The all-new Volkswagen Amarok: four reasons to get excited
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' all-new pick-up promises to follow the lead of its pace-setting predecessor in terms of style and hard-working capability...
When it comes to commercial vehicles, pick-ups are the pride of the pack. Stylish, capable and versatile in equal measure, they’re ultimate all-rounders for work or play. Over the last decade, the Volkswagen Amarok has developed an award-winning reputation as one of the very best models in its class.
Now, an all-new Amarok is on the horizon. Set to make its debut later this year, this new-from-the-ground-up third-generation redesign will boast striking new looks, oodles of new-to-the-class tech and “clear Volkswagen DNA”. Here’s why you should be putting it at the top of your pick-up wish-list.
1. An award-winning heritage
Named after an Inuit wolf spirit – and offering the perfect blend of head-turning style, uncompromising load-lugging performance and versatile capability – the original Amarok redefined the pick-up truck class on its debut in 2010.
Offering 4MOTION all-wheel drive, a tough and rugged chassis with one of the most intelligently designed load bays in its class (capable of swallowing Euro pallets between its wheel arches), and a range of impressive V6 diesel engines that helped the Amarok lug impressive payloads, it more than delivered on its core remit of being an uncompromisingly hard-working pick-up.
Where the Amarok really changed the game, though, was by being as appealing and refined to drive on the road as it was capable off it. Sporting five comfortable seats, a stylish tech-packed interior, and a refined SUV-like driving feel, it made for both a brilliant everyday workhorse and the perfect leisure vehicle for family life and weekend adventures.
Since 2010, over 800,000 Amaroks have been sold around the world, and the second-generation Amarok – introduced in 2016 – has continued to set the standard. It boasts a five-star review from our What Car? road-test team, scooped Pick-up of the Year at the 2020 What Car? Awards, and still makes for a compelling used purchase through Volkswagen’s approved used scheme.
It’s the perfect base for the all-new VW Amarok to build from.
2. A fresh new look
The Amarok has always blended striking good looks with versatile practicality in one hard-working package, and the teaser images for the all-new Amarok show that it is set to follow in its predecessor’s stylish footsteps.
Bold flared arches and a vast full-width grille are just two compelling tropes seen in the teaser images of the all-new Amarok. “The striking front, and above all the defining X design clearly distinguishes the new Amarok and emphasises its claim to be leading the way,” says Albert-Johann Kirzinger, Head of Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “We’ve given the strength and power of the new Amarok an unambiguous expression – with clear Volkswagen DNA, inside and out.
“The new Amarok impresses through its tough, honest design. You can see that in the interior of the pick-up too. The uncluttered architecture, the elements designed in a machine-like fashion, the clear, taut surfaces and a particularly high-quality cockpit raise the Volkswagen DNA to a new level and emphasise the Amarok’s right to claim premium vehicle status.”
So, whether helping you to standout with clients, or turning heads on the school run, the all-new Amarok is sure to stun.
3. Bundles of new tech
It’s not just on the outside where the all-new Amarok shines. Alongside its versatile go-anywhere ability, the Amarok has always been renowned for its car-like interior and creature comforts. The all-new Amarok promises to take that one step further.
Set to feature ‘significantly more’ driver assistance systems that will help make driving easier and safer, impressive levels of connectivity, and innovations that ‘have not been before in this segment’, the all-new Amarok will seriously impress on the in-car technology front, helping small businesses work even smarter.
“The Volkswagen Amarok makes things easier for its users by assisting them in their work and everyday lives,” says Dr Lars Krause, Brand Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “That’s because the new Amarok provides solutions that enable our customers to achieve their goals – especially when things get difficult.”
In fact, if the award-winning ultra-connected VW Caddy is anything to go by, the upcoming Amarok could be a class-leader in terms of tech and connectivity.
4. It’s made of the right stuff
When it comes to standing up to all the world can throw at it, the Amarok has always had a stellar reputation. That’s because it has been developed, tested and proved in the world’s most gruelling environments, and manufactured in countries that know exactly what a rugged pick-up needs to excel.
The original Amarok was bred on the challenging roads of South America – marking its debut as a support vehicle on the 2010 Dakar Rally in Chile’s Andes mountains, before being produced in Pacheco in Argentina and Quito in Ecuador.
Since then, specially adapted Amaroks have saved lives on the beaches of Portugal and Germany with the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos' and Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft, while in 2017 off-road specialist Arctic Trucks unveiled a one-off Amarok that was capable of crossing the Arctic Circle.
The all-new Amarok will follow that trend. It was developed by teams in Australia and Europe, and will be made in Silverton, South Africa, where the last-generation Amarok has already proved its worth.
Back in 2017, the international ‘Spirit Of Amarok’ off-road challenge introduced amateur off-road competitors to the challenges of the South African Kalahari, while the last-gen Amarok has long been used for wildlife perseveration in South Africa – protecting rhinos as a partner of the Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA).
Why not pick up a used Volkswagen Amarok (right now)?
Whether you’re a sole trader, part of a growing family or new to the pick-up world, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the all-new Amarok.
Equally, you don’t need to wait to find out what a compelling proposition the Amarok can be. As we’ve said, the outgoing Amarok has received a five-star review from our What Car? road-test team, it won the prize for Pick-up of the Year at the 2020 What Car? Awards, and still makes for a compelling used purchase through Volkswagen’s approved used scheme.
With a wide range of models available to browse online, used van finance options that include leasing and hire purchase, comprehensive checks that give you a full-confidence guarantee in your vehicle’s quality and reliability, and all the ongoing support you’d expect from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, there are plenty of reasons why an Approved Used Volkswagen Amarok makes for a compellingly cost-effective purchase that you can start using right now.
