The Volkswagen Amarok – meaning ‘wolf’ in Inuit Eskimo – is the company’s first foray into the mid-sized pick-up sector and one that the company promises will bring class-leading quality, durability and technology to the market.

It will go on sale in the UK early next year, with prices announced closer to the time.

The Amarok is similar in size to its main rivals the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200 and the Toyota Hilux, but its cleaner styling lifts it upmarket and lends it a less aggressive look.

Its face is a logical development of that first seen on the Golf – and subsequently Polo and Caravelle – while the cab and load bed live up to design chief Walter de’Silva’s ‘renaissance of purity’ mantra.

Rugged quality
Inside, the Amarok is a well-judged blend of ruggedness and characteristically high perceived quality. The soft-touch upper dashboard plastics, nicely detailed steering wheel and classily-designed controls make this the most pleasant pickup cab bar none.

There are some neat touches too, like the dash top power supply for a windscreen-mounted sat nav but the climate control switches – lifted from VW’s road cars – are on the fiddly side for something so utilitarian. Leather upholstery on the top model may also be a little overboard.

There’s plenty of room in the front and rear of the four-door double cab (a single cab will follow) while it goes without saying that you won’t be short of load space.

In fact, the Amarok’s rear suspension design ensures that it’s the only vehicle in its class that can carry a standard load pallet sideways.

Low CO2, compromised performance
The rear suspension is not only compact but also available in two guises – ‘comfort’ and ‘heavy-duty’. We tried comfort on road and it certainly smoothes out the usual bounciness unladen pickups are susceptible to. There’s still a degree of shimmying from the ladder-frame chassis but its road manners are well resolved.

Volkswagen Amarok gallery:

The only engine choice available is the 2-litre BiTurbo TDI first seen in the Caravelle. It’s at least 500cc smaller than all its rivals but Volkswagen insists that the twin-turbo technology more than makes up for its lack of capacity. The major upshot is that this is the first vehicle in its class with CO2 emissions of less than 200g/km from the lower-powered, 120bhp unit.

It’s true that with more powerful 161bhp engine with 295 lb/ft of torque, the Amarok is brisk enough, with 0-62mph taking just over 11 seconds. But the engine struggles at low revs – exactly where you need it when towing or off-roading. Keep the engine spinning above 2,000rpm and it pulls ever stronger towards the red line but it starts to sound very uncouth while doing so.

Long live the new king
Engine aside, the Amarok is also a very accomplished off-roader, with good ground-clearance and a whole raft of electronic traction and braking systems fitted as standard. Those who take their off-roading very seriously should opt for the selectable four-wheel drive option with lockable differentials.

Overall the Amarok is a very polished pickup. It’s more pleasant to look at, sit in and drive than any of its rivals. Low-rev lethargy of that engine aside, the Amarok is the new king of the pickups.

By Owen Ready