Volkswagen have launched their second generation Amarok pickup, which again comes with a choice of either 2.0 litre TDI or 3.0 litre V6 engines.
The first generation model, introduced in 2010, has seen 830,000 sold worldwide, with the V6 engined variant only joining the range in 2016.
The new Amarok comes as standard with four wheel drive and its off road abilities have been enhanced with new control systems, better ground clearance and even a wading depth of 800mm, up from 500mm.
It comes as a four door double cab pickup and being longer than its predecessor, there’s more cabin room than before. Shorter front and rear overhangs and a longer wheelbase help off-road and ramp angles have been increased to 30 degrees at the front and 26 degrees at the back.
Off-Road
We had the chance to stretch the Amarok’s off-road abilities at the launch in Carton House last week. It was a reasonably challenging course, although made easier by the lack of rain in recent weeks.
Even going up or down steep trails, the pickup never put a wheel wrong. Descending was particularly easy with hill descent control taking charge of each wheel individually and making the whole process simple. You can even control the speed of descent with the cruise control buttons.
A locking diff is also standard, a feature that we used on a few occasions when extra control was required.
In total, there’s a towing capacity of 3,500kg and a maximum payload of 1.19 tonnes, with the capacity to take a Euro pallet in the bed of the truck. It was the V6 models we were driving, which come as standard with 10 speed gearboxes. Manual boxes on lesser models are six speed items.
Range
The range starts with a 168bhp 2.0 TDI engine, which is available in the base and Life trims. Style models come with a 202bhp version of the same engine, fitted with the 10 speed auto as standard.
V6 power is available, with a bump in power output to 237bhp, in Style, PanAmerica and Aventura trims.
Inside, the cabin is dominated by a 10” portrait oriented infotainment screen and the whole ensemble is very car like with comfortable seating and plenty of room.
Four wheel drive is standard across the range and up to 25 driver assistance systems are available, including automatic cruise control, parking assistant, 360 degree view, lane change assist and road sign recognition.
For off-roading, various cameras are dotted around the car and appear on the central screen automatically when needed. They really proved handy during our off road excursions.
Pricing
The Amarok is available from July, priced from €47,355 for the entry level model, which comes with a 168bhp version of the 2.0TDI engine. This comes with features including power folding mirrors, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED headlights, 8” display, semi automatic air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, rear view camera and parking sensors.
Life trim starts from €50,345 and adds 17” alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers, rear privacy glass, leather steering wheel, auto lights and wipers.
Style specification starts from €64,735 and comes with 18” wheels, chrome rear bumper, LED Matrix headlights, heated seats, 12” portrait screen, 12” instrument screen, 10 way adjustable electric seats, dual zone climate control, light and lane assist.
PanAmerica models start from €68,620 and come with ruggedised X-shape bumpers, LED rear lights, leather seat trims, satellite navigation, 640 watt Harmon Kardon sound, ambient lighting, black headlining and a 360 degree camera.
Finally, top spec Aventura models feature 20” alloys, body coloured sports bars and chrome step bars from €70,890.
