- Volkswagen has launched its new Amarok with an international press campaign in the Western Cape.
- The local launch will take place during the first quarter of 2023.
- SA pricing and specs will only be available at the local event.
Volkswagen has finally launched its new Amarok with the global media launch in South Africa. It’s a completely different vehicle from the one we’ve all come to love, but could the next-gen bakkie be too refined?
I’ve always liked the Amarok, especially that V6 model. And if you ask me which is my favorite or the best bakkie of the lot available in SA, my answer would almost always be the V6 Amarok, even if the price was just over R1 million.
It had the speed of a compact car but drove as comfortably as a luxury SUV, yet it did everything you’d expect of a workhorse. It’s what sets the bakkie apart from the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-max, and the other options available locally.
GALLERY | This is the new Volkswagen Amarok 2022 in pictures
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
The monthly sales figures can hardly be compared to the big three bakkie sellers in SA: Toyota, Ford and Isuzu, but that’s really because the VW Amarok has become a niche model, mainly also because of its higher price. Still, it’s a very good bakkie, even if it’s only been selling about 150 units per month.
Enter the new Amarok, a vehicle we’ve been waiting a long time for in South Africa.
The local launch will take place early next year, with Volkswagen SA to share more local specifications and pricing later. For now, the most important thing we know is that the new Amarok shares its platform, engines and some design features with its locally-built Ranger rival.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
The new model is also being built at Ford’s local Silverton plant in Pretoria, even on the same line as the Ranger. It is therefore not surprising that the vehicle shares many design features and styling cues with its competitor. The joint venture will have many people saying that these two new models look almost identical, but VW has designed the Amarok differently from the ground up. Same, same, but different.
What’s new?
Much. Volkswagen reckons the new Amarok has a 100% new design, has more power and looks much more elegant than before, continuing its decade-long success story.
The Amarok has always been an attractive chiseled vehicle. It has a new grille, new headlights, and feels much bigger than before. Its design cues are now further accentuated with sharper styling and a VW-specific interior in terms of tactile equipment.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
At the same time, it’s also more robust than ever, much smarter thanks to innovative technology, and VW claims it’s also more comfortable. The vehicle is now 96mm longer than before, the wheelbase is extended by 173mm, making it 3.27m longer, with an overall length of 5.35m. Approach and departure angles have been improved to 30 and 26 degrees, respectively, and it has a fording depth of 800mm.
We know there have been a lot of improvements all around, visually and in terms of technology and driving performance. Even the base model Amarok feels much more premium than before, and includes basic features like LED headlights, a multifunction steering wheel, an 8-inch digital instrument cluster, power-folding outside mirrors, and a 10.1-inch infotainment system.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
There really isn’t a part of this new bakkie that hasn’t been touched or improved upon. The roof rails can now support a static weight of 350kg, there’s a new front tow hook and a new range of wheels and tires up to 21in, while All-Terrain (AT) tires have profiles up to 18in. .
At the rear, the cargo box has been integrated into the vehicle’s locking system for the first time, and many customers will be very happy with that. The cargo area can now carry the largest euro pallet quite easily and now has more lashing eyes in the cargo area with a tensile load of 400kg. The Amarok also has a towing capacity of 3.5 tons in more variants.
Sturdy and elegant on the outside, yet luxurious on the inside
Inside the vehicle, there’s also a host of new features, including an electronic parking brake, inductive cell phone charging, ambient lighting, and a leather-wrapped instrument panel; – all the tactile equipment and materials, including the multifunction steering wheel with real buttons (as opposed to the touchpad ones on the latest VW models). The seats are comfortable and there are many benefits for the driver and front passenger, but not as much for the rear passengers, nor does the quality of the seats and legroom feel as luxurious as in the front seat.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
There’s a new 10.1-inch infotainment with a touchscreen as standard, and a 12-inch lineup with VW’s intuitive operability. It is easy to use and navigate through the many systems and driving aids. The same system is naturally found in the new Ford Ranger as well, and the gear stick looks quite similar to the current Raptor as well. But with shared components, this is not a surprise.
In the international launch, four derivatives were introduced, although we are not yet sure which ones will be available for South Africa and if they will be named the same. These are called: Life, Style, PanAmericana and Aventura. With these four trim levels, it means there’s a wider range of models available than ever before.
VW said the range, at launch, includes four different diesel engines with outputs ranging from 110kW and 305Nm to 177kW and 600Nm (€6). There is also a petrol engine, for international markets with 222kW and 452Nm. Most likely we’ll get a 2.0-litre turbodiesel producing between 110kW and 155kW and the 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel producing 184kW.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
The wide range of engines comes in the form of 4-cylinder units up to 6-cylinder units (V6 engine). Base engines are mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic, while the 3.0-litre models are mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox with shift-by-wire functionality.
How do you drive?
This is what everyone wants to know, what it’s like to be behind the wheel, well, something different than before.
As I mentioned earlier, the previous generation Amarok always felt like a competent and comfortable SUV.
Now, the new Amarok feels like a bakkie, and it’s lost a bit of that great comfort that I’ve always considered it so important for. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, and the new vehicle still feels incredibly comfortable for a big bakkie, but it also feels familiar.
The new Amarok now feels like Ford’s top-end Ranger Raptor, and that’s probably the highest-rated bakkie in South Africa if we could all spend that much money.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
Having driven the new Ranger at its local launch this week (you can come back and read our driving impressions), if its performance is anything to go by on the XLT models, we can only imagine the new Raptor will arrive early next year, it will be even better than before.
The most significant change is also the new 10-speed automatic gearbox, also shared by Ford, and that would probably be the highlight that former Amarok buyers will get used to. Gear changes are fluid, though, and the shift-by-wire dial on the center console is a godsend.
My riding partner and I had landed in soft sand, nearly getting stuck. With a quick flick of the dial to 4L (Low), while we had the car in neutral, we got out of a sticky situation pretty quickly and without a problem. 4High and 2H can be changed on the fly and the bakkie does not need to be stationary for this.
Its off-road capabilities seem sufficient, and there probably won’t be any terrain or challenge the Amarok can’t face head-on, but the off-road driving course wasn’t overly challenging to gauge just how capable the bakkie is.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
It doesn’t feel like the old V6, which often felt like it could take on any sports car off the line. The new Amarok now feels more refined and much more mature. As if he were no longer an iced tea drinking teenager but a connoisseur of the Earl Gray Breakfast cup of tea.
There are more than 25 driving assistance systems, of which 20 are completely new. These include Intelligent Speed Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Detection for Trailer Also, Parking Assist Plus and 360 Area View Camera.
There are also new traction and suspension systems, such as the two 4motion systems, a new electronic differential lock, an electric brake booster and six driving modes. With all of this combined, driving this new model makes it easy for even the most novice driver to get behind the wheel.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
Now that bakkies are morphing into lifestyle or luxury family cars rather than hard-working vehicles, perhaps the new Amarok is more likely to attract more people than we expected—it’s a bakkie, after all. very nice. But I can’t help but wonder if our hardcore bakkie lovers will think that the new Amarok has perhaps gotten too “soft”.
Since we were tourists in our hometown at this international launch, the ride wasn’t quite as extensive as we’d hoped, but we know the local launch will showcase the best of this new vehicle when it arrives in early Q1 2023.
2022 Volkswagen Amarok
There are no pricing available yet, as this will be revealed at the local launch next year. However, Ford has posted competitive prices for its Ranger this week, so we really hope Volkswagen keeps things tidy and keeps costs at a similar level.
The Amarok’s price will likely determine its success. However, the new Amarok feels much more premium than before, and with that, we can only expect premium prices.
