Volkswagen Amarok emerges with more attitude from the valley

It seems like just yesterday the local bakkie community was eagerly anticipating the arrival of Volkswagen’s much-hyped venture into the segment. Well this year already marks the Amarok’s 10th anniversary in South Africa and judging by Volkswagen’s plans, the model’s first generation is far from stepping aside for a fresher design just yet.

The German manufacturer released two specials editions last year, the Dark Label and the Canyon, while big plans for 2020 centre around the launch of the 190kW V6 version in the third quarter. ‘’There is a certain longevity to the Amarok. Something clearly indicated by the recent awards it won after all these years,’’ says Mark Handley, head of Vokswagen South Africa’s Commercial Vehicles. The accolades Handley mentions we don’t report on for various reasons, but he is onto something nonetheless.

It’s a fact that the world of bakkies isn’t exactly the most fast moving and dynamic segment in the world of cars, but a decade-old car beating its rivals has to do something right. We finally got our hands on the Canyon recently which slots into Amarok’s top-end V6 line-up alongside the Highline, Highline Plus and Extreme derivatives and is differentiated through several exterior and interior styling cues.

The Canyon distinguishes itself through its exclusive Honey Orange metallic paint, matte black door handles, black grille featuring chrome trim, partly chrome-plated body-coloured exterior mirror housings, widening wheel arches painted black, matte black styling bar, matte black side tubes with Canyon decals and 17- inch Aragua alloy wheels.

Interior features include partial leather seats with Honey Orange stitching, seatbelts with orange seams, multi-function steering wheel with colour seams, Greenhouse black roof lining, embroided floor mats, stainless steel pedal cap and auto dimming mirror.

The Canyon features the same 3.0-litre TDI diesel engine as its three high-powered siblings, which produces 165 kW of power and 550 Nm of torque with overboost increasing the output to 180kW/580Nm. Through the 4Motion system, power is distributed to all four wheels via an eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox.

This powerplant is one of the keys to the Amarok’s longevity. It held off the MercedesBenz X350d’s challenge (8.73 sec compared to 8.92 sec from 0 to 100km/h) to the throne of the fastest production double cab available locally and with the Merc bakkie going out of production soon, it is set to carry the label for the unforeseeable future at least. Even more so when the 190kW version debuts.

Having driven all of its major rivals over the course of the last year, the one instantly recognisable difference between the Amarok and the rest is the car-like feel and handling in the VW bakkie. Generally you come to expect a vehicle designed for transporting a ton on its back, tow an additional few tons and weighing more than two tons itself to be rather sluggish during acceleration. Not so with the Amarok.

Apart from a slight hint of turbo lag, it is very ambitious off the line and works seamlessly through the gears with such subtle engine noise that you can easily be lulled into forgetting the difference between stopping a two-ton vehicle and something much lighter usually associated with performance like that. But should you do, the quality of the brake and stability system will go a long in bailing you out should you be a tad hot approaching a red light or bend.

With the amount of sheer power on offer it was hard for us to behave all week long, which resulted in a struggle to keep the fuel consumption figure below 13l/100km, quite a long way off the claimed mark of 9l/100km. In the Canyon’s defence, being car-like doesn’t make it any less bakkie-like. It’s proven its toughness in the harshest conditions as well as its off-road credentials.

So in many ways, it offers the best of both worlds for someone unwilling to sacrifice performance in going the bakkie route. And it looks windgat, which always comes in handy. The Canyon costs R815 000 and despite featuring a decent list of safety and comfort specifications, there are still a whack of optional extras you can fork out additional cash for. The Amarok Canyon doesn’t quite have a traditional bakkie feel to it, but the V6 credentials gives it the edge over any rival in the power stakes.

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