MOULD BREAKER
THE AMAROK IS THE OLDEST DESIGN AMONG THE CURRENT POPULAR DUAL CABS, BUT STILL PERFORMS LIKE IT WAS ONLY DESIGNED YESTERDAY
THE Amarok arrived in Australia in early 2011, more than 10 years ago. Initially, 4x4 models came with a four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel, which was surprisingly lively thanks to its sophisticated bi-turbo arrangement, but in 2015 a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel arrived to really liven up the party. The unique thing with the Amarok is that it comes with two very distinct drivelines. With either the four-cylinder or V6 engine, the manual gearbox is mated to a dual-range part-time 4x4 system, while the automatic with both engines is mated to a single-range full-time 4x4 system. While it might seem odd, it’s actually the single-range auto driveline that generally works best off-road.
To be 100 per cent accurate, there’s actually a third driveline that was available for a short period early in the Amarok’s life. It combined a manual ’box with a single-range full-time 4x4 system. Great on road, although near useless off-road. That odd variant aside, the Amarok does well off-road essentially off the back of good wheel travel, which is on a par with leaf-sprung Rangers, even if a little short of the Hilux; and has decent ground clearance too.
The manual versus automatic distinction – for both engines – mentioned earlier, starts with the interaction between the driverswitched rear locker, which is standard on all 4x4 models, and the ETC. With the manual when you engage the rear locker, the ETC is completely disabled. With the automatic, the ETC stays active on the front wheels when the locker is engaged which makes a big difference in extreme conditions. The automatic, with its fulltime 4x4 system also has an electronically controlled centre diff which can send the drive to the wheels that can best use it but can automatically lock up if need be. The manual’s part-time system doesn’t have a centre diff, just a conventional two-speed transfer box. You’re either in two- or four-wheel drive with 50/50 front/rear drive – no torque transfer front to rear.
The argument for the manual is that it does have low range, so a potential advantage when towing an off-road trailer in steep country or on soft sand. As it is, the auto gets away without low range as its torque convertor has a notably high stall ratio that allows lots of slippage to lower the effective gear ratio. First gear in the eight-speed auto is reasonably low too, which helps. Both the four-cylinder and V6 have eight-speed ZF autos, but the V6’s is more heavy-duty given the V6’s higher torque outputs (up to 580Nm).
The automatic with its single-range full-time 4x4 system also wins over the manual on ease of driving, as it can go from highway cruising to off-road crawling without the driver doing anything.
The auto V6 is better than the auto four-cylinder off-road, but its big leap forward is on-road where you can make full use of the extra power. The manual V6 is also a very enjoyable on-road drive thanks to the ‘grunt everywhere’ nature of the engine. All Amaroks, four-cylinder or V6, manual or automatic, also offer classleading on-road dynamics. If you like a sporty on-road drive, this is the ute for you. But given the platform’s age, if you want all the latest safety tech, this isn’t the ute for you.