Volkswagen have always had a knack for making good vans. We all have a soft spot for their retro hippie camper vans and the reminiscing memories and endearing charm they give off. With such past success behind them in the van category, it is surprising that until now VW have steered clear of the commercial SUV class. It was only a matter of time before they ventured in and here is the result, the rather meaty looking VW Amarok. Going toe-to-toe with the Navara's and Hilux's, it already has its work cut out to put a stamp on the category. While it is by no means groundbreaking, it delivers the goods in a way that firmly establishes it as a competitor with the best in the category.
Aesthetically it holds back on the ostentatious and instead delivers a design that is functional and practical, much like its competitors. Rather than start from new, it appears to be a patch quilt of all sorts of designs seemingly knitted together; with the front and back both looking like they come from existing vehicles that are already commercially available. At the front there is the trademark VW grille and lights, which keeping faithful to the brand looks like they've come straight from the Golf series. The sides look muscular and very much reminiscent of one of the American pickups and the rear closely resembles that of a Nissan Navara, right down to the arrangement of the lights. It's all very much cut and paste, yet regardless of this knitting process there is no denying that all these pieces fit together pretty comfortably - this van is by no means ugly.
Interior is outstanding with a massive emphasis on quality - everything feels much more expensive than the price tag. High quality plastics and leather make up the majority of the inside, with the odd piece of stainless steel trim thrown in for good measure. The interior style is very much a minimalist affair, but by no means does it look sparse. The centre console is suitably well equipped and there's plenty of buttons to play around with. The various trim levels are divided into three categories: Startline being the entry level, Trendline being mid range and Highline topping them off. As standard on all levels you get what you would expect; air conditioning, 2 speaker CD radio system, electric front and rear windows and a 3 seat folding rear bench in the back.
Moving onto the engine, it's probably the main selling point of the van, as it has some class leading features that are sure to impress. With the choice of either a 2.0-litre BiTDI 163bhp engine or a 2.0-litre TDI 122bhp, both engines give the suitable grunt that pickups need. On a van torque is important and they thankfully carry a solid amount of torque for a vehicle of this size, with 295lb ft available from 1500rpm.The clincher is in the emission and fuel consumption figures, of which the Amarok manages to come out top of its class at 37.2mpg and 206g/km of Co2 for the BTDI and 35.8 and 199g/km of Co2 for the TDI. Volkswagen are claiming this is the first pickup to ever manage an emission output less than 200g/km, which is undoubtedly a mightily impressive point.
The new Volkswagen Amarok is going on sale in the UK on May 1st which means it will be available by the time you're reading this. It's a great little mover and manages to compete well with the best in the category. While it doesn't bring anything fresh, its small frame and fantastic fuel economy and emission ratings make this a great buy for anyone who doesn't fancy a typical gas guzzling SUV.
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