Overview of the Volkswagen Amarok
Volkswagen is no stranger to commercial vehicles, yet its Amarok was still a surprise entrant to the ute segment dominated by American and Japanese manufacturers.
It made an impact on the safety front, too, when it became the first ute to gain a five-star independent crash rating.
The Volkswagen Amarok was also differentiated by a drivetrain that was sophisticated for the segment - a twin-turbocharged diesel mated to an eight-speed auto. A powerful V6 joined the range in 2016.
VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK GENERATIONS
2011 on
RUNNING COSTS
Fuel Consumption
2.0L 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel: 7.5 to 8.7 litres per 100km
3.0L V6 turbo diesel: 7.8 to 9.0 litres per 100km
= Highly economical.
= Good economy.
= Average fuel use.
= Heavy consumption.
Servicing
Every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever is sooner. Each service currently costs between $469 and $843. Volkswagen Amarok parts and accessoriescan be found on Gumtree.
SIMILAR MODELS TO VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK
Ford Ranger
Mazda BT50
Mercedes-Benz X-Class
Toyota HiLux
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR: VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK (2011 ON)
Because the Amarok uses a conventional torque-converter automatic transmission (or a conventional manual) it has dodged the ongoing reliability problems suffered by some of VW's double-clutch transmissions.
The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel works hard in a big vehicle like this, but generally the Amarok seems to cope pretty well. We'd approach an example with a huge tow-hitch as one to check carefully and make sure there's no damage underneath from having been used off-road (something the vehicle was actually very good at).
The Amarok was, however, caught up in VW's 'Dieselgate' scandal where the company attempted to 'cheat' in official fuel economy and emissions testing.
VW was forced to recall thousands of vehicles that included Australian-delivered Amaroks to install new software to keep the legislators happy.
Some owners are yet to comply so check with a VW dealer for the status of a particular Amarok.
