Towards the big adventure

There is more than 9000 kilometers between me and my house. Landing in Cape Town, the third capital of South Africa after Pretoria and Bloemfontein. The brand new VW Amarok is waiting here for its first test drive. Eleven hour flight to test a new car – why South Africa?

So far, the pickup has been assembled at VW’s commercial vehicle department in Hannover (D). But it ended after ten years in May 2020. Production will now be shifted to the southern hemisphere for the second generation, which will start next spring. VW and Ford are collaborating on the next generation of pick-ups to exploit synergies and save costs. So technically, like the Ford Ranger, the new Amarok will come off the production line at the southern tip of Africa.

One of the first examples of the new “bakkie”, popularly referred to as a pick-up in South Africa, is ready for the 350-kilometer test tour at Capetown International Airport. So take the “wrong” right side – traffic flows on the left here! And let’s go on a journey in the metropolis of 4.5 million inhabitants.

Our test car comes as the “Panamericana” – along with one of the top two versions, the “Aventura”. Less than an hour later, we arrive at Grabouw Country, which borders a reservoir and Cape Town’s rugged hinterland. Here, Amarok must show whether it takes solid form from asphalt, despite its noble claim. Grooves in the gravel road get deeper, and the rocks on and next to the road get bigger. No problem for the Amarok: thanks to all-wheel drive, which can be engaged via a rotary switch and, in the top model, automatically distributes power between the axles via an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch, it also digs up steep sections. When things get really tough, I activate the differential lock on the rear axle with the push of a button to evenly distribute power to both wheels. Endurance test passed!

After off-road driving, there’s still solid ground under the standard 18-inch wheels and off-road tires. Continue 50 kilometers south to Betty’s Bay on the Atlantic coast. The community is picturesquely nestled against the ridges of the Kogel Mountains, and at the waterline, thousands of African penguins still enjoy the warm South African summer sun like me. I was also impressed with the Amarok’s driving performance on picturesque cliffs. The top engine, the three-liter V6 turbodiesel with 240 hp and 600 Nm of torque, effortlessly propels the 2.5-ton pickup along the winding coastal road. A ten-speed automatic transmission takes care of the power transmission, which shifts gears smoothly, but more decisively here and there. The chassis, on the other hand, is fantastic: despite the typical pick-up rigid axle with leaf springs at the rear, it softens even the hardest bumps and provides an incredible amount of ride comfort.

As a Panamericana, Amarok is aimed at lifestyle-oriented private customers who use their pickup trucks to surf the sea or climb mountains. For this you need one thing first of all: space. This is also the case in the new Amarok, which is 10 centimeters longer than its predecessor at 5.35 meters. Thanks to the longer (+17 cm) wheelbase, taller (1.86 m) passengers like me can now sit comfortably in the rear double cabin. As with the previous model, a Euro pallet sits either lengthwise or diagonally in the loading area. Depending on the version, the maximum payload can be up to 1.2 tons and the trailer load up to 3.5 tons. This would easily be enough to carry a few surfboards to the beach in Muizenberg or to pack the climbing equipment for the tour to the historic lighthouse on the Cape of Good Hope.

The new Amarok has a lot of Ford technology under its shell, but you can’t see it from the outside. I take a closer look at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in central Cape Town, where VW has parked the Amarok to display it as an “art object.” And be surprised: Wow, this title is pretty meaty! And much higher than its predecessor, Amarok certainly looks like a tough guy. Wide fender arches, bold embossed Amarok lettering across almost the entire width of the rear panel, and a black tubular bar on the back of the cabin – VW calls it the “Stylingbar” -: The Panamericana looks much more polished than the previous Amarok. Inside, it shows its soft side thanks to paint and leather, and looks more like a touring sedan than a hard Buezer: all-digital instruments like the infotainment touchscreen adapted from Ford are standard – on top versions each in 12-inch format. With so much style, you can even be spotted in the upscale Cape Town seaside suburb of Camps Bay.

It’s evening in Cape Town – the tour in the new Amarok is coming to an end. But the biggest challenge still awaits: surviving Cape Town’s rush hour. Fortunately, the new Amarok has more than 20 auxiliary systems that make everything a little easier in the mega city. Automatic distance control combined with a lane departure warning system ensures partially autonomous driving, optional matrix LED headlights offer the best visibility even in the dark. The Amarok can even maneuver into gaps with its parking assist – but it’s also child’s play manually thanks to the 360-degree all-round view. On my trip to Cape Town I learned everything there is to know about the new VW Amarok – not just the price. VW will keep this a secret until the start of orders in early 2023. Let me give you a tip, though: Based on the competition and what’s on offer, top versions of the pick-up should probably start at around 70,000 francs.