Stuart from Van Leasing Quotes takes a look at the Amarok to see how it stacks up against some of its more established pickup competitiors:The new VW Amarok is the only pickup you’ll find that’s designed and engineered in Europe. That is unless you manage to find yourself a 1980’s VW Taro, which was the German manufacturer’s last foray into the pickup world. Without going into to too much detail, it was a bit of a flop!
So have VW now cracked it with the Amarok and could it be the perfect van lease for you?
Size Matters
Like all pickups the Amarok’s open back is well suited for commercial work. It has a payload of 1000kg, can tow up to 2.8 metric tonnes and is the only pickup that can handle a Euro Pallet sideways – giving it a bit of an edge on it’s competitors. One downside is that only the doublecab version is available in the UK at the moment, which makes the new model a bit less flexible in terms of choosing a configuration that best suits what you need. However, we’re told a singlecab is on its way next year.
Creature Comforts
There’s no question about it, VW has gone refined and upmarket with the Amarok in comparison to the raw commercial feel were used to getting with most pickups available in the UK today. If you’re driving or ‘riding shotgun’ you’ll have plenty of room in the back but even in the back there’s plenty of room left for those extra passengers. It’s a very comfortable ride too, especially if you opt for the leather trim. Other features include front & side airbags, climate control, MP3 compatible CD player, and tinted windows – making the Amorok a very comfortable and enjoyable vehicle to drive.
On the Road
All versions of the Amarok come with VW’s 2.0Litre BiTDi engine, which offers all the power and torque required for a vehicle of this size. Despite having a smaller engine than most of its competitors, it still beats them all comfortably in terms of engine performance.
The top models also come with selectable drive options allowing easy switching between 2 and 4 wheel drive at the press of a button. This feature might cost a little bit extra each month in terms of van leasing costs but it offers great fuel efficiency savings, which could more than pay for itself.
The drive is surprisingly good for a pickup and it’s a smooth ride too – even on rough terrain. It’s also a quiet ride with minimal amounts of road noise in the cab area. One small niggle is that the gear change in the manual version could be a bit smoother – but that really is a small point.
The Verdict
So, is the VW Amarok the perfect van lease for you? If you’re looking for a pickup I think the answer has to be a resounding YES! It’s a great pickup that handles well, is fuel-efficient and comes with brilliant added gadgets and extra features. The Amarok has barely anything we could pick out as being negative points so it’s fair to say VW have finally cracked the art of making a great pickup vehicle. Overall it really is a great van leasing deal.
Click here to find out more about the great van leasing deals available on the new VW Amarok