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With a robust, sleek appearance, the Volkswagen Amarok brings a bold presence on the road.
The Amarok was named after a wolf deity in Inuit mythology but it is also claimed that the name was associated with “he loves stone” in Romanic languages relating to the all-terrain nature of the vehicle. Either way, it’s still a pretty cool backstory for this impressive pick-up.
It first hit the roads in 2010 and definitely made a strong impression having picked up over a dozen awards along the way. It was even named What Car’s pick-up of the year in 2020. Even a decade later, the Amarok is still gaining attention.
The Amarok has been made in a choice of three trims. These include the base version, Trendline, and Highline. Let’s break down each to show how they differ.
Don’t be lured in by a name such as the “base version” this Amarok is still kitted out to a high spec. A few of the features it brings include 16-inch wheels, height-adjustable seats, variable folding rear bench seats, cargo platform lighting, and many other premium features.
At the next level, we have the Trendline. This variant is a step up from the basic model. The features this model brings as extra include electrically operated door locking, electric windows as well as wing mirror adjustment among a few other features. It also has your wheels upgraded to 17-inch aluminium instead of the 16-inch steel above.
The Highline is the most popular trim level for the Amarok. It sits in a category of its own raising the bar yet again. The wheels are again upgraded, this time to 18-inch aluminium to give this pick-up a real presence on the road. It also benefits from automatic climate control, and chrome strips around the fog lights and radiator grille along with on the rear bumper. Upgrading to the Volkswagen Highline is truly worthwhile if the budget allows.
The Volkswagen Amarok scored ⅘ stars on the Euro NCAP test during 2010. It is fair to say safety features will have improved over the years, all said though, four stars is still a respectable score.
The Amarok is known for its reliability, as you would expect with any Volkswagen given its stellar reputation. There are, however, a few reliability issues associated with certain models which you will want to keep an eye out for.
Firstly, there is the diesel particulate filter (DPF) getting clogged. This might show up as a dashboard warning light, reduced fuel economy, increased amount of black smoke or difficultly starting. Keep an eye on these tells during your test drive.
The issue to look out for is the serpentine/accessory belt failure before its change at 75k km driven. The service record and milage should help determine if these are issues.
As when buying any used van there are a few checks you should do. This includes a visual inspection around the vehicle looking for any signs that it has not been well cared for. You should continue this visual inspection inside the vehicle looking for any signs of neglect. Any signs found here would offer insight into the attitude of previous owners toward the vehicle.
