Publications
Partners
There are few things that South Africa loves more than a good bakkie. The only problem these days is that there are quite a few good offerings on the market.
Wheels24's Janine Van der Post says: "The Volkswagen Amarok V6 is the only new bakkie I haven't driven yet this year, but whenever there's 'bakkie talk' the German automaker's offering always comes up. According to those in the know, the V6 TDI can give everyone else a run for their money. It's power figures and impressive pulling power and towing capacity puts it in a league of its own.
"I am excited to see for myself. Volkswagen will also be launching its limited edition models - Amarok Canyon and Dark Label - at the end of October. Look out for my driving impressions early November."
The guys at AutoAdvisor decided to try some of them out, starting with the Volkswagen Amarok V6. The cabin of the Volkswagen Amarok is built with utility in mind but the interior technology is a bit disappointing, especially at this price point.
What you need to know
There’s a touchscreen infotainment system at the centre of the dashboard that does a good job at supporting USB media and Apple CarPlay, but the rest of the interior felt dated. Once you’re strapped in and ready to go, the 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 engine becomes the central point of excitement.
READ | Special edition model for the Volkswagen Amarok V6
Push the right pedal down all the way and the Amarok will unleash 165kW of power and 550Nm of torque sent through an 8-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels with permanent 4MOTION.
Image: Quickpic
Push the gas even further and it will unlock the overboost function which increases the performance to 180kW of power and 580Nm of torque for 10-seconds.
Read the original article here.
Volkswagen claims that the V6 engine will sip 9.0-litres of diesel per 100km, although we did find that consumption was heavier during shorter trips within the city. The suspension makes easy work of uneven road surfaces and the occasional speed hump is reasonably comfortable most of the time. The seats are very soft and comfortable which I thought was a nice touch.
Solid and impressive
The steering tends to err on the heavy side of things especially at lower speeds, which may be a problem for drivers that can’t do a 150kg bicep curl. Overall I would say that the Amarok is a good bakkie. It feels solid with good build quality and has an equally impressive gearbox.
The only thing holding it back is its price tag that sits just under the R750 000 mark, which is more or less in-between the cheaper Toyota Hilux 4.0-litre V6 Legend 50 and the more expensive Ford Ranger Raptor.
Read the original article here
