Johannesburg - Black is the new black in South Africa’s bakkie world, this year having seen its fair share of special edition double cabs sporting darkened trim, and the latest to join the dark side is Volkswagen’s Amarok.
The new Amarok Dark Label special edition is now on sale in South Africa for R674 600, available exclusively with the combination of VW’s 132kW/420Nm 2-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and 4Motion permanent four-wheel-drive.
So what sets it apart?
The Dark Label rolls on 18-inch ‘Rawson’ alloy wheels and gets a South African made Maxe styling bar in matte black, with that colour treatment now also applying to the mirrors, door handles and front protection grille.
The edition also gets ‘Dark Label’ door stickers, smoked tail lights, black side sills and tinted rear windows.
Black ‘Greenhouse’ headlining and embroidered ‘Dark Label’ floor mats keep the theme running on the inside, which is also kitted out with Vienna leather seats and a Composition Media infotainment system with app-connect. A three-year/100 000km warranty and five-year/90 000km service plan is part of the deal too.
You will however have to attack the options list if you want automatic climate control, heated seats or the ‘Discover Media’ infotainment system with satnav. Customers can also order heavy duty suspension that increases the GVM, albeit at the expense of ride quality.
The edition's list price of R674 600 represents a R35 000 premium over the equivalent 20 BiTDI Highline 4Motion auto model. At this stage, the Dark Label is not available with the V6 TDI engine.