Signed, Sealed & Delivered – Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has presented the new Amarok pick-up, the next generation on- and off-road allrounder. Designed and built in collaboration with Ford (alongside its new Ranger) in Germany and Australia; it is being produced in South Africa. A premium pick-up with a broad set of features – over 20 new driver assist systems, mobile online services, engines that are both efficient and high torque, two all-wheel drive technologies, tailor-made accessories and clear Volkswagen design DNA make the new Amarok one of the most versatile and well balanced pick-up trucks in the world.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) sold over 830,000 units of the first-generation Amarok and won the coveted International Pick-up award on two occasions since 2010.
The new Amarok is set to become the market leading pick-up on the Irish market when it launches in Q2, 2023. The previous version commanded a 20% segment share here but Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland is confident it can exceed that when the new Amarok launches in 2023.
Managing Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland, Alan Bateson, said: “The new Amarok is a stunning looking vehicle and a key addition to the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles line-up. Packed with technology and new features that haven’t been seen in this segment before, it combines the strengths of an incredible capable off-roader with the comfort and versatility of a highly desirable pick-up. I cannot wait to see it on Irish roads.”
Everything about the Amarok is new. It has become bigger, more powerful, more athletic and more charismatic. “For the new generation we have significantly modified the Amarok’s archetypal design. It is now unambiguously more expressive and even more impressive”, says Albert Kirzinger, Head of Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
Making a statement in itself is the new front section of the pick-up, which is launching in the specification variants ‘Amarok’, ‘Life’ and ‘Style’, as well as the top versions ‘PanAmericana’ (off-road styling) and ‘Aventura’ (exclusive styling).
The new Amarok is being launched in Ireland as a four-door double cab (DoubleCab).
At 5,350 millimetres, the new Amarok is 96 mm longer than its predecessor. A wheelbase of 3,270 mm represents an increase of 173 mm. That provides more room, especially on the double cab’s second row of seats. The wheelbase has thus grown much more than the total length. And that shortens the body overhangs. The result: sharper proportions and improved off-road capability thanks to better approach angles. The off-road capabilities of the Amarok, which will have all-wheel drive as standard in many markets, are also enhanced by much greater fording depth for driving through watery terrain. Previously it was 500 mm, now it’s 800 mm.
It is also strikingly spacious behind the double cab: in what is known as the cargo box. As was the case on the predecessor model, the cargo bed between the wheel arches has enough room for a Euro pallet loaded in sideways. The load is strapped down via ye rings on the cargo bed, which can each take a load of up to 500 kilograms. In line with this high load capability, the maximum payload has gone up from a good tonne to now 1.16 tonnes. The cargo box can also be secured using an electrically operated roll cover. This roll cover can be opened and closed from the cargo box itself, from in-side the vehicle or by remote control via the vehicle key.
Four turbo diesel (TDI engines and one turbocharged petrol (TSI engine have been developed for the new Amarok. Qualities common to all five engines are efficiency and high levels of torque. In terms of power output the next engine for many markets of the world is a 2.0- litre four-cylinder TDI delivering 125 kW (170 PS. As the third level, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be offering a four-cylinder TDI engine with 2.0 litres of cubic capacity and bi-turbocharging; it develops 150 kW (204 PS or 154 kW (209 PS dependent on the market. The engine used as the new top TDI is a 3.0-litre V6. It provides power output of 177 kW (241 PS or 184 kW (250 PS dependent on the market. A 222 kW (302 PS 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine has also been designed specifically for the traditional petrol engine markets. New 10-speed automatic transmission and 4MOTION systems As of a power output of 154 kW all Amarok versions will come onto the market as standard with a new 10-speed automatic gearbox served via a (by wire e-shifter).
With its self-explanatory and digital displays, the interior has been configured by the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles design team in a very functional and high-quality way. The spectrum of display units is made up of digital 8.0-inch instruments (‘Digital Cockpit’, fully digital and 12.0-inch in size on the Style and above and a highly modern touchscreen in tablet format (10.0-inch in size; on the Style and above 12.0-inch as standard for the infotainment system. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has implemented a mix of digital functions and ergonomically configured buttons and/or push /rotary switches in the Amarok that are intuitive to use. The infotainment system’s volume and all-wheel drive system’s settings are, for instance, controlled via such hard keys. Dependent on specification, these both robust and premium-looking features are framed in aluminium.
