Buying a used… Volkswagen Amarok

The original Volkswagen Amarok lasted a decade from 2010 to 2020 and whilst most of its competitors were shared designs or simple badge-engineering exercises, the Amarok was a stand-alone VW design. That was an expensive move by Volkswagen – even Mercedes-Benz chose to (briefly) enter the lifestyle pick-up sector with a slightly re-engineered Nissan Navara. Soon the picture changed. Mitsubishi left the UK market completely – taking the re-badged L200, Fiat Fullback with it – Mercedes put its X-Class down to experience and in 2020 the Amarok went too. Ford could not believe its luck and the Ranger reigned supreme as the Hilux hit middle-age spread and Isuzu cannily played the entry-level card well, with SsangYong (now KMG) nipping at its heels. Now the Amarok is back, but joint-efforts rule in LCVs today and it’s a double-act with the new Ford Ranger. The only difference being engine choice, Volkswagen insisting a place was found for its V6 TDI whilst Ford offers (with few takers) a V6 petrol-turbo. Here we’ll look at the original Amarok, as bargains can be found.

The driving position and levels of visibility mean its bulk is no issue most of the time on the road and it drives really well. Unladen, the ride is bit choppy but settles half-loaded and, although the automatic is  good, the manual gear change is slick and smooth, so don’t discount it unless you spend all day in city traffic. The V6 engine which was available from 2016 onwards with an upgraded interior, accounts for all the ones listed below and it’s the most desirable and sought-after. The four-cylinder Bi-turbo TDI should not be overlooked however, particularly in 180hp form and if you’ve experience of a Transporter or Crafter, then you’ll know that Volkswagen knows how to make a decent diesel engine.

The Trendline begins the range with 17in alloys – for which you can still get proper off-road tyres – with infotainment boasting DAB and Bluetooth with A/C and cruise control up for grabs. The Highline is the most popular on the market and it adds heated leather seats, Bi-Xenon headlights, parking sensors and 18in alloys, but no SatNav – instead being one of the earliest adopters of phone-mirroring in this sector. You’ll need to find an Aventura for built-in navigation and it also adds 20in
wheels, chrome adornments, a plastic(!) ‘sump guard’ and automatic lights with cornering function. 

All UK Amaroks were the same size at 5,250mm long and 2,250mm wide sitting upon a 3.1 metre wheelbase, and were only available as a four-door five-seat double cab. This means that the desire to hit the then lucrative lifestyle market, places the VW a step behind current Isuzu and Toyota offerings with their options of single or extended-cab layouts for greater load areas. As it is, the load length is 1,555mm with a load width of 1,621mm at maximum, whilst between the wheel arches this is reduced to 1,225mm, which is still decent for the class. The load bed sidewall height stands at 780mm. Overall load height is unrestricted in standard open form but all the Amaroks we found for price listing sported an aftermarket hardtop. Choose carefully here, as some of the more stylish designs resemble a coupe shape, robbing load volume.

Being a 4X4 pick-up the high stance which offers clearance off-road and good visibility on-road also creates a high loading height, the bed being 775mm off the ground. Depending upon engine size and trim level, the Amarok can handle payloads from 1,030kgs to 1,145 kgs, so all model versions managed to hit the VAT reclaim threshold. With gross weights of 3.3t, a decent train weight means it’s also possible to tow up to 3,100kg. 

Overall then, the Amarok was a bit of a niche product, but its build quality, engine choice and driving ease make it a good used buy.

Plus: Excellent build quality, great diesel engines, good to drive. 

Minus: Only in double-cab body, some rivals tow more, V6 TDI auto can be thirsty.