The newest addition to the What Van? long-term fleet is a Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana pick-up truck.
The Amarok shares a platform with the Ford Ranger and the two trucks are arguably the highest profile and most successful jointly-developed LCVs to emerge from the product-sharing partnership between the two manufacturers that was announced in 2019. Launched in 2022, the trucks scooped both the International Pick-up Truck Award (IPUA) and the What Van? Pick-up of the Year awards for 2024.
Co-developed by the brands and built at Ford’s plant in South Africa, Ford is the lead development partner, with Volkswagen utilising the engine, transmissions and chassis of the new Ranger for use in the Amarok, which returned to the sector after a three-year hiatus following the withdrawal of the previous Amarok, which was solely a Volkswagen product. It was reportedly Volkswagen though that insisted there
be a 3.0-litre V6 diesel in the line-ups, which is the engine that propels the PanAmericana.
Most of the differences between the VW and the Ford model are cosmetic – the Amarok’s exterior looks more sculpted, with a high waist and flat-top wheel arches. It gets distinctive horizontal upper radiator grille crossbars and integrated narrow LED headlights. The rear features new C-shaped lights and a full-length tailgate embossed with the word ‘Amarok’. Piggy backing the Ranger platform has given the Amarok more interior space and bolstered it’s off-road ability: wading depth has increased by 300mm to 800mm thanks to shorter overhangs, while towing capacity has gone up from 3.1 to 3.5t.
Unlike the Ranger, the Amarok 4Motion is marketed solely as a double-cab model. Under the bonnet you will find a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine at either 170hp or 205hp or the mighty 3.0-litre TDI V6 pumping out 240hp and 500Nm of torque. The 170hp engine is wedded to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard but all other derivatives come with 10-speed shift-by-wire transmission.
Volkswagen is intent on spearheading the premium end of the UK’s pick-up segment with the new Amarok and with the withdrawal of the Mercedes X-Class from the market, the brand pretty much has the luxury lifestyle field to itself, although flagship versions of its Ranger stablemate or Toyota’s Hilux Invincible X could be considered upmarket rivals.
VW is offering the Amarok with a choice of four trim levels – Life, Style, the PanAmericana we opted for, and Aventura.
Standard equipment with Life trim includes 17in alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 10in infotainment screen, and a reversing camera.
Further equipment with Style includes silver 18in alloys, a chrome styling bar, black side steps with a chrome insert, a 12in infotainment screen with satnav and a 360-degree camera system.
PanAmericana trim is designed to focus more on off-road ability and features a rear locking differential and underride guard, along with black 18in alloys and a bumper with black ‘X’ insert.
The Aventura trim, which effectively shares top billing with the PanAmaricana, is targeted more at customers looking for a luxury truck to use on-road. It features 21in alloys, chrome-plated exterior mirrors and door handles, and a bumper with silver ‘X’ insert. Crucially, its payload falls beneath the 1t threshold, which means buyers cannot reclaim VAT.
While VW chose not to enlist the services of the 3.0-litre 300hp V6 petrol unit of its partner Ford’s Ranger Raptor into the Amarok line-up, the PanAmericana’s diesel V6 provides more than enough power to propel the hefty pick-up along at an impressive zip. It has a top speed of 112mph and 0 to 62mph can be completed in 8.8 seconds, which is great for travelling in straight lines but the amount of body roll generated when cornering will deter most drivers from pushing the Amarok hard along winding country roads.
A suspension system featuring leaf springs at the rear and MacPherson-type struts at the front contributes to a comfortable ride although some bounciness does penetrate into the cabin, particularly when unladen, but this is
par for the course with big trucks capable of carrying heavy loads. Overall, though, the PanAmericana makes serene enough progress and does a good impression of driving like a luxury SUV.
The latest Amarok’s new electro-mechanical power steering set up can feel a little on the light side and was probably chosen with off roading in mind but it is easy and relaxing to handle and the 10-speed automatic shift-by-wire transmission taken from Ford is the slickest and smoothest in the business. The transmission comes with four driving modes; 2H and 4H as well as 4L for the most challenging off-road conditions and 4A, which is for for improved traction on varying road surfaces, according to VW.
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 12in touchscreen.
The V6 engine has an official combined cycle fuel economy figure of 28mpg but having spent most of the past few weeks covering urban routes I have struggled to keep consumption above 20mpg.
The PanAmericana is most definitely a lifestyle truck but that doesn’t mean it can’t cope with hard graft, as I discovered when using it to carry all my daughter’s goods and chattels during a house move. Access to the cargo box, which houses six tie-down points, is by means of a lockable tailgate which drops down horizontally.
A bulky rear bumper – which incorporates a step – prevents it from dropping down completely and sitting at about 900mm above the ground, it is not the easiest space to load and unload.
My truck is fitted with a RollTrac electric roll top as a £2,486 (ex-VAT) option and while this is undoubtedly a useful, if expensive, feature to protect and conceal lower level tools and equipment, it does eat into the 1,624mm by 1,584mm load bed when retracted if you need to carry larger items, such as tables and chairs.
Report card
Desirability: Sophistication and luxury combine in this top-notch lifestyle pick-up truck.
9/10
Load carrying: Meets the one-tonne payload threshold for VAT exemption but less suited to carrying bulky loads.
6/10
| Model | Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0TDI 240hp |
| Mileage | 8,819 |
| Official combined fuel economy | 28.0mpg |
| Our average consumption | 18.7mpg |
| Price range (ex VAT) | £33,000 – £47,000 |
| Price (ex VAT) | £46,200 |
| Insurance group | 37 (est) |
| Warranty | 5yrs/120,000mls |
| Service intervals | 12,500mls (est) |
| Load length | 1,624mm |
| Load width (min/max) | 1,224mm /1,584mm |
| Load bay height | N/A |
| Gross payload | 1,054kg |
| Load volume | N/A |
| Engine size/power | 2,993cc/240hp |
| CO2 | 265g/km |
