Love the light in the final scene. While not an Amarok, I have been driving a little VW Tiguan for the passt year. upto 81K kms now, many miles on rough corrugated raods it was never meant for. Nothing has broken and it is still as tight as a new car. It's remarkable in that way. VW have really pulled their finger out.
Thanks for your opinion!! Forgot though to mention it has cruise control, traction control, electronically locking diffs plus central locking rear diff, hill descent, off road abs, hill holder brakes for incline takeoffs. Too bad you could not crawl under to inspect the panzer built type ladder frame and not to mention the standard sump and engine protection that comes standard o and something that we all Toyota and Ranger owners had to go back to install and the VW is standard as well........
2.0L TDI engine is a beast. It handles an extra long VW Caravelle van easily and I guess the car is more than 2 tons or even more, really heavy vehicle, yet, it accelerates smooth and you feel the engine relaxed and not suffering. I think it has like 180hp and loads of torque..
..and i have already put in 18076km to be exact. Just arrived last sunday from a 3 country 700km trip on and heavy off road and am pleased. Interior must be improved, Just though that i would mention. Keep up the good work hope you gather more support enjoy your videos and i do take your advice!! Greeting from Central America!!
If you reverse boats or trailers, don't get one. Reverse gear is terrible, no torque and geared to high and costs about 3K to ammend. If you're bogged and need to reverse it will have no power too. Everything else is good.
I was going to write to ASW and ask the exact same thing. We reverse our 2.6t van up gradients in our V6 550 with no real problems. Slightly higher revs is all.
Hi Andrew, I enjoyed this brief review as I own a 2011 Amarok manual, I have noticed from time to time the vehicle does stall in 1st and reverse, I personally think it may be an issue with the hill start assist not letting go 100% but that is just a guess. It is a car that is easy to clock up the kilometres in, very comfortable, family of 5, towing a camper trailer Perth - Albany. Cheers
Sounds like you work for VW? And locking diffs? Diff. There is only one. Only the rear diff locks. Panzer-built?? Its chassis frame is no stronger than any other PU in its class. I did test the hill decent as well as hill-holder and incline etc. and it worked very well.
Actually i am a ship engine mechanic, and all of the above are things i compared with the rest of the trucks, actually i was going to opt for a LC series 76 with the inline 6 but unfortunately our Toyota dealer here does not understand that the technology in the LC they offer is not worth the price. I already own a VW diesel and it is rock solid. I understand why you are are a Toyota fan, its trustworthiness is legendary, I bought my Amarok in January and done a bit of off roading and on road..
Too bad you could never do a full review on the Amarok, just kept it with the 5 min. Namibia impression! Hope you are doing Ok and ventures are better!! I'm the "you must work for VW" guy!! Moved to Panama, had to sell my VW Amarok with 85K and 3 years tickin like new!! Family is growing looking at a '13 Patrol TD42 or an Audi Q7 3.0. If you ever come to Panama ring me will be a pleasure.
I think modern vehicles need modern accessories. And the lunch comment was just a journalistic style. I think they just forgot because VWs usually are pretty good with this kind of tech stuff.
Nice pick up, the best interior desing of its class. In my country (Peru) 3 of them have 2 dakar rally on its back and 2 are still running strong, 1 had an engine trouble in the dakar series desafio inka last week ...
My very first review of yours which I did not enjoy.The car has so much more to offer than what you tested.AUX input is available as an extra- Agreed,that is a bit silly,but for that to be your only negative when evaluating a 4x4, interesting?Could you elaborate as to why you feel it is not better than the Hilux? I'm not saying it isn't but by the looks of it this review was heavily influenced by the fact that Toyota sponsors you? I would rather read an article in CAR than watch this review.
Hey I'm loving your reviews on these trucks, especially the discovery and fortuner one before this one. In line with your 70 series v Defender show, maybe you can do an HDJ 80 v. Patrol GQ/GU comparo also? Thanks a bunch more support for this show!
Nice review. I agree with everything but I think the TC the bakkie has is a bit of a let down. It has too much wheel spin before the wheel is braked. This can cause your vehicle to "dig in" when on soft/muddy surfaces. The better Traction control systems (Suzuki Grand Vitara and Jeep Commander) have a lot less wheel spin before it is activated. My opinion and what I saw on a trail where I was following and waiting for a few Amarok's who started before me.
....is the ready to tow robust rear bumper!! And the tailgate has 250kg load capacity too. You are right about the interior, i have claimed VW the lack of ipod interface but mines blutooth is good, seat incline is typical vw i don't like and height control lever seems weak, i have 2003 tdi Jetta and it is more robust!! I traded in my 06 4runner for the Amarok, had it with snorkel and suspension lift all in accordance with your suggestions! And doing the same with the VW! OME on already 19K kms!
Do you consider a new test with the 3.0 after 2017? For Europe i believe is better than Toyota because of parts availability and over all better know how on vw cars.
Hmm, a deal breaker for me is the fact that the break system is not Disc Brakes on all 4 wheels... And sadly, the onlu Pick Ups in the world with disc brakes on all 4 wheels are the American trucks (F-Series, Ram Series, Chevy trucks). My other options is to get a truck based SUV, like a 4Runner or a Land Cruiser Prado.
Interesting to hear you talk about the "anit-stall" cause in your test of the 70-series -vs- the LR110, you pointed out how it can make the truck lurch when you're using the engine to brake the truck down a steep grade off the brakes. Will say though, I have a 6spd man./TDi Jetta wagon and the clutch take-up is TERRIBLE. VERY abrupt and compared to my Hilux it's a LOT harder to get started on steep hills. almost like the flywheel is too light in favor of quick revs -vs- low speed smoothness.
X1,000,000. I'd totally watch that too... Sadly the Troll is dead these days, but a GQ/GU is a neat ruck (as long as it's not the 3.0L with the exploding auto-box. we had a few of those in OZ that didn't work well at all and were always broken) I love this guys reviews too aye, but it's SO hard o watch when you can;t BUY these trucks where I am (NW US) and I've lived in Australia where I owned a HZJ75 Troupy so I KNOW how much better the trucks overseas are.
Agree with your opinion, and the Skoda Yeti, which, in all likelyhood has the same 2.0TDI engine too is known for its stalling in the first and second gears. Two questions: Did you feel the lack of low end torque? and Have you/do you plan to test the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport with its 2.5 diesel manual?
14 international 4x4 books with over 100 000 in print. Five TV series about 4x4s. I must be a slow learner. But I like your style because its a bit like mine I.e. very opinionated.
if the car is crap, that doesn't mean the engine is not powerful enough. check the torque and the HP and you can compare it that time to other vehicles, but for me, I will choose the Toyota Hilux 4x4 at any day. I am in Iraq and Toyota is a beast that can handle heat and bad quality of fuel and the AC is effective and can cool the car while the temperature is over 50 deg C...
I saw somewhere that Toyota delivers 70 series with 4.5L V8 with 430Nm ,VW delivers 400Nm with 2.0L,I don 't know much about cars and engines but ,what 's the deal Toyota?
The Toyota is a WORLD CLASS platform. The Amorak is awesome, but I don't think it'll ever truly knock off the Toyotas, they're just in a whole different class for overlanders. I'm building a 1KZ-TE 2nd Gen Hilux Surf (4Runner) and frankly it'll outlive me... I'm planning on being buried in it. lol After running 70-series Toyotas in Australia for many years I can say without a doubt Toyota is the BEST overall Overland vehicle maker out there. Mercedes is awesome but VERY expensive.
Hate to be negative, a good friend of mine in Oz has one of these. His master actuator for the clutch failed twice and the brakes are crap because of the lousy drums in the rear. Shame really because I like this pickup
Hey Richard, What can you tell us about the 2013 -2014 VW Amarok with 8 speeed automatic, full time 4WD. I live in Jamaica and have shortlisted my PU choices to this Amarok & the Ford Ranger 3.2 6 speed. Based off reviews it would appear that the VW has the edge in terms of fuel economy, interior, overall build quality, highway & off road ride quality....I'm concerned that the Ranger with such a high torque output engine, only has 6 speeds versus the Amarok with the ZF 8 speed transmission....
Nothing. Zilch. Zip. Nuddu. Just because I like a vehicle, doesn't mean someone paid me to say it. Fact is, over the years I've been blacklisted from many motor manufacturers because they didn't like what I reported. These include Land Rover, Ford, Ssangyong, Mahindra, Jeep and Nissan. And VW complained about this report. They didn't like what I said and asked in future I clear press releases before they go out. And, as usual, I refused.
4xOverland I think your report was very fair. I am about to order one, replacing my Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3L TDI. I don't do as much off roading as I would like but nothing beats the Amarok for safety and comfort. For any 4x4 there is a trade off between off road performance and on road comfort and safety. The Amarok is 10cms wider than the (new) Ranger making the third seat in the back actually usable for a grownup. The bakkie is also larger so more storage. I had some doubt over 4x4 capability but between your view and the Voetspore guys, I think it will completely suffice for my needs. Thanks again
4xOverland Is that why you haven't gotten any reviews of the nissan patrol? What do you think of it as a cheaper alternative to a landcruiser? I can't stand the 1HZ engine and I don't have the cash for the 1HD or the new V8 diesel.
xamesm the new amaroks have an off road mode that reduces the gearing giving it 'super 1st ' and I drive one quite regularly as 4x4 responder and you get incredible control over harsh terrain at any rpm or speed
What does "panzer built" mean??? There's nothing but VAG engineering under there and while it's an awesome truck, the frame isn't as tough as the Hilux's overbuilt chassis. Again GREAT truck, but it's no Toyota/G-Wagen. And yeah, Diff LOCK, singular... rear axle only.
I do like VW in particular there softroader, Tiguan but for the love of god make sure you get a manual, the Autos will pack up after 3-4 years and cost an arm and a leg to fix
The music is more a nuisance than anything else, I've got to turn up the sound to hear speech and then turn it down because the pointless music is TOO loud.
Im a Land Rover fan so this is a non interested answer. That 2.0 practically needs steroids to pull that power off, whilr the toyota is kept simple, less technology, less efficient but more reliable and durable. its as if you were told to carry a 1lb bag all day or a 50 lb bag. you can do the 1 lb bag effotlessly, while the 20 even though is light would eventually come to you.
The trucks we get here are made in Argentina and the paint is so bad the local agent has to repaint in some area`s, wonder how the fuel economy will suffer after the recall {cheats never prosper }
Come on that's not really off roading, any car with 4wd could do that, when are people going to start putting off road cars through serious off road situations, rather than "ow look at that it went through a foot of water" or "ow look it can drive on a dirt track", seriously? I mean that really isn't much of a test is it.
Hi Andrew, I know you are passionate, but I have a bee in my bonnet....please stop talking with your hands and GRIP the steering wheel! You have done this in many of your video's.
I don't 'GRIP' the steering wheel because that is not how I drive, unless I'm on a rally stage. Driving off road and even on road, I hold it firmly but lightly. I don't believe this 'Advanced Motorist' crap about gripping it in the ten-to-ten position. It is a load of BS.
Ugh!! It's hardly setting a bad example when he goes 5Km/h in low range first up a wide hill with no dangers. Get off your high horse and take a fucking chill pill.
blablafingbla If I had a high horse, there would be no need for an Amarok blabla. Thanks for the video Andrew, I wont be upgrading my Prado for the VeeDub.....yet.
Knowing VW this is the last car I can imagine to take for overland journey... VW is terribly unreliable... may be could risk to drive VW 100 km away from the dealer service but any further would be serious risk :)
Slow Boat absolutely, VW's are among the most reliable vehicles, I daily drive an ex taxi shuttle van with 1,500,000miles that's over 2 million kilometers on the original engine and gearbox it is 1st class reliablity
Completely disagree with Benzinio - I have owned many VW products - some better than others, but, and here lies the crux of the matter, if you service them PROPERLY, preferably with the agents, they are very reliable. I am from Namibia, now living in South Africa and have travelled to and from Namibia at least 40 to 50 times with various Volkswagens and NEVER got stranded by the roadside. I have however got stranded in a BMW ánd, believe it or not, a Toyota! Cars are generally as reliable as the service ánd treatment that they receive.
