﻿After years of fanfare and publicity, the second-generation,
all-new Amarok has finally arrived in Australia. It's the first new ute
from Volkswagen in 12 years and it shares key hardware with the current segment benchmark,
the Ford Ranger. So it should be pretty awesome, right? Let's find out.
This is brave new territory for Volkswagen. After venturing into the dual-cab ute market
with its pioneering Amarok, first sold in Australia in 2011, the second-gen ute is
based on Ford's Aussie developed platform that underpins the new Ford Ranger and Everest.
Australia is the biggest and therefore most important global market for the Amarok, which is
produced in the same South African factory as the Ranger and was designed by a Melbourne-based team.
The result is a vehicle which boasts largely Ford hardware but with a heavy Volkswagen bent when it
comes to design, equipment, and tuning. All told, there are five model grades of the new Amarok as
well as four different engines in a model walk which closely resembles the Ranger portfolio,
the exception being no headline grabbing Raptor equivalent. It's generally more expensive than the
Ranger, but Volkswagen says the value equation is solid given it's packing higher levels of
equipment and luxury. The headline engine is what's under the bottom of this PanAmericana
model grade we're driving here. It's a three liter turbo-diesel V6, and it makes a little
bit more torque but a little bit less power than its predecessor. Ford's familiar 10-speed auto
sends power to all four wheels via a part-time four-by-four system which now includes low-range
gearing, which is a first for the Amarok. Braked towing capacity is 3,500 kilograms on all models
and the tub payload has risen by 76 kilos to 1,065 kilos for V6 models. Volkswagen put up a team of
international designers right here in Australia for three years to get this design on point.
And it's fair to say, these optics are quite unique to the vehicle. And I don't think you're
gonna mistake this for a Ranger anytime soon. The PanAmericana variant certainly stands out from the
crowd with a unique front bumper design including matrix LED headlights, black 18-inch alloy wheels
shod with all-terrain tires, black side steps, and black powder coated rear sports bar.
The cabin makes a tremendous first impression. This feels more like a luxury SUV than a
knockabout hay hauler. But unlike the exterior, you do get a sense that some of that Ford DNA is
seeping through. Sure, the seats and the steering wheel are new and look, these new buttons and
dials around the screen are pretty schmick, but if you've sat in a Ranger, you're gonna get a
sense of deja vu. The overall layout, the gear shifter, there's a lot of similarities. Overall
material quality is very good for a dual-cab ute and the textured leather upholstery on the seats,
doors, and dash of this off-road model is lovely, finished with contrast stitching that
mimics baseball glove seams. By and large, fit and finish is pretty good, but on a few of the models,
we noticed some of the plastics aren't quite flush fitting, and that takes a little bit away from
that idea that this is a proper Volkswagen. But I do think, after a few months of coming through the
factory, they will iron out those little kinks. The front seats are heated with 10-way power
adjustment, plus things like satellite navigation, dual zone climate control, ambient lighting,
and a thumping eight speaker Harman Kardon audio system sweetened the deal. The infotainment system
comprises a big 12-inch touchscreen here that looks fantastic and you've got a 12.3-inch digital
driver's display as well. And with this one in particular, Volkswagen has made it its own. It
looks very much like any other Volkswagen digital driver's display. It feels good,
it operates well. The central screen, the menu system is a little bit convoluted in some ways,
and to operate the climate controls, they're not hard buttons, so you've gotta push a few buttons
to get in here, and it adds a little bit more time. But look, overall, it does work quite well.
Because it's based on the Ford Ranger platform, it's got a long wheel base, so you do get a bit
more room back here. Volkswagen says an extra 45 millimeters of leg room. But look, it's
comfortable enough back here but it's not what I'd call super roomy. The seats are quite comfy.
The backrest are fairly upright, but that's par of the course for utes. You do get air
vents back here but there's no USB ports. Do get a 12-volt socket and a fold-down armrest
that pops out somewhat easily. There's also two ISOFIX and two top tether child seat anchorages,
and the car comes with nine airbags and now has a five star ANCAP safety rating, which is good
to see and something its predecessor did not have. All right, let's check out the tub. Not soft damp,
but that's okay. You get the spray-in tub liner, and it's slightly longer than previously, by 70
millimeters, a little bit wider, and you can still get an Aussie or a Euro pallette between the wheel
arches, which is pretty important. Amenities, not bad. In the tub, you get six tie-down hooks,
up from four in the previous model. And LED lights, where are they? Under here on both sides.
There's also a plastic protection strip here to keep the body work from getting ding, but there's
no step on the side here to help get in and out of the tray, which the Ford Ranger gets. Gross
combined mass is up from 6,000 to 6,500 kilograms, while gross vehicle mass is up from 6,000 to 6,400
kilograms, which are nice little improvements. All right, anyway, cue the music. It's time to drive.
All right, first impressions from the captain's chair are
very positive. No huge surprise there, given it's donor car is very very good.
But look, there are differences I can feel straight away and the biggest one is the steering.
It's a little heavier. And throw in the suspension that keeps the body a little flatter through
corners, it's a bit more engaging to drive, I reckon as well. And overall, there's a more,
slightly more sophisticated, more refined feel to the vehicle. And when all of those elements
combine, the steering, the suspension, the brakes, and that awesome V6 engine, it makes for a really,
really pleasant drive. I spent most of my drive time in this silky smooth V6 diesel PanAmericana,
and it's a beauty, but I also got to test the midrange style, which is also surprisingly good,
even though the suspension's not quite as fancy as in this model. And then, the real surprise was
the top-spec urban warrior Aventura, which you can get with the 2.3 liter turbo-petrol engine
ripped straight out of the Ford Mustang. Now, the Ranger doesn't get this engine,
and it's interesting. It's actually really good. And I think it might appeal to people who don't
wanna deal with diesel particulate filters anymore and all the problems around those, and also it
feels more like a conventional SUV in the way it accelerates and motivates. It's quite impressive.
The breadth of scope of modern-day utes is truly astonishing. They can tow a heavy load,
you can throw anything in the tray, and they'll even transport the family, no dramas. And this one
does it all with a level of luxury and refinement that few of its rivals can't match. I mean, take
the cabin for instance. It's surprisingly quiet even with the upright windscreen, the big mirrors.
The V6 diesel is very, very quiet, cruising on the freeway. There's not a huge amount of wind noise.
But one of the major attractions of the contemporary pickup truck is still their
off-road ability. And the big talking point with the second-gen Amarok, among other features,
is the inclusion of low-range four-wheel drive. You've also got a locking rear diff
if you need it, but you probably won't because the Amarok is a confident off-roader. It's all
terrain tires and low-range gearing conspiring to generate loads of grip in slippery conditions.
It's dealing with these challenging and somewhat tricky conditions pretty easily. And that's partly
due to the fact the ground clearance is up to 237 millimeters now, and it also meant we only touched
the underbody armor once or twice on some really big ruts and a particularly steep hill climb.
Approach and departure angles are slightly better than the first Amarok, and its weighting depth has
been boosted from 500 millimeters to a whopping 800 millimeters. That said, ramp over is reduced
slightly. Low speed steering and throttle response are both very good, and the hill descent control
worked well when we used it. The four-wheel drive system is very, very good. I mean,
it's essentially Ford Ranger hardware, and it's impressive the way it's constantly distributing
torque to wheels with grip. And having rear-wheel drive, full-wheel drive auto, full wheel drive
high, which locks the center diff effectively, and then full-wheel drive low ratio is very,
very useful. It's arguably one of the best utes we've driven on the road and off-road,
it's got serious capability as well. And now I'm cruising on some windy dirt roads and it's so
composed and predictable. That suspension is really well sorted. Make no mistake,
this is a very well-rounded vehicle. Our first taste of the new Amarok on local
roads and off-road trails has been almost entirely positive. It's more controlled on
the road than the Ranger and has a slightly more premium cabin feel. The addition of the
Aventura model with 21-inch wheels and a petrol engine is an unexpectedly fun pairing as well.
So is the new Amarok better than the Ranger? Well, each variant is a bit different in terms of design
and tuning and equipment. So until we line them up side by side, it's a bit hard to say one way or
the other. But given the Ford Ranger is easily the benchmark in the segment, one thing is for sure,
Amarok is now one of the classiest and most engaging utes on the market today.