Having made a sizable dent in the double-cab market in South Africa, VW has now had the international launch of the “workhorse” side of the Amarok in a range of single-cab derivatives. Three engines will eventually be offered, starting with the 2,0-litre 90 kW TDI delivering 340 N.m of torque at 1 750 r/min. Fuel consumption is 7,6 litres/100 km for the combined Euro cycle with 199 g/km carbon dioxide emissions.
Thanks to two turbos – hence the name 2,0 TDI BiTurbo – the more powerful diesel delivers 120 kW and 400 N.m at 1 500 r/min, with a consumption of 7,9 litres/100 km and 208 g/km. Later in 2011, the 2,0-litre TSI petrol version will be introduced with 118 kW and 300 N.m from 1 600 r/min and 9,5 litres/100 km fuel consumption with 226 g/km emissions. All models will use a six-speed manual gearbox.
The load bay is said to be class-leading with a payload of 1 225 to 1 354 kg supported by heavy-duty leaf springs and a solid axle at the rear. Total bay volume is about 3,5 m2 with tie downs on the bottom of the load bay. As a towing vehicle, the Amarok single cab should fit the bill with a gross combined mass of 5 500 kg. Ground clearance is 265 mm and wading depth 500 mm.
Trim levels are split into two: Basic and Trendline, with the former using steel wheels, a single airbag, air-conditioning, ABS, high-level brake light and a heated rear window. The Trendline adds a passenger airbag, remote central locking, a radio/CD player, semi-automatic climate control, fuel consumption computer, leather-covered steering wheel, electric windows, cruise control and a set of alloy wheels. A four-star Euro NCAP safety rating has been achieved.
The vehicle is large and all models have a raised body, which make the 16-inch steel wheels look much too small for the wheel arches. The alloy wheels are also 16 inchers, but tyres are 245 mm width as opposed to 205 mm for the steel wheels. Behind the seats is enough space to stow some luggage with the backrests flipping forward for access. Both front seats are adjustable for length, rake and height, and a further comfort feature is that the steering wheel is also reach- and height-adjustable. Seat material is a comfortable “breathing” cloth.
On the launch in the Double Drift and Bucklands reserves close to the Fish River north of Port Elizabeth, VW SA decided to make the bakkies work hard by loading about 600 kg onto the loadbays. This hardly made a difference to the handling or steering, or even the level at the rear, so double this load seems totally feasible. The ride without load is obviously firm but was reasonably comfortable, while loaded on gravel, rough roads and at high speeds on tar showed a good level of stability. A ladder-frame chassis usually gives some "shaking" vibes through the body on anything other than perfectly smooth roads, but the Amarok showed very little of this effect, perhaps indicating a rather solid build.
The sixth gear is an overdrive ratio, geared at 0,64 to 1 and, for overtaking with a load on-board, one needs to change down. The four-wheel drive models have a low range plus a rear diff lock, all operated via buttons on the centre console.
Noise-wise, levels are pretty low for a bakkie with not much from the mechanical and wind side. For this trip, Goodyear provided sets of Wrangler AT/SA, a new tyre using SilentArmor technology. This uses two steel belts plus two layers of Kevlar for superior strength. Although these tyres have a chunky tread pattern, we were impressed with the low road noise. Grip on the steep slopes and loose gravel in the Double Drift reserve was impressive.
Basic:
2,0 TDI 90 kW 4×2 R205 500
2,0 TDI 90 kW 4Motion R257 400
Trendline:
2,0 TDI 90 kW 4×2 R265 800
2,0 BiTDI 120 kW 4×2 R287 100
2,0 TDI 90 kW 4Motion R313 700
2,0 BiTDI 120 kW 4Motion R335 000
Prices include a five-year/90 000 km service plan and a three-year/100 000 km warranty.