Where Style Meets Substance
THE VOLKSWAGEN AMORAK V6 ADVENTURA WAS PUT THROUGH THE EV ERYMAN'S TEST AND CAME OUT WITH FLYING COLOURS.
We all have one, the mate, who despite all the evidence presented to him absolutely refuses to upgrade to a smart phone and like the martyr that they are, they proudly make a big deal out of only being able to text and make calls.
I am not quite that person, but I must admit I am comfortable with my lot. I drive an 11-year-old Ford Ranger and have never been convinced to change. So, it was with not a small amount of trepidation that I agreed with our editor to test drive the new Volkswagen Amorak V6 Adventura.
The first thing that struck me was how good looking it is. I am never one to be touchy feely, but I now know what a mere mortal with a dad’s bod must feel like if ever finding themselves beside Sonny Bill Williams. Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder.
My cousin recently bought a new Mitzi ute and it drives well and is a good option, however, some of us like blondes and others brunettes. I am not taken with its shape compared with the slightly squarer, masculine lines of the Amorak V6 Adventura.
Beauty is one thing, though, performance is another and when the rubber meets the road, you can’t dress mutton up as lamb.
The Amorak V6 Adventura does not disappoint. It has an impressive 580nm torque and you can access this at only 1250rpm - which is what I need for pulling my boat.
Compare that with my 11-year-old Ranger with 380nm Torque at 1800rpm which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising when you think of the all the developments in the last 11 years.
Acceleration / Performance
Tech stuff - basically it goes like stink which isn’t unsurprising when you realise the Turbo-Diesel had effectively been trialled within the Volkswagen family of Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Touareg.
Volkswagen literature claims the Amorak V6 Adventura can go from zero to 100km in just 7.3 seconds.
Because literature is not especially my strong point I thought I would create an Everyman’s test, along my brother-in-law’s limestone track he uses for bringing his cows up to the milking shed.
Despite fat fingers on the timer, it was exceptionally close to this in not ideal test conditions.
I must say I am glad the Amorak is not a bloke, with his good looks and performance my wife might be looking for a trade-in.
I am lucky she likes the more sedate 1980s Zetor tractor-type or at least I hope she does.
So what's the Amorak V6 Adventura like to drive? The power in the mid-range was impressive even when towing a 1600kg boat, there was no lull or flat spot especially through the mid-range of gears.
I drove through the windy Dome Valley
and as much as I tried there was no body roll which surprised me as it is high and has nothing more than ladder chassis and heavy-duty leaf springs.
For my Everyman’s test I took my son, who is prone to car sickness, and he was fine. I probably should have devised a safer test as I am not sure how the good people at Volkswagen would have reacted if he had thrown-up but when a car needs to be tested it needs to be truly tested.
One of the areas that I need from a ute is boot space, whether it is for chucking in tools, garden clippings, sports gear or my fishing chilly bin, I need decent space.
I devised another Everyman test for the Amorak V6 Adventura with how many of my son’s cricket team’s bags I could fit. I got six bags in and probably could have piled in more if I had to.
Target Market
The first car I owned was a 1970s Peugeot 504 and I loved it and swore I would always buy European.
Of course I didn’t and apart from a year in France while playing footy I have never owned another European vehicle.
So, who would buy an Amorak V6 Adventura? Tradies, farmers, councils anyone who tows a boat, caravan or trailer. Perhaps someone with an 11-year-old truck?
One area where I feel the Amaorak V6 Adventura could really make waves is with the commercial fleet range.
As a business owner and bean counter from $90,000 may not look attractive but if you have staff retention issues, kitting them out in a VW rather than the cheaper option could go a long way to stopping them being poached. Business owners spend a lot of time making sure staff chairs and work space are OSH compliant, if they have staff in a vehicle for many hours in a day, Volkswagen feel they have an edge over competitors.
I must say I liked the Servotronic power steering which has more assistance at lower speeds and less when you are at higher speed so the driver feels more in touch.
I did my Everyman test by taking the VW to my local Countdown which has insanely small parking spaces. Normally I have to do a 32-point turn to get my truck positioned to feel safe from potential door bang. But I got in in one attempt. This may have been the power steering or it could have been me bricking myself that I would dent it.
It also has a really clear reversing camera with side alarms if you get to close to anything.
The interior is car like and premium at that, though I would expect nothing else really. The thing that struck me was the big storage area on the dash because a builder mate of mine lost his diary out the window - it slid out as he went around a corner.
I thought there is no way that would have happened if he owned an Amorak V6 Adventura.
You know when you are in a relationship and the end is near, you start looking for faults...leaves toilet seat up or down, breathes noisily while eating spaghetti sort of stuff.
To lessen the pain of giving it back I went looking for faults. I came up with two and one barrier to entry . 1: No wing mirror indicators when a car is along side and passing you. My wife has that feature in her car and I love it. 2: No USB port to charge your phone (important for anyone who basically works from their vehicle). THEN I STOPPED HAVING A MAN’S LOOK and found it positioned in a really convenient place. Hey it’s leaving me so I can make up stuff. 3: The cost from $90,000 for the Amorok V6 Aventura, there is no sugar coating it, the benefits/features list is long but they come at a price which is similar to the new Mecedes Benz X Class. This is my barrier to entry. There is a fine line between style and substance and I think the VW Amorak V6 Adventura achieves it. I would like to have it a year, maybe longer to test its Everyman's durability to life's knocks and scrapes.
Quality and durability does come at a price but you only learn that after years of buying T-shirts from the Warehouse.
Some people will never be convinced to upgrade to a smart phone or ditch their beloved 11-year-old ute, but I may well be.