Volkswagen Amarok Review

The first Volkswagen Amarok was the pick-up that proved Volkswagen could do more than just vans. It entered a class full of unapologetically utilitarian trucks and immediately carved out a more polished niche for itself. The second-generation Volkswagen Amarok had to preserve that appeal while moving the formula on in a market that had become much more competitive.

Volkswagen chose to do that by partnering with Ford. On paper, that looked like a risky move because the current Volkswagen Amarok shares its basic underpinnings with the Ford Ranger. For some buyers, that was enough to provoke suspicion before they had even driven one.

In practice, the current Volkswagen Amarok justifies itself rather well. The Ranger is one of the best pick-ups in the class, so sharing architecture is hardly a weakness in itself, and Volkswagen has done enough with the design, trim and positioning to give the Amarok its own identity. It feels more like a Volkswagen-flavoured answer to the premium pick-up brief than a lazy rebadge.

The current UK line-up is also much tighter than the old broader range suggested. Rather than a long list of engines and trims, Volkswagen now focuses on a simpler formula built around three trim levels, all powered by the same 240PS 3.0-litre V6 diesel and 10-speed automatic gearbox. That makes the Volkswagen Amarok feel more upmarket and more consistent across the range, even if it does reduce choice.

That narrower approach suits the Volkswagen Amarok quite well. This is not a bargain-bin pick-up aimed at buyers chasing the lowest monthly payment. It’s a premium truck, and the current UK line-up makes that very clear. Even the entry point now starts high, while the PanAmericana and Aventura push the Amarok further into lifestyle and image-led territory.

The clever part is that the Volkswagen Amarok still has the fundamentals to back that image up. Most versions can still carry more than a tonne, all automatic versions can tow 3.5 tonnes, the load bed will take a Euro pallet crosswise and all-wheel drive is standard. In other words, the Volkswagen Amarok still earns its keep as a proper pick-up rather than just dressing like one.

Because the current Volkswagen Amarok range uses one engine throughout, trim is the main decision. For most buyers, the Volkswagen Amarok Style is the sweet spot. It already gets the key premium features that lift the Amarok above more basic rivals, and it preserves the commercial-vehicle tax advantages that make a pick-up like this easier to justify.

The Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana is the one to choose if you want a tougher-looking truck with more visual attitude and a few extra off-road-flavoured touches. It has the strongest image appeal without crossing fully into the Aventura’s more compromised territory.

The Volkswagen Amarok Aventura is the flagship. It’s the most lavish and the most obviously lifestyle-led, but its lower payload means it no longer qualifies as a light commercial vehicle for tax purposes. That makes it harder to justify unless you simply want the plushest Amarok going.

The current Volkswagen Amarok range runs from £57,685 including VAT for the Volkswagen Amarok Style to £61,585 including VAT for the Volkswagen Amarok Aventura, with the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana sitting between them at £60,565 including VAT.

That is a serious amount of money for a pick-up truck, and it puts the Volkswagen Amarok firmly into premium territory. A Ford Ranger can look like the more rational choice on price, while cheaper alternatives from Isuzu, KGM and Toyota make a much stronger value case.

The Amarok argument is not really about value in the narrowest sense. It’s about polish, image and the sense that you are buying a truck that feels more expensive and more carefully finished than many of its rivals.

The Ford Ranger is the obvious alternative because it shares so much with the Volkswagen Amarok beneath the skin, and in some forms, it makes the stronger value case.

The Toyota Hilux remains the dependable old favourite, while the Isuzu D-Max and KGM Musso offer cheaper routes into double-cab pick-up ownership. If badge appeal matters and you are shopping used, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class remains an interesting left-field alternative.

The Volkswagen Amarok’s advantage is that it still feels like the most premium answer short of moving into much older or more niche territory.

The Volkswagen Amarok is sold in the UK only as a double-cab, which immediately tells you something about who it’s aimed at. This is a pick-up intended to balance work and lifestyle duties rather than a stripped-out commercial specialist.

The load bed remains usefully practical. Volkswagen quotes a 1,621mm bed length and enough width between the wheel housings to take a Euro pallet crosswise, which is a genuine point of difference in real-world use. Six lashing rings in the cargo box have a combined tensile load capacity of 400kg, and the wide range of factory accessories helps buyers tailor the bed to their work.

Payload is one of the key numbers in any pick-up, and here the Volkswagen Amarok is mostly strong. Maximum payload is up to 1.13 tonnes, which keeps the truck on the right side of the commercial-vehicle argument in Style and PanAmericana forms.

The exception is the Volkswagen Amarok Aventura. Its payload drops below one tonne, which means it doesn’t qualify as a light commercial vehicle for tax purposes. That changes the ownership proposition quite significantly, so it’s not a detail to overlook.

Inside, the Volkswagen Amarok is spacious for a double-cab pick-up. Front-seat space is generous and the longer wheelbase has helped create noticeably better rear-seat accommodation than before. The back seats are still more upright than in an SUV, as you would expect, but adults can sit there in reasonable comfort.

The Volkswagen Amarok measures 5,350mm long, 1,910mm wide and around 1,884mm high. That's a large vehicle by any normal-car standard, but the Volkswagen Amarok wears its size quite well. It has the road presence buyers in this class tend to want, yet the high seating position and squared-off shape help make it easier to place than the numbers alone suggest.

The Volkswagen Amarok uses a portrait-format central touchscreen and a digital instrument display, and the overall setup feels modern and reasonably premium.

Volkswagen’s influence shows in the graphics and trim treatment, even if the underlying software and layout have a familiar Ford flavour. The system responds well enough, and physical controls beneath the screen help with some quick functions, though not enough of them.

Climate control remains one of the weaker points because too much of it lives inside the screen. That is not ideal in a working vehicle where you may be climbing in with muddy boots or gloves on.

The current range is well equipped. From Style upwards, the Volkswagen Amarok gets the larger 12-inch vertical touchscreen and a 12-inch digital cockpit, while Harman Kardon audio, wireless charging and ambient lighting help reinforce the premium impression higher up the range. The hardware is strong, even if the usability is not class-leading.

Material quality is another Amarok strength. It still feels like a pick-up rather than an executive SUV, but Volkswagen has worked hard to give the cabin more visual and tactile richness than most rivals manage.

Style trim uses ArtVelours microfleece seat trim, PanAmericana adds Cricket leather and Aventura moves to Savona leather. The result is that even the entry point now feels a long way from the wipe-clean, hard-plastic norm of older double-cab trucks.

There are still obvious reminders of the Amarok’s shared DNA if you go looking for them, but the overall impression is of a truck that has been trimmed with more care than most of its rivals.

The current UK Volkswagen Amarok range is built around a single engine: a 3.0-litre V6 TDI with 240PS and 600Nm, paired with a 10-speed automatic gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive.

That is a much simpler story than the older review suggested, but there is an upside to that clarity. Buyers are no longer faced with a long list of engines of varying merit. The current Volkswagen Amarok just gives you the strongest powertrain in the line-up from the outset.

Performance is more than sufficient for a vehicle of this size and purpose. Volkswagen quotes 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds and a top speed of 112mph across the current line-up. More importantly, the Amarok has the sort of low-down shove that suits towing, hauling and overtaking on fast roads.

The 10-speed automatic suits the engine well. It can occasionally feel busy, as multi-ratio autos often do, but it’s smooth enough in normal driving and helps make the Amarok much easier to use than a manual pick-up would be.

The Volkswagen Amarok will never escape the basic compromises that come with being a ladder-frame pick-up on leaf springs, but it manages them better than many rivals.

Ride quality is never plush in the way an SUV’s might be, especially when the bed is empty, and larger wheels make the truck feel more restless over broken surfaces. The Aventura, on its 21-inch alloys, looks the part but does itself few favours for comfort.

Even so, the Volkswagen Amarok is one of the more polished pick-ups to drive on the road. Steering is accurate enough, body control is respectable, and the truck feels more settled and more confidence-inspiring than many cheaper alternatives.

The V6 helps here as well. It gives the Amarok a strong, effortless feel that suits its premium ambitions, and the 10-speed automatic keeps the whole experience easy-going in a way that buyers in this class will appreciate.

Refinement is good by pick-up standards rather than car standards. Wind and tyre noise are well contained, the diesel is smooth enough once warm, and the Amarok does a better job of suppressing the commercial-vehicle feel than many of its direct rivals.

The Volkswagen Amarok has a strong safety story. Euro NCAP awarded it five stars, and the truck includes a wide spread of driver-assistance systems as standard or within the trim ladder.

Volkswagen’s broader safety package includes lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and Side Assist with Rear Traffic Alert. Area View camera technology is also available higher up the range, helping make a large pick-up easier to live with in tighter spaces.

Fuel economy is acceptable for a large V6 diesel pick-up, but nobody is going to describe the Volkswagen Amarok as cheap to run.

Official combined consumption ranges from 26.4mpg to 27.4mpg, depending on trim and configuration. There’s not much to choose between the three current versions, so your decision should rest much more on trim and payload than on any imagined economy gap.

In real-world use, towing, carrying weight and short urban trips will all drag those figures down quickly. Buyers stepping out of an SUV rather than another pick-up may find that comes as a shock.

The Volkswagen Amarok currently comes with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ 5 Plus Promise. That includes five services, three MOTs, five years of warranty and five years of roadside assistance.

Volkswagen quotes the warranty as up to five years or 124,000 miles, which is a strong offer for a working vehicle and a useful reassurance if the Amarok is going to lead a busy life.

That package is one of the better ownership arguments in the Amarok’s favour, especially for buyers comparing it with a used premium alternative or a more cheaply trimmed rival.

Insurance sits towards the upper end of the pick-up class. Earlier UK ratings placed the Amarok broadly in the low-to-mid 40s, and the current V6-only range is unlikely to move the story in a cheaper direction.

It’s safest to budget on that basis and quote-check the exact trim you want, especially if you are considering PanAmericana or Aventura.

This is one of the more important areas to understand properly. Style and PanAmericana qualify as commercial vehicles because their payload stays above one tonne, so they follow light-commercial vehicle tax treatment.

Aventura doesn’t. Its payload falls below that threshold, so it loses those commercial-vehicle tax advantages and becomes much harder to justify if you are buying primarily on business logic.