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The updated 2015 Volkswagen Amarok ute is on sale now - just in time for an onslaught of new utes from rival brands.Read the full review
| LIST PRICE | From $55,490 |
| CARADVICE RATING | 8.5 |
| FUEL ECONOMY | 8.3/100km |
| SEAT | 5 |
| ANCAP RATING |
A new high-torque hero signals the start of a power war in the dual cab 4x4 segment with the latest variant of the Volkswagen Amarok taking the lead… For now.
It sounds like the dream road trip of so many Australians – Perth to Sydney, the Nullarbor, the Great Australian Bight. The Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The West Coast to the East Coast. The great Australian road trip. It felt like a dream. Or, more correctly, like a blur, because I just completed this famed cross-country jaunt in only four-and-a-half days...
While most utes spend their time in and around the urban grind traversing worksites and city parking lots, there’s a subset of utes and ute buyers that do a little bit more. Volkswagen recognised this and established the Volkswagen Spirit of Amarok Challenge, which combines competitors from all over the world to compete against the clock across a range of technical and rally stages...
The Amarok is the best dual-cab 4WD in the segment by some margin, but a lack of safety kit and second row airbags hamper it. In this Core trim, though, the Amarok has its best chance to shine.
Dual-cab utes are expected to be more versatile today than ever before. Rough and tough is not enough. The flagship versions must be comfortable inside, safe, and look the part because people want show ponies as well as workhorses. Our team have tested eight key contenders (LDV wouldn't give us a T60, and the X-Class hadn't launched in time for this test), to see how they all stack up...
Read the full review here There are work utes – you know, the single-cab budget-focused models aimed at tradies specifically – and there are lifestyle utes, those that cost $60,000 to $70,000 that are more often seen with a dude in a suit driving them rather than a bloke in overalls...
Double-cab pickups have been getting ever closer to their SUV stablemates in terms of comfort, safety and technology... but it seems power hasn't been a huge focus. Until now. We put the new Volkswagen Amarok V6 up against the Ford Ranger XLT to see if the new car's added oomph is enough to make it king of the utes.
Read the full review here. When it arrived in 2011, the Volkswagen Amarok redefined what was capable for a double-cab ute. A car-like cabin, and car-like ride made the VW pickup feel different to the trucks we were used to. It felt, well… car-like. But time moved on, and competitors caught up to the Amarok...
The fact that Mercedes-Benz has taken the time and effort to join the ever-growing fray of 4WD utes available in Australia tells you how important and potentially lucrative this competitive segment is. It’s a landscape that is changing at breakneck speed, and moving away from those humble working origins into something more of a segment defined by lifestyle, prestige and an outdoorsy intent...
Australians have always been fond of turning utes into status symbols – once of the two-doored, V8 variety. The market is quite different today, but the fundamental desires for head-turning load-luggers remain. Enter the trio of desirable workhorses you see here: the Ford Ranger Raptor, Toyota HiLux Rugged X and Volkswagen Amarok Ultimate TDI580...
Dual-cab utes are expected to be more versatile today than ever before. Rough and tough is not enough. The flagship versions must be comfortable inside, safe, and look the part because people want show ponies as well as workhorses. Consider, for a moment, that the eight most popular dual-cab models managed 193,000 sales in Australia last year, which equals 16 per cent of the entire new vehicle market...
Volkswagen Australia is keen to see the outcome of the recently-announced commercial vehicle partnership with Ford Motor Company, particularly the next-generation ute set to replace the current Amarok. Director for commercial vehicles, Ryan Davies, said we probably won't see the production model until 2022 or 2023, though the local arm is "excited" about what's to come...
Volkswagen Australia is looking to further expand its Amarok range in the coming months, headlined by the introduction of manual versions of its V6 variants. Speaking with CarAdvice at the launch of the Caddy Beach camper van in Sydney this week, Ryan Davies, director for Volkswagen Australia's commercial vehicle division, said the local arm is keen to bring the manual-equipped Amarok V6 Down Under...
Car companies have been sharing development costs for years, so it’s hardly shocking to see them doing the same with pickups/utes. For one, we’ve just seen Ford and Volkswagen announce the co-development of the next-generation Ranger and Amarok, due for market launch in 2022. Isuzu and Mazda are also sharing costs on the next D-Max/BT-50...
Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, has provided a few more details about the ongoing partnership talks between the German automaker and Ford. In an interview with Automotive News, Diess said Ford may supply Volkswagen with a successor to the Amarok ute. Should the two companies come to an arrangement regarding their global utes, it's not known when the Amarok will shift onto the Ranger platform...
I don't normally feel compelled to write reviews, but I have been so bloody happy with this car that I felt I needed to let others know. I bought my Mendoza brown Amarok (otherwise known as Mr Hanky) from new in March 2012. It has just clicked over to 280,000km and next week I am swapping it out for a V6...
The 2013 Volkswagen Amarok TDI420 (4x4) drives like a small car around town yet hauls like a big rig. It has a spacious and easy to clean interior. With its superior stock off-road capabilities and its easy to use four-wheel drive and low-range selector with automatic-locking hubs, you can go between modes easily while off-roading...
Our family have been dedicated users of the popular T/tough luxury utilities for many years, but I wanted a change, so I tried an Amarok Core Plus – loved the driving finesse, eight-speed gearbox, reliability and economy. Towing accounts for around 50 per cent of our driving so, after logging many kilometres in the Core Plus, went looking for more power...
We have had our Amarok for just over 3 years now and it has 120,000km on the clock. We love the it and am now in the market for a new one. As a family of 5 we do a lot of camping, this usually involves pulling a heavy trailer over rough bush tracks or worse, super soft sand. The vehicle has constantly surprised us with the ease that it accomplishes tricky situations that have left us recovering other dual cabs...
