Review: Volkswagen Amarok

While on holidays recently in the US, I took the opportunity to drive my son's recently acquired pickup truck, writes Brian Byrne. A Ford F250 the same age as himself, from 1971. Bought a bit for fun, as it is very collectible, and more for hacking stuff around his home in the woods above the Hudson river. With a 6.4l V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission one of which is a 'granny' crawler gear, it proved a bit of an experience when hauling a load of bags of mulch from Home Depot.

It brought me back. No power brakes (they were only introduced as an option in 1972), a big steering wheel with very light and non-progressive steering. The fairly unrestricted throaty burble from the 250hp engine that was Ford's workhorse for almost two decades from 1958 is not part of my own folk memory, and in a nearly-50 year-old car is not particularly smooth. But the 3-person bench seat is a familiar, like the Ford Consul I learned my driving in. Incidentally, I spent an afternoon helping Carl fit modern 3-point seat belts, as the original only came with lap belts.

His vehicle is a Camper Special, which came with heavier suspension and cooling systems to cope with the slide-on camper units of the time, and extended side mirrors that added three feet to the total width, a bit of a concern of the narrow mountain roads where the truck now lives.


Like I said, an experience. One which made me so totally appreciate the comfort, refinement and manageability of the Volkswagen Amarok that I came home to. From the same 'trucks' world, but worlds apart.

The car was the top-end Aventura grade, and I know I drove one last year but it was nice to get another go to see if I still liked it as much.

There's no doubt about it, the Amarok is a handsome beast anyway, and the Aventura version adds an extra level of class. The black alloys looked really good, though I would very much hesitate to take the low profile tyres anywhere rough. They'd not last jig time where any sharp rocks could reach the sidewalls. The chrome side bars with steps added style, as did the optional extra rack of LEDs on the roof of the 5-seat crew-cab. The matte blue paint finish is also extra, and an acquired taste for some but I liked it.

Inside is seriously comfortable, the quality self-evident though tough enough to cope with the kind of sites dirt and treatment that a normal pickup might be used in. Among the wide range of spec was a Winter Pack comprising heated seats and more, dual electric seats adjustment, and special leather seat trim covers.

Powering all this is a 3.0 V6 diesel that's very quiet and with plenty of 258hp pull. Emissions are high at 224g/km, but as a commercial vehicle the Road Tax is a handy €333. The 8-speed automatic is seamless, and the AWD vehicle will easily tow 3,500kg of a braked trailer.

Certainly, after the elderly F250, the Amarok was cosseting. You pay for it, but you get a substantially good working vehicle for the money.

PRICE: The Comfortline Amarok is from €46,885, Aventura starts at €61,830; with options the review car stood at €67,619. WHAT I LIKED: 21st century comfort and refinement. RATING: 4/5.

---