It鈥檚 easy to think of pick-ups as being cumbersome, agricultural and basic, but if you鈥檝e never driven one of the modern breed of these trucks, you鈥檒l be amazed at just how usable, capable and comfortable they are. The Volkswagen Amarok is a good case in point. This smart commercial vehicle is tough, and capable of lugging or towing more than most family estates; it can easily compete with many mainstream family SUVs. Above all, though, the Amarok is a workhorse and, while it鈥檚 very well kitted out for a working vehicle, most premium SUVs come with a lot of kit (standard or optional) that you generally won鈥檛 find on the Amarok. That鈥檚 not to do it down, but if outright luxury matters more than off-roading or towing ability, you could be disappointed. 鈥?Volkswagen Amarok (2010-date) - Tough pick-up is a fine workhorse and classy enough to rival SUVs. The Amarok went on sale in February 2011. Buyers could choose between 121bhp 2.0 TDI and 161bhp 2.0 BiTDI engines, with Startline, Trendline and Highline trims.
By the end of 2012 the 161bhp diesel had been upgraded to 178bhp, then five years later a heavily revised Amarok was launched, with a 3.0 V6 TDI engine replacing the previous 2.0-litre unit. This came in 201bhp or 221bhp forms, matched exclusively with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. A year later a manual box was introduced for the lower-power engine and, in June 2018, a 255bhp V6 TDI unit joined the range. Which one should I buy? The V6 engine is streets ahead of its 2.0-litre predecessor for torque and refinement, yet there鈥檚 barely any economy penalty because you don鈥檛 have to work it so hard. No Amarok is truly spartan, and even Startline models have air-con, 16-inch alloys, electric windows front and rear, hill descent control, hill start assist, remote central locking and a Category 1 security system. They also offer a two-speaker hi-fi, while the Trendline adds six speakers, dual-zone climate control, two extra 12-volt sockets in the cabin, cruise control, colour-coded body trim and 17-inch wheels.
Range-topping Highline brings upgraded trim with leather seats (heated in the front), all-round parking sensors and privacy glass. Not only is the Amarok up against talented pick-ups such as the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi L200, but it also rivals desirable SUVs. The big VW is more upmarket than any direct rival except the Mercedes X-Class. If you鈥檙e on a tight budget, though, you could look at the Isuzu D-Max. It can lug large, heavy loads, tow and tackle tortuous terrain. SUV rivals include the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe and Volkswagen Touareg. Also worth a look are the more functional Mitsubishi Shogun and Toyota Land Cruiser, which are capable off-road and tow cars. All Amaroks can tow at least 2,800kg and some pull 3,200kg. But how much you can tow depends on when you got your licence. The 2.0 TDI engine can suffer water pump failure, leading to overheating, so keep an eye on the temperature gauge on test drives.
This is a big car (5.25 x 1.95m) and parking sensors are a must. Many Amaroks don鈥檛 have these, though, so factor this into your search. Valve The exhaust gas recirculation valve cooler can corrode and contaminate the oil, which then damages the engine鈥檚 cylinder bores. Eearlier Amaroks have a dash that鈥檚 quite utilitarian, but facelifted cars from 2017 have a far better set-up that feels more car-like. Refinement is good, if not up to the standard of many SUVs, while cabin space is excellent - there鈥檚 plenty of room for five adults. Carrying capacity is superb, too: the load bay is enormous and the payload of over a tonne means you can take almost anything. Owners can choose fixed or variable servicing, with the former set at every 12 months or 12,000 miles; the latter stretches this to every two years or 24,000 miles. Fixed servicing ranges from 拢219 to 拢449, while variable is 拢260 to 拢449. The 3.0 V6 TDI engine doesn鈥檛 have a cambelt, but the 2.0 TDI unit does, and it needs replacing every four years or 130,000 miles, at 拢558. That gets you a new water pump at the same time. Four recalls so far is no disaster. The first was issued in December 2013 because of possible fuel leaks, and two more followed in August 2015. One centred on the brake calipers, while the other was because of potential airbag glitches in the event of a crash. The most recent recall in December 2017 was sparked by possible failure of the power steering system. Five-star ratings make up half of the entries, with owners generally loving the refinement, build quality, comfort and economy. Its go-anywhere abilities get a big thumbs up, too, but one owner has had reliability problems, followed up with poor parts availability.
Vehicle attributes were once strictly defined by segment: a luxury car was comfortable, an off-road vehicle was durable and a performance car was fast. Car buying was certainly simpler, but you needed a fleet to span the range of functionality. These days, the mass market is a blur of hybridized vehicles (and I don鈥檛 mean gas-electric powertrains). Consumers want efficiency, versatility, reliability, comfort 鈥?just about everything, really 鈥?all baked into a single car. On paper, everyone should buy a crossover (and many people do), but the problem with do-it-all vehicles is that they don鈥檛 always do any one thing that well. The sedan, and specifically the performance sedan, still has its place in the world. With a lower center of gravity and coefficient of drag than an SUV, passenger cars inherently handle better and ride more quietly than lifted vehicles. Among the current crop of performance sedans, the mid-size 2018 BMW M550i xDrive looks to have the right mix of agility, luxury and tech. Here鈥檚 what we learned after spending a week with Bavaria鈥檚 V8 bruiser.
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