Few new models have been as hyped as this, Volkswagen's first "conventional" one-ton bakkie.
First there was the Search and Rescue concept, shown at Hanover in 2008, then a fleet of 35 early production versions were used as back-up and media ferries on the 2010 Dakar rally in Argentina and Chile - which meant most of them did the whole gruelling rally route and then some.
South African media on the rally raved about the Amarok*, as did those who attended the world launch of VW's new workhorse, also in South America.
Now the Amarok is here in South Africa and the question being asked is, "Does it live up to the hype?"
In a word: almost. And that slight qualification is only because it is so very, very conventional. It has to be; bakkie drivers are among the most conservative buyers in the world.
What you see could, from most angles, be almost any double-cab bakkie except the surpassingly ugly Mitsubishi Triton. Except from the front; there you see the definitive horizontal emphasis of the VW corporate face, like a bigger version of the Golf/Polo/Scirocco family, or a slightly squared-off relative of the new Touareg, itself due for SA release within days.
But, by mounting the grille high up on the front section of the body ahead of an almost-flat bonnet and above a deep-chested front bumper, VW has made it work, seamlessly melding the VW face with a generic pick-up body. Prominent wheel-arches and a very wide track complete the no-nonsense bakkie look.
Now here's where it gets interesting. Most upmarket one-tonners have beefy, three-litre or bigger, V6 engines. VW has elected instead to use a two-litre, common-rail, direct-injection diesel four with a big low-pressure turbo for instant response at low revs and a second, smaller hairdryer operating at much higher manifold pressure for high revs.
The result is what its maker claims is the most efficient prime mover in its class. The biturbo TDI is rated at 120kW, delivered at 4000rpm, and a seriously muscular 400Nm just off idle - with 350 of those Newton-metres still pushing you along at 3500rpm.
Couple that to a firm clutch with a rather sudden, very positive take-up, a six-speed manual gear-box with a solid, almost clunky action that feels like it's there to haul things and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and you've got something that does the business even when all it's carrying is 2.4 kids and their satchels on the morning school run.
It also cruises smoothly and silently (aside from some tyre noise) at 140km/h at 2400rpm with plenty in reserve for emphatic overtaking moves, usually without even a downshift but with that effortless, got-it-under-control feel normally reserved for big diesels.
I briefly saw 160 on the clock during the launch drive (I won't say where, I value my licence) and my right hoof wasn't yet flat on the mat.
FUEL-EFFICIENT
But, and this is a very big but, it does all this on far less "dirty diesel" than the big V6's. Yes, dirty diesel; by tweaking the fuel filtration system a little and deleting the diesel particulate filters so beloved of Brussels bureaucracy, the Amarok's Euro 3-compliant engine will run on 500ppm diesel without hurting itself.
VW quotes a 0-100 sprint time of 11.1sec and a top speed of 171km/h, at a cost of only 7.9 litres/100km in the ECE combined cycle and 208g/km of CO2. So what if we used more than nine litres/100km on the launch drive - that still makes it the most fuel-efficient one-tonner in its class.
The Amarok is also available with a single-turbo, two litre diesel for which VW claims 90lkW and 340Nm, burning 7.7 litres/100km and puffing out 202g/km - which translates to a range of more than 1000km on the 80-litre tank that's standard on all Amarok variants.
A two-litre TFSI turbopetrol engine is coming in the new year and a single-cab variant in the second quarter of 2011 but, for now, all Amarokke are double-cab diesels.
ON THE FLY
All the controls for the 4Motion all-wheel drive are grouped around the gear lever - which is logical even if it means looking a long way down to operate them.
On the right (driver's) side there's a sequential, three-way switch for 2H, 4H and 4x4 low range - which can be operated "on the fly" - and on the left are on-off push-buttons for the electronic stability programme, the rear differential lock and off-road antilock braking system.
The what? I hear you say.
Conventional anti-lock braking doesn't work off-road because the low levels of grip confuse the processor and the brakes simply don't work - to the point where you sometimes have to abuse the handbrake to stop at all.
In off-road mode the Amarok's brakes will allow an individual wheel to lock momentarily before releasing; that means there's no confusion as to the state of play. The skidding wheel also digs up a little wedge of loose dirt that physically slows it down and increases the braking effect.
It works, dramatically, with lots of juddering from the wheels and pulsing at the pedal; but the Amarok will stop on gravel quicker than you'd believe possible. Nice one, VW.
PARTICULARLY CLEVER
There are no buttons for hill hold or descent control because they work automatically, without being asked, in off-road mode. The off-road switch also reprograms the traction control and stability systems to allow for widely varying levels of grip from wheel to wheel.
The descent control is particularly clever; if you take your foot off the loud pedal on a down-slope it will use the brakes to prevent the engine speed from rising above idle in whatever gear you happen to be, at up to 30km/h. Simple as that.
The Amarok is rated to tow up to 750kg unbraked and 2800kg braked trailers. The whole rig can weigh 5.5tons so, if you order a tow-hitch on your Amarok, you automatically get an extra-large cooling system and an "anti-sway" module in the electronic stability programme that brakes the individual front wheels as the trailer passes through the "neutral" position to damp out the yaw and prevent jack-knifing.
It's a big vehicle, even by one-tonner standards; VW says it has the biggest load bed in the class - and the only one that will take a standard Euro-pallet (1200 x 800mm) sideways between its wheel arches.
It's 1.555m long, 1.620m wide and 508mm deep, thanks to having its rear leaf springs on the outside of the main chassis members rather than under them. This also lowers to load-bed floor to an accessible 780mm and makes possible an optional heavy-duty spring package (no extra cost, just ask for it) that increases payload to a whopping 1137kg.
TWO TRIM LEVELS: TRENDLINE AND HIGHLINE
Trendline spec includes body-colour bumpers, mirrors and door handles and black rear bumper, 16" alloy rims with 245/70 radial and front foglights.
Power windows and mirrors are standard, as are front crash bags, electronically regulated aircon, cruise control, a four-speaker audio system and a concealed drawer under each front seat. The steering column is adjustable for height and reach.
Highline adds to that big fender flares framing 17" alloys shod with 245/65 wide-profile tyres, chromed accents on the front bumpers and side mirrors, a chromed rear bumper and tinted glass in the rear windows.
Inside there's more chrome on the gearshift trim, air-vent trims, and lower steering-wheel spokes, an upgraded, six-speaker sound system, dual-zone auto aircon, more luxurious fabric upholstery (leather is an extra-cost option on either trim) and six crash bags.
SOFTNESS AND SUPPORT
I drove the Highline version at the launch and was impressed by its efficient aircon, multiplicity of storage trays and very comfortable, multi-adjustable seats.
Even on an hour's bundu-bashing through the Bavianskloof nature reserve in the Eastern Cape they provided a near-perfect combination of softness and support.
The instrument panel was typical VW (if you've driven a Golf 6 or the new Polo it'll feel like coming home), clear, legible and just a little austere; Wolfsburg has never wasted money on fancy dials.
Interior fit and finish was well up to VW's usual high standards (some well-established bakkie specialists are going to have to look to their laurels) but I was less impressed with the materials used.
The hard-plastic fascia in particular lowered the tone of the décor, as did a seriously cheesy, non-retractable cupholder that stuck out of the centre stack like the afterthought it all too obviously was.
It's definitely not up to the standards of, say, a Nissan Navara and I thought this extraordinarily comfortable and competent vehicle deserved better in this area. And if that sounds like I'm being finicky it's because that's all I could find to be finicky about.
PRICES
2.0 TDI Trendline 90kW - R316 800
2.0 TDI Trendline 90kW 4Motion - R364 400
2.0 BiTDI Highline 120kW - R342 400
2.0 BiTDI Highline 120kW 4Motion - R390 000
Prices include a three-year or 100 000km warranty and a five-year or 90 000km service plan. Service intervals are 15 000km.
Volkswagen has entered the one-ton bakkie market right near the top, which is where it likes to be in each segment in which it competes, with a solidly built, highly specced all-rounder, eminently suited as either a workhorse (the Trendline) or a leisure vehicle (in Highline trim) for getting way, way out there.
If you're looking for a bakkie, drive this one last.
*The name has nothing to do with Klipdrift brandy; it's the Inuit (Eskimo) word for a tundra wolf.