Pick-ups are as commonplace in America, Australia and Africa as a VW Golf, but you rarely come across them in this country.

Maybe that will change. Because for those who like the load, there is not much useful among SUVs since they have degenerated into wimps.

Holger Apple

Editor in business, responsible for “Technology and Engine”.

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Anyone who pulls boats out of the water, fetches wood from the forest, transports sand to the construction site or works in the garden needs solid tools.

Pick-ups with their stable frame and high towing capacity feel at home here, and recently they also look good, so they accompany you stylishly in everyday civilian life or, with the appropriate body, on camping holidays.

They are available in various price and size categories.

At 5.35 meters, Volkswagen with its newly launched Amarok is in the middle in terms of length and towards the upper end in terms of price.

The segment for the Hanoverian is not that huge, they have sold 830,000 of the predecessors within ten years, most of them in Australia and South Africa, and around 10,000 a year come to Western Europe.

In South America, the previous one continues, the other markets get the fresh device, and because that reduces development costs, the new VW Amarok is actually a Ford Ranger.

Ford, of course, is the first address in these matters, their F 150 has dominated the American market for generations.

The smaller Ranger-Amarok duo rolls off the assembly line in South Africa and has already done quite a bit.

All-wheel drive is of course mandatory

The Amarok weighs 1.19 tons of payload and the maximum permitted 3.5 tons of trailer load, plus a now more determined and attractive design with a powerful bonnet.

However, it is so high that the driver has trouble seeing the way on crests.

Ladder frames and leaf springs on the rear axle are found underground, everything is designed for robust use.

Nevertheless, the higher quality equipment in particular spoils with good seats, decent material and usable space on the back seat, which is not a matter of course.

The chassis works relatively comfortably when empty, sovereign when loaded, obstacles can also be rougher off-road.

In principle, rear-wheel drive is at work, all-wheel drive is of course mandatory,

Purists recommend the basic version with manual switch, it comes closest to the idea of ​​the all-rounder between farm and fireplace.

In this country, more upscale customers are expected, they can choose between a 2.0 four-cylinder diesel with 170 or 205 hp and the 3.0 six-cylinder diesel with 240 hp and 600 Nm of torque.

Torque is everything in this class, you notice that in the design, even the big six-cylinder is not a sports comrade, rather one that can grab from the depths of the (rev) cellar.

There is a choice of 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic, the automatic selector lever known from Ford with its own characteristics takes some getting used to, especially if you want to shift gears manually.

The steering in the VW is probably more pointed than in the Ford, it gives good control,

The fun at work is from May at the VW dealer, it must be expected with an entry of 40,000 euros plus VAT.