From the perspective of German car manufacturers, the US market was of great interest for a long time, mainly because of its sales opportunities for lush motorized sedans and sports cars. At the same time, the view into the admission statistics gave the information that the top sellers in North America could be found in quite different vehicle classes.
Off-road vehicles and even the models with an open cargo area derived from them were also considered as original American cars because they usually lead the bestseller lists. And this business escaped the German companies because, unlike the world-wide Japanese competition, they had no long-term international off-road vehicles.
This changed only with the Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) for which some German manufacturers even built their own production facilities in the USA. The Volkswagen Group was the first German company to launch its own series of genuine pick-ups in the commercial vehicle category as a result of this development.
Engine Specifications
In the first construction phase, Volkswagen took the pick-up optionally with its rear-wheel drive or the 4Motion 4-wheel system into its program. Depending on the year of manufacture, 2.0 liters of TDI were available in the power stages from 90 kW (122 hp) to 132 kW (180 hp) in the period from 2010 to 2016.
With the transition to the 2017 model year, the Lower Saxony converted the engine completely to V6 diesel, which on the one hand with AdBlue emission control the requirements of the norm Euro 6 fulfilled. On the other hand, they promised more power and were able to position the series more precisely.
There were two 3.0-liter TDI engines with 150 kW (204 hp) and 165 kW (224 hp) combined with an eight-speed automatic.
Loading
The VW pick-up could be equipped with a factory-installed ladder carrier for the transport of long payloads as well as a towbar with trailer stabilization, which could handle tensile loads of around 3.5 tonnes. The 1.55 meter long and up to 1.62 meter wide loading area is pretty enough.
Verdict
The popularity of pick-ups of Amaroks weight class was mainly due to the fact that the models with open loader area or retrofitted hardtop, with single or crew cab could be used so manifold. The Amarok is the perfect choice for a pick-up. The Amarok is the perfect choice for those who want to enjoy the best of both worlds.