Do you want a V6 ute without the fruit?

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Watch as we count down the top cars (and trucks) of 2017.

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK V6 550Nm

Base price: $70,000

Powertrain and performance: 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, 165kW/550Nm, 8-speed automatic, full-time AWD, Combined economy 8.9 litres per 100km.

Vital statistics: 5254mm long, 1834mm high, 3097mm wheelbase, 18-inch alloy wheels with 255/60 tyres.

We like: Strong V6 engine. Fantastic refinement. Still a great handler (for a ute, of course).

We don't like: Looks dated inside and out. Lack of rear curtain airbags.

Just as VW dropped its most powerful - and priciest - Amarok on the market, it also quietly slips in a lower-spec V6 for $70,000 V6 power in a more basic package? Sounds good, but does it add up?

Why should I spend $70k on this when I can get a top spec 4-cylinder ute for the same money?

While it is quite familiar now, the Amarok remains a handsome thing.

And that is the big question.

V6 power or a high-spec four? It depends a lot on your priorities and what you need from a ute.

For pretty much the same money as the Amarok V6 550Nm ($70,000) you can get a Ford Ranger Wildtrak ($70,990 or $71,990 with the 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo) or a Mercedes-Benz X250d Power ($69,000) or for slightly less a Holden Colorado Z71 ($66,990) or a lot less a Nissan Navara ST-X ($62,990) or the newly-released facelift Mitsubishi Triton VRX that is currently being offered at some extremely good prices. All automatic, all 4WD and all higher spec than the VW.

So why would you? Well, that engine is a particularly compelling argument.

You see, not only is more power always just plain better, it makes the Amarok, already one of the most comfortable and easy-to-live-with utes on the market today, even more so.

The Amarok has always been an impressively smooth ute experience and that is magnified by the silky smooth V6 driving things. Dynamics don't suffer with the larger engine either, and the Amarok is impressively responsive and dynamic through the curves.

The interior is nicely made but is seriously dated and dominated by hard plastics.

Is that comfort and ease worth forgoing the extra gear you could get for the money?

Well, that does depend where your priorities lie.

If you simply want the most comfortable, effortlessly powerful and car-like one tonne Utes in the market and don't car about the latest in infotainment tech, driver assists, big alloy wheels or aggressive body kits, then the entry V6 Amarok is simply a no-brainer.

On and off road refinement is still the Amarok's best attribute. Although the competition is catching up fast.

Where the conundrum starts to really kick home, however, is if you value the latest and greatest in terms of styling inside and out, both areas which the Amarok is starting to look dated in now (particularly that interior that looked old when it was brand new) or passenger safety.

Yeah, the Amarok still lacks rear curtain airbags, which is an almost unforgivable sin in these days really.

Any other cars I should consider?

As mentioned earlier, you could go for a number of lesser-engined, higher spec alternatives for the same, or less, money.

But it is the Ford Ranger Wildtrak fitted with the optional 2.0-litre bi-turbo engine that offers the biggest argument against the Amarok V6 - for a mere $1,000 more it comprehensively out-specs the relatively bare-bones VW and largely matches its refinement and ease of use.

It is 8kW and a more significant 50Nm down on the Amarok V6 however, with the six's peak torque coming in lower as well (1,400rpm compared to the Ranger's 1,750), which may be more than enough to swing the decision back to the big German.

Again, it depends where your priorities lie.