After five long years, Volkswagen has decided to bring a whole new engine to one of the most favorited bakkies in South Africa. Thenew Volkswagen Amarok boasts a much stronger 3.0 litreV6 turbocharged diesel,which brings a considerable power and performance improvement over the smaller 2.0 liter 4-cylinder bi-turbo.This model is based on the same unit found in the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.
The V6 TDI now comes with an impressive 8-speed automatic, which is very smooth and responds well when you need it.
The 3.0 liter V6TDI startsat R638000, while the better-looking Amarok Extreme starts at R726 100. The latter comes with sportier 20-inch wheels, and a few bumper and chrome extras. Both versions come with the same strong V6 engine, making it the most powerful in its class, along with rivals from Ford, Toyota and Nissan. This powerful V6 TDI brings 165kW/550Nm to the table, with an over-boost function that will raise the power for 10 seconds to 180kW/580Nm. The Amarok now gets from 0-100kph in just 7,8 seconds, making it the fastest double-cab ever to hit the market in South Africa.
So you must be thinking with all this power there must be a hefty fuel consumption rate, but the truth is that Volkswagen has worked their way around this problem, and the turbocharged V6 diesel averages an impressive fuel consumption of 9.1L/100km, which is really not bad at all once you consider the size of the vehicle and great performance figures. The 8-speed automatic dual clutch transmission is perfect for quick overtaking and even better when towing, as this automatic transmission will know when you’re towing and keep certain gears for a longer period of time, there is also Sport and Manual mode, and the gears can be changed manually behind the steering wheel by using the up and down paddle shifters.
Despite the fact that the Amarok’s body design hasn’t changed in seven years, its looks still beat most of its rivals.The new upgrade has resulted in completely new head and tail lights, and fresh bumper and wheel designs.
The interior has changed completely – from the steering wheel to the dashboard to the seats. The Amarok also has the largest load bin size compared to itsrivals, measuring 1.55m long and 1.62m wide. It also has a massive towing capacity of anything up to 3.5 tonnes on the rear towbar.
The Amarok is excellent off-road, while being smooth on the road, and coupled with good looks, it’s the range-topping and most exciting premium bakkie on the market. It shows an excellent example of wonderful German engineering, and we expect sales to soar on this one.
Prices are correct at the time of publication
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