Recently, we wrote about Mercedes-Benz and BMW’s foray into the utility vehicle market. In that article, we mentioned the Volkswagen Amarok. We thought Australia’s first prestige ute deserved a little more coverage, so this week, the Volks Affair team look at this reliable, Aussie favourite.
But, first, as ever, the name…
The Amarok is taken from an old Inuit legend. In it, a weak boy calls upon the Lord of Strength to train him and make him strong. An amarok, a very large, powerful wolf, appears and helps the boy. The boy soon becomes so strong that he can kick huge boulders without hurting his toes, flinging them into the air. Rolling on the ground, he could make stones fly away from him, which was apparently a skill that he wanted. The amarok helped the boy become stronger than all the men in his town and able to lift great weights that nobody else could. The giant wolf warned the boy to keep his strength a secret. One day, 3 giant bears were terrorising his town. None of the townsfolk were strong enough to defeat them. Heeding the amarok’s advice, that night, the boy snuck out and fought the bears single-handedly. And won. Since then, the amarok has been a symbol of humble, understated strength.
Amarok Power
It’s fitting, then, that the VW ute should be named after such a legend. It’s a powerful ute, that can carry more than other, more popular models. Although it’s not yet as popular as the Toyota HiLux, the Volkswagen Amarok actually has 500kg greater towing capacity, at 3000 kg compared to the HiLux’s 2500kg. It also has a larger load capacity, being the only ute to be able to fit a full pallet in its tray.
The Amarok also has amazing power: its overboost function gives it a total of 580 nm of torque, 50nm more than a V8 Commodore! This means it is an incredibly powerful machine.
Comfort
All this power, space and potential would make it a great worker’s car. And indeed it is. But it is also an incredibly comfortable ride. Interior luxury and VW’s safety, comfort and infotainment technologies have resulted in some reviewers call the Amarok a family car for tradies. The inside and drive feels like a premium SUV.
The Amarok in Australia
Amarok sales in Australia are increasing, with over 7,000 sold in 2013, around 7,716 sold in 2014, 8,500 in 2015, and 8,200 in 2016. Great reviews, such as this one and the video below, have helped the continuing popularity of Amarok models since their introduction in 2010.
Its single and dual cab models have been very popular, selling over 9,000 units in 2017. It has been in the Top 10 selling utes in Australia since at least 2014, with its 4×4 model remaining solidly in 8th place for the last three years. Our VW mechanics always enjoy servicing and repairing Amaroks. As utes continue to become more popular in Australia, and Amaroks more popular among them, we’re sure to be seeing a whole lot more in the future.
For Amarok services and repairs, remember to contact Volks Affair, your independent Volkswagen service centre in South Melbourne. And for more prestige German car news in Australia, check out our other blogs. We publish every week, covering news, reviews and histories of the cars we service: Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Skoda.