Amarok V6 rocks
Big power and clever chassis tech give VW big bragging rights in the pickup segment, writes Damien O’Carroll.
Big power and clever chassis tech give VW big bragging rights.
While its days at the top of the power ladder may well be numbered, currently the most powerful pickup available in New Zealand (not counting the massive and mighty Ram 2500, of course) is the Volkswagen Amarok V6, with its beefy 165kW/550Nm 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6.
Why are its days at the top numbered?
Well, while the Ford Ranger Raptor and HSV SportsCat don’t manage to top its numbers, the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz X
350d is expected to pack a mighty
190kW/550Nm V6, plus there is certain to be a twin-turbo petrol
V6 AMG version eventually. But then VW has already announced a 190kW bump for the
V6, funnily enough due around the same time as the X-class launches.
Whatever happens – for now, the Amarok V6 still represents the pinnacle of not just power in the pickup segment, but also refinement and handling.
Yeah, while the Ranger is good – and utterly dominant in the sales charts – the Amarok still has it over the younger upstart, particularly with that V6 under the bonnet.
Nail the throttle, the V6 clears its throat and the Amarok belts off the line in an impressive fashion, complete with truck-like growl.
More impressive is the engine’s responses when in the thick of its healthy torque curve, making passing effortlessly easy.
The eight-speed automatic transmission is slick and impressively well matched to the engine’s big torque, meaning that strong response to throttle inputs is available pretty much throughout the rev range.
But while it is nicely powerful, it really is the Amarok’s on-road manners that are still the highlight of the package.
But while it is nicely powerful, it really is the Amarok's on-road manners that are still the highlight of the package.
Jamming the bigger engine under the Amarok’s bonnet means it isn’t quite as eager to dive into a corner as the 2.0-litre model is, but it is still an impressively sharp thing in a dynamic sense.
The unladen ride is still a classleader too: impressively supple for a ute around town, while getting it out and up to open-road speed makes things smoother and more impressive.
One area where the Amarok is starting to show its age, however, is inside the cabin.
While the exterior styling has held up extremely well, the same can’t be said for interior design and build.
Forget comparing it with a car, even Volkswagen’s latest vans make the Amarok’s interior look a bit old and outdated.
This aside, the Amarok still offers some brilliantly comfortable and supportive seats, an excellent infotainment system and a great driving position.
Much like its 2.0-litre sibling, the Amarok features a permanent AWD system that lacks a lowrange transfer case.
While this continues to outrage the off-road purists, it also continues to boast impressive off-road abilities that are largely a match for anything else in the segment by making use of clever gearing and even more clever electronics.
It is still one of the odder experiences in life to take an Amarok into somewhere quite gnarly and just hear the engine ticking over at low revs, as opposed to higher revs in an extra low gear in a traditional 4x4.
Adding to this particular Amarok’s off-road ability were the chunky all-terrain tyres fitted to the optional 20-inch alloy wheels. Impressively, neither the off-road tyres or big alloy wheels bought adverse affects to the Amarok’s ride quality.
Also optional on our Amarok Highline was the hard tonneau cover (looks great, but makes it seriously useless as a load hauler), a deck liner and the sports bar and side steps that, along with the chunky tyres and big wheels gave the Amarok an appropriately tough-truck look.
One adverse effect of the tyres, however, was an increase in road noise.
Not terrible, but it served to highlight just how quiet and refined the Amarok is as standard.
The Amarok V6 Highline clocks in at $75,000 before options, which is a healthy chunk of change for a ute, but you do get a lot of vehicle for that money. Particularly a lot of engine.
One area where the Amarok’s days are definitely numbered is at the top of the price department.
The HSV, Raptor and more than a few of the X-class models will handily top that.
So will that make the Amarok V6 good value for money then?
Well, that does depend where you stand on the issue of bigpower, high-price utes.