The man has been is South Africa 🇿🇦 for a second and he has already picked up on some of the local lingo 😂😂. Well played Paul, I recognize your usage of the word “bakkie”. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I prefer the model driven offroad. The tail lights are normal and not compromised, blocked off with tacky plastic. Also the red colour is the best so far that we've seen.
Hi Paul, like most South Africans I hope you enjoyed your stay here. As usual, your review was absolutely bang on. I might be sold on this Amarok... Might
Thanks Paul, good to see a real review, pity no pricing is available yet. design mistakes I took from this: 1: no easy drive mode selector 2: no cup holders at the vents 3: no side step into the tub 4: no paddle gear shifters
Also no rear side step, and quick drive mode selection. I like the VW front better and apparently better seats, but still a bit of a mixed bag. Curious about the pricing comparison, when that comes out.
Hooray for the petrol, great review. Massive disappointment at VW that they didn’t use their own amazing engines and gearboxes…it would have made a better point of difference and many of us like what VW make in drivelines.
Yeah I was hoping that they’d use the same VW tdi v6 as the old one, or even put the 210kw/620nm Touareg version in it. Also, that they’d use the ZF 8 speed auto in the old one as that gearbox is so good, at least you get low range 4WD finally
When he mentioned "bakkie" & when i saw the GP number plate I knew he was in SA, specifically CapeTown From what I know, the Ranger and Amarok will be build here in SA for the world.
@@vc8160 Doubt it. Totally different jig here. Platform sharing is a thing. Ford uses some VW vans in Europe and new Transporters are based on Transits. And small Transits are based on Caddy's.
"Bakkie", lol, the Saffas taught you well! Hope you enjoyed the Western Cape. The trip around False Bay and the Peninsula has some of the best views in the world. Interesting statement you made about the road conditions in South Africa. On a recent visit back to Cape Town we found the roads to be in great nick. Much better than the roads in Sydney at the moment. Great review Paul.
Agreed. The Ranger to me looks a little ugly and too rounded off in certain areas. This Amarok has a much more sharp and prominent presence, it's definitely the more handsome twin between the two.
@@frankbunce The Ford is overdone, and even more so believe it or not outside of the Raptor. The Raptor gets the aggressive look and simple Ford USA front. The Wildtrack and Sport have extra crap going on with the grill. The VW is the opposite, the lower trims look better as there is less painted silver.
@@zoltrix7779 I think the Amarok looks like my last Colorado, and that did not have a nice front. Worst part of that truck. I just like the look of the Ranger, but can see some won’t. To me the new Ranger instantly dated all previous models. Where’s the previous Amarok looks better than this new thing.
@@frankbunce I definately can see the resemblance. The worst part of the Colorado if you ask me is the whole thing felt like a cheap work vehicle, and it was, sold well in the fleet area like the Triton does.
Looks like a good car. As a PX3 Wildtrak Owner looking to upgrade shortly (i do a lot of ks) a couple of thoughts; - I'm not sure it differentiates itself enough from the Ranger to justify making the switch, it would most likely come down to the best deal you can get for your money. - $90k for the current top end Amarok which makes it represent one of the worst value for money cars ever, would hate to see the pricing for this one. - Electric Rollers for the tub are impractical for anyone who uses the 'Ute' for 'Ute' purposes. - I really dislike this big push to screens to control a lot of the car's basic features. Buttons are so much easier than cycling through 3 or 4 screens just to adjust the air or radio. In the PX3 it is painfully un-intuitive to go from Apple Carplay over to the radio or climate control. - Owners will most likely be limited to the number of aftermarket accessories specific to the Amarok over the Ranger. - Wouldnt enjoy taking it into my Volks local dealer for service and repair.
I like it so far, keen to see the Walkinshaw models that come out, hopefully this time they give those models extra power/torque over the standard ones
I bet Ford has some sort of legal mechanism that will prevent VW from partnering up with anyone to get more power. Since the powertrain is likely using a Ford protected ECU, Ford won’t just be giving up the software to let VW or third party tuners “get more out of it”.
Another great review Paul thank you. Let's face it Volkswagen has sold out its real Amarok to be a rebadged Ford, including the lack of a strong Volkswagen motor. After speaking to several local Volkswagen sales guys they are also disappointed it's a rebadge. There seems to be very little in the way of new inventions for mine. For example some of the "features" were available on a 2016 Navara so 7 years on. All are just std already available items such as indicators on mirrors, side steps, roof rails, blind spot, 6 speed gear box & my pet hate it even comes with pokey little, useless storage areas. Why don't designers look at little things like having useful storage inside and out, how the vehicle can be cleaned and wider more comfortable seats so one can drive longer distances without having the blood flow clot in our legs. Smarter inside inventions that cater for different arm and leg lengths and taller head room. Greater front seat adjustment for the taller 190cm plus people and more rear leg room so the kids aren't kicking the back of the seat on your 4 hour drive to the holiday camp. It's like they have used the plane theory of less room equals more profit. Better materials that don't make it 'scratchy' as you righty noted and just cheap looking. In my eyes if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig, meaning there are not enough worthwhile changes and at the end of the day, it does nothing different to what is on the market already. My guess it will be pricey for what is basically another dressed up, fuel guzzling ute, without actually being a real Aussie ute. It's a disappointing result, so a no for me. I will wait a little longer to find my upgrade.
Paul, good to see you in SA! Yes, we do have suprprisingly smooth roads here too. 🙂 You mention an hour long off road loop, where in the Western Cape was that?
For anyone wondering the Amorak will be available in South Africa, Rwanda and select African markets. It will also be available in select European markets but it will not be available in the UK
Paul as a current Ultimate owner do you feel if it has similar refinement as I find the VW 8 speed & v6 really good and has shift paddles, also current Ultimate spec made in Germany from memory. I also would of liked if VW added a horizontal infotainment from vow, Audi, Porsche as a further separation fro ranger. Currently holding fire on ordering until reviews come through.
Got a call from my dealer saying they want 85 grand! For a Pan Americana this 8k more than A wild track that comes with a automatic roller cover which is a 4k option. I think Volkswagen has gotten greedy and based these prices on last year's market. Used car prices are already starting to drop
The large screen of the infortainment system is vertically positioned, meaning u have to reach to press the control and more loss of focus on the road. It's still better than the one in the new Ford ranger which is literally at 90 degrees with the horizontal plane. The infotainment systematic should ideally slant down at an angle to make use easier for the driver. Merc C class has done a stella job on this.
Great content. What brand were the AT tyres? Was the room in the rear seat much more than the outgoing Amarok shape's? Are there rear seat curtain air bags coming? Integrated brake controller? Drive a current shape Ultimate and trying to decide between 2023 Aventura and 2023 Wildtrak. Cheers, dd
VW and Ford taking the fight to the rest of the competitors, it will be interesting to see how Toyota responds in a couple of years. At this rate, they should definitely be worried
"The roads in South Africa were pretty good", you clearly didn't spend any time outside Cape Town for your stay here. Next time you can go to a different province and you'll be able to test the off-road performance of the vehicle while on the highway. Regardless, it was fun to see my own country in a video and was an interesting exercise trying to identify the area you are in on every clip by looking at the environment outside. For those wondering, most of this seems to have been recorded around table mountain and towards cape point, if you drove there recently you will pretty easily recognize the scenery.
looks good, i dont like that they keep putting bigger and bigger rims on through. i have 18's on my bakkie and i am even considering swapping to 17's haha.
VW could be inspired by the Raptor and make an Amarok R, but make it more road worthy instead of following the off road path like the Raptor. The Audi 2.9 V6 would fit that agenda perfectly
Good review, the only thing you need to disclose upfront as part of the review is that the trip, including airfare accomodation and meals was paid by the company.
@@CarExpertAus sweet, just added the "Exclusive Access" sponsorblock badge to this video. You should consider adding the 'paid promotion' badge to it from your end, since we're being truthful and all
Take those 20" and 21" wheels to pothole capitals like Johannesburg or Durban in South africa, and the outcome of this ride quality review might have a different tone. None the less, beautifull bakkie! Hope it will be as well priced as the ranger compared to the previous gen. Hope you had a great time in South Africa!
Great review. You mentioned that the 4cyl biturbo has part time 4wd, but I thought that all that amaroks came with the 4motion tech as standard or an option?
Great video - curious as to how the Raptor is best value? Not real sure the cost there, but it would be the most expensive out of them all here in the states. I think they go for 85-90k?
I have a Amarok 2019. What I see here is an american pickup rebadged. I tuned mine to 330HP and 700NM. And it has paddles on the steering wheel. I think I keep mine. Done with US cars. If Fordsvagen would have put a better and more powerful engine I might be tempted.
@@CarExpertAus one check I suggest to confirm on different cars is, see if all the windows can be opened if one presses the unlock button long enough on proximity sensing keys. I know some older VW, Toyota/Lexus cars, came with that option. It was very useful getting the interior to let out hot air, especially in hotter climates.
@@AD28197 Global window up and down works on the new Raptor when locking and unlocking. Presume this would be the same on the higher end Amarok's and possibly the Wildtrack?
Yes they were going through testing, those cars going through nice and rough testing and after that get stripped for evaluation. They have to go through high mileage daily... Note that am not a ford representative while saying this
Have the DPF regen issues been fixed? After a few years mine tries to do a regen burn almost fortnightly, fails half the time & puts me in cripple mode until I get it serviced. Where I live this is a 3 week wait and they demand a diagnosis fee of $150 every time!
