divorce is on the cards due to the following mishaps - Replaced front disc rotors at 70K, leaking ERG unit (common issue) at 110K, power steering pump at 135K, fan speed dial not working 140K, and rear wheel bearing replacement 180K (more on this later). Would I buy another one? I'd would really love too but probably not as I dont replace my cars every 2 or 3 years.

When our old 2nd car/camping bus/dog hauling chariot (1998 Mitsubishi Challenger) ticked over 350,000km’s, my wife and I decided that a new (to us) car might be a good idea. The old Challenger never really broke down or left us stranded, but every month or so it would need another $300 part. We could continue down the never-ending path of replacing worn out components – or bite the bullet and take the opportunity to upgrade. With our needs encompassing everything from daily inner city commute, to taking 2 large dogs to the beach, to weekend sausage tastings at Bunnings, and sometimes even towing an 18ft ski boat, a dual cab 4x4 ute is obviously the vehicle for us, but which one? With the dual cab market going from strength to strength over the last decade, to be in the market for a 4x4 ute is a double-edged sword. As a prospective buyer you are spoiled for choice as there are more brands than ever with dual cab 4x4s on offer wanting you to part ways with your cash. Nowadays potential buyers need to contrast and compare across no less than 8 brands, cross-shopping your way through models, features, performance, economy, safety, tech, ride quality, specifications, and the all mighty dollar. No longer do you simply pop down your local Toyota dealership, say “I’d like a Hilux please” and choose a colour. I had narrowed it down to either an Amarok or a Ranger, and after test driving examples of both in our budget the VW won out in the end. Things I like: • Economy – always getting at least 1,000km’s t a tank • Interior space • Refined driveline • Rear diff lock • Ute tub size – Great Dane approved! Not so much: • Lack of OEM rated recovery points in the front of the vehicle • Clunky gear shift feel – Honda S2000 this is not • Lack of aftermarket accessories – although this is getting better as time goes by • Interior plastics feel hard and utilitarian • Servicing costs & replacement parts Around town the Amarok does a reasonable job. Good build quality and low NVH levels do their part in isolating you from all the other cogs in the gridlock machine. Stop start traffic can be a bit of a pain in a manual, however the reasonably light clutch and good ergonomics make an Amarok at least a comfortable way to survive the daily grind. The downside of the generous width in the cabin is the physical width of the VW, this is most apparent when negotiating perpendicular parking bays in a multi-level car park. The rear-view camera and the generously proportioned side mirrors do their utmost to assist with this, however there is no escaping the fact that the Amarok is a wide vehicle (1944mm). On the open road the Amarok can stretch its legs and settle into a pace where its seems most comfortable. The nicely weighted steering, while not the most communicative does provide enough feedback that makes punting through the back roads more rewarding than other dual cab 4x4’s. When un-laden the rear leaf springs can be a little skittish in negotiating road imperfections, however, with a load in the back the rear settles down and transforms to be far more compliant – breaking tradition with their horse and cart heritage. The Amarok will keep up with all the usual contemporaries when you venture off the beaten track. Engaging “off-road” mode recalibrates the ABS greatly improving stopping distances on loose gravel roads. When rock hopping the benefit of having low range comes into its own, allowing the driver a greater level of throttle control and wheel placement. Engine breaking on steep downhill sections is ok - never a strong point of small displacement engines – and still allows for “feet off pedals” descents. This allows you to concentrate purely on the steering and placing the Amarok right where it needs to be. Uphill there’s a rear diff lock for when the undulations exceed the articulation capabilities, helping to maintain forward momentum up and over obstacles that lie ahead. The shortcomings of average underbody clearances and limited wheel travel are the only real downsides to the Amarok off road, these can however be rectified by the aftermarket suppliers, and would go a long way into turning the Amarok into a touring vehicle well worth considering. Would I recommend a second-hand Amarok? Absolutely. However (there’s always a “however”) make sure you do a very thorough check of the vehicle’s service history. VW parts and servicing costs are on the higher side and if the previous owner has skimped on servicing it could spell disaster for the next owner. The 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine is a fantastic unit provided it has been serviced correctly and OEM replacement parts have been used, particularly filters, timing belts pullies and hose connectors. After 9 months and 10,000km’s of ownership I couldn’t be happier!

I don't normally feel compelled to write reviews, but I have been so bloody happy with this car that I felt I needed to let others know. I bought my Mendoza brown Amarok (otherwise known as Mr hanky) from new in March 2012, it has just clicked over to 280,000km and next week I am swapping it out for a V6. It has been a company car at my families farm and gets a hell of a workout by both me and the staff. It regularly had a ton on the back and a few on the tow ball, it gets a flogging down dirt roads and does a lot of mild off roading around our mountainous property. 6 years of this kind of treatment and I have only had two things go wrong. 1. A broken drive belt that runs the cooling system and the power steering early on. I was lucky I was right near the mechanics when this happened and it ended up being a regular fault for most amaroks of the time. Fairly easy fix but newer versions wouldn't have this problem. 2. Broken Front shock absorber more recently. This wasn't that big of a deal. Could still drive it and it wasn't an expensive fix. Other than the lack of power and those two minor breakdowns this car has been an absolute hero. Our business also has a 2014 Bt50 and a 2016 Hilux and all the staff still prefer to drive my car as it just so bloody comfortable and has a reissuring planted feel that makes the other utes feel comparatively unsafe. Power is definitely an issue. But you only really notice when lugging big loads uphill. It has just enough for all other circumstances. But admittedly is the reason I have decided to get rid of it. I have been putting off swapping out my car as it felt ridiculous to pay a $40k turnaround to get the exact same car when the one you drive still feels great. A quick test drive of the V6 sold me though. All I loved about my old car but with more power. Probably an Amarok driver for life. Your a bunch of dick heads Volkswagen. But you make a great ute.