What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

Volkswagen has its sights firmly set on seizing control of the premium pick-up market with its new Amarok and the 3.0-litre V6 PanAmericana model, which is expected to be the best-seller, is leading the charge.

To be fair, with the withdrawal of the Mercedes X-Class from the market, VW pretty much has the luxury lifestyle field to itself – although flagship versions of the Ford Ranger, upon which the Amarok is now based, or Toyota’s Hilux Invincible X may argue their cases to share the top table.

Apart from a good deal of bounciness on uneven road surfaces when unladen, which is inevitable with even the most sumptuous pick-up trucks, the PanAmericana drives like a luxury SUV, making serene and consummately smooth progress on motorways and the UK’s increasingly hard to find well-maintained roads. It’s quiet too, with little road or wind noise intruding into the cab to distract from the pleasing purr of the V6 engine.

Performance is excellent with a top speed of 112mph and 0 to 62mph reached in 8.8 seconds – brisk for a hefty pick-up truck. Fuel economy is not great, however, we averaged about 23mpg on a mixed urban and extra-urban cycle, which is well short of the official 28mpg, and customers with economic, not to mention environmental concerns, may be advised to consider the 2.0TDI engine.

The new electro-mechanical power steering set up can feel a little on the light side but still delivers plenty of feedback to allow you to tackle winding routes with confidence and the 10-speed automatic shift-by-wire transmission taken from Ford is arguably the slickest in the business. Motorway journeys are made more relaxing and safe by adaptive cruise control that works in tandem with lane assist, which tugs the wheel back if the driver starts to stray across lanes.

The PanAmericana is no slouch off road either; it comes with a limited-slip differential as standard that is optional on other trim grades. 

By distributing drive power equally to both wheels of the axle it enables the truck to move forward off-road when only one of the rear wheels is in contact with the ground.

The automatic transmission comes with four driving modes; 2H, 4H, 4L for the most challenging off-road conditions and 4A, for improved traction on varying road surfaces.

These modes are selected by an easy-to-use dial located behind the transmission lever. In addition, the driver can choose from six on- and off-road driving modes; eco, normal, mud/track, sand, slippery and load/trailer via the imposing 12in touchscreen that dominates the interior. As well as satnav and infotainment, the screen also houses the superb 360º overhead view camera that simplifies urban manoeuvres and takes the strain out of reversing in narrow country lanes to make way for oncoming traffic. The function automatically activates when reverse gear is engaged and can also display traffic crossing in front or behind of the vehicle as well as giving a bird’s eye view when approaching blind descents while off-roading.  

The PanAmericana’s cabin is well upholstered and comfortable; the driver and front passenger seats are 10-way power-adjustable and all seats are leather clad – although the sober black and brown colour scheme in our vehicle may not be to everyone’s taste. There is plenty of legroom for rear seat passengers and storage provision is generous throughout.

Our test vehicle came with an open-topped load bed but an electrically operated roll cover or hardtop can be specified as extra-cost options.

Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0TDI 240hp