VW Amarok facelift Test Drive Review

VW’s facelifted Amarok is targeted at the premium end of the pick-up market and it is strictly double-cab only. What’s more, flying in the face of the current trend for downsizing engines, it is offered solely with a new 3.0-litre V6 TDI powertrain – with outputs of 163hp, 204hp and a mighty 224hp, it replaces the 140hp and 180hp 2.0-litre TDI.

The first version to come to the UK will be the flagship 224hp truck with eight-speed auto transmission. In 2017, VW will introduce the 163hp engine with a six-speed manual gearbox only and the 204hp unit with a choice of either the manual or auto systems.

Customers will be able to choose from selectable all-wheel drive on manual trucks or permanent four-wheel drive 4Motion on autos. VW has not yet confirmed UK prices or specifications, but the revised model is expected to follow the current line-up’s pattern and be available in Startline,

Trendline and Highline levels. The Amarok gets a new front bumper and a tidy headlight unit with front fog lights in a wrap-around radiator grille design, plus new alloys and a third brake light with LED technology.

We tested the 224hp auto in what will equate closely to Highline trim, which meant having, among other kit, the new 14-way adjustable electric seat with height-adjustable lumbar support. This version combines the engine’s awesome power impressively with the eight-speed transmission.

The shift is seamless, and the steering  sharp and reassuringly weighty, in terms of handling the Amarok is up with the best, including Ford’s Ranger. At motorway speeds the engine is quietly civilised, with the long top gear reducing engine revs.

If the worst does happen, the Amarok is now equipped as standard with an Automatic Post Collision Braking system, which reduces the severity of a second collision in an accident.

With a towing limit up from 2.2t to 2.5t, the Amarok matches the Ranger, and the 224hp model can perhaps only be compared with the 3.2-litre auto version of Ford’s pick-up. With official consumption of 37.2mpg and CO2 of 199g/km, the VW betters the Ranger’s 31.7mpg and 234g/km. But, unlike VW’s 3.0-litre V6, this is not Ford’s core engine – it also offers the smaller 2.2-litre Ranger.