Road test:

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THE pick-up arena is becoming a fiercely competitive sector with quality vehicles from the likes of Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and even Mercedes-Benz battling for attention.

Now the latest Volkswagen Amarok has really upped the ante thanks to an impressive power hike.

The double-cab Amarok is available in three wellequipped trim levels called Trendline, Highline and Aventura, all of which are driven by a 3.0-litre V6 TDI diesel engine.

This powertrain has three outputs - 163ps, 204ps and 258ps – and that latter figure has just been increased from 224ps.

We tried the mid-range Highline Amarok powered by the latest V6 258ps diesel engine mated to a slick eightspeed automatic gearbox and it was up to the challenge both on and off road.

Boasting VW’s impressive 4MOTION four-wheel drive system, along with excellent towing and load-carrying abilities, the Amarok is a striking four-door pick-up that’s packed with technology but not afraid to graft for a living.

With a rugged, muscular design, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, darkened rear light clusters, privacy glass and massive 19-inch wheels, the Amarok is a go-anywhere vehicle that has real road presence.

But it has a softer side too with the likes of heated Vienna leather seats, full smartphone connectivity via Mirror Link, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker audio set-up, a navigation system and plenty more besides.

The interior is designed for longevity with lots of hard