Monday, September 12, 2011

VW Amarok breaks new grounds

The VW Amarok, a vehicle which unites cross-country mobility, flexibility and efficiency like no other pickup does on almost all terrains. Ekow Essabra-Mensah looks at its attributes.

When others reach their limits, the Amarok, a mid-size pickup truck built by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) makes it way without compromise.

The Amarok range consists of single cab and double cab, combined with either rear-wheel drive or 4motion four-wheel drive, and is powered by Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engines.

The VW Amarok unites cross-country mobility, flexibility and efficiency like no other pickup leveraging on its optional 4 Motion all- wheel drive for traction on almost all terrains.

Thanks to the broadest loaded crosswise and its powerful 2.0litre TDI Biturbo engine, which set new standards in terms of fuel economy. And , last but not the least, its robust ladder frame chassis, which offers a high level of stability during even the toughest assignments.

The Amarok breaks new grounds on conventional roads as well: with its high-quality interior and driving characteristics that leave nothing to be desired, it also set a whole new standard in terms of comfort and dynamics.

Even the toughest challenges are easy assignment for the Amarok: It has been designed to consistently provide high resilience and functionality- from the broadest load area in its category to the comfortable seats in a sturdy anthracite spacer fabric. The Amarok offers that little bit extra at all times-particularly in terms of its passenger’s compartment space.

Look forward to generously laid out leg and head room, which remains unequalled in this category. And your tools and small objects have also been taken into consideration: lots of practical storage trays provide ample space to store everything in an orderly manner.
The pickup with certain extras

Georgina Mensah, Marketing Manager of the Universal Motors Limited in an interview with B&FT explained: “The Amarok has particularly dynamic appearance with its numerous optical highlights such as the colourkeyed front bumper and door handles. The rear bumper is kept in black for a distinctive look.

“Another classy and attractive touch is added by the 16 alloy wheels, which literally round off the design. Inside the passenger compartment, the seats are upholstered with the fabric.

“A centre armrest provides added comfort. Particularly practical: small items can be stored in drawers under the front seats. It has the driving comfort of saloon cars and can be used for both work and pleasure.”

Exterior and Wheels

The design of the Amarok is not only functional but extremely striking, too: you’ll recognise the typical Volkswagen face with its distinctive front headlights from afar. The flared wheelhouses, which are standard on the Amarok highline, underline its powerful character and the eye-catching rear lights perfectly round off the vehicle’s strong look.
There’s no question about it, this design clearly conveys pure determination.

The load area

The Amarok boast of its loading width of 1,222mm between the wheel housings, the Amarok can even transport task crosswise –unthinkable for most pickups. The entire load area is used in an optimum manner.

There are four lashing eyes to ensure that the load is secured correctly so that everything stays in place. And the sturdy tailboard can be used as a practical extension of the load area. It heavy duty leaf springs have been specially designed for off-road assignments and allow a payload of up to one tone.

The load platform illumination lights up the load platform so that users can even load the vehicle in the dark. Additionally, a third brake light is integrated in the load platform illumination.

The styling bar-actually depicts the characteristic traits of a pickup. The solid tubing has a diameter of 76 mm and is available in polished stainless steel or in black. The styling bar does not interfere with the load volume as it is mounted on the loading sill.

Interior

However tough a work assignment may be, nothing will shake you in the Amarok. The comfortable interior has equipment that you would only expect to find in a passenger vehicle. From the optional leather upholstery to the clearly laid out dashboard, the passenger compartment has been designed to make you feel comfortable. Particularly the generous amount of head and leg room provides you with plenty of space for enjoyment.

Safety and comfort

The Amarok smoothly copes with difficult terrain-thanks to numerous safety systems and comfort features.

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS).If a wheel is in danger of locking, the system immediately intervenes by reducing the brakes pressure in a controlled manner. This helps to keep the Amarok fully steerable when braking hard.

The Off-road ABS. In addition to the standard ABS, Off-road is available for the Amarok. It has been specifically developed for use on difficult terrain. As soon as the Off-road ABS function has been activated-by pressing a button- the braking interval is increased.

The wheels lock up in a controlled manner so that small wedges of material from the ground such as gravel or sand build up in front of each wheel. This can substantially reduce the stopping distance of the vehicle.

The Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) helps prevent the vehicle from swerving. In order to respond to critical driving conditions, the system evaluates data provided by a network of sensors.

It can, for example recognise what direction the driver is steering in and what direction the vehicle is moving in- and it is also informed on the load situation. It can build up brake force to offer directional stability when needed. At the same time, ESP is syschronised with the ABS functions and also remains activated with shiftable 4MOTION all-wheel drive.

The Hill Start and Hill Descent Assist: This system, which is only available in conjunction with ESP, prevents the Amarok from rolling backwards on an uphill incline and increases braking pressure on downhill slopes.

The airbags: You have a choice of three different airbag equipment lines: It has an airbag for the driver to cushion the head and body. The passenger’s side can also be equipped with an airbag as an option. For even more protection, there is a package with combined head/thorax airbags in addition to the airbags for the driver and front passenger. These inflate is a heavy side-impact collision and lower the risk of injury to the ribcage.

Emergency stop signal: In the event of an emergency stop at 50 kph or above, the brake lights start flashing. If the vehicle comes to a standstill, the hazard warning lights are activated and will automatically switch off as soon as you reach a speed of 10kph when you resume driving.

Multimedia

The Amarok offers a variety of attractive sound experience: the radio systems provide great entertainment for the entire passenger compartment with up to six loudspeakers. And to ensure that your journey is not only comfortable but also safe, the multi-function display supplies you with important vehicle data.

The Radio Plus with an MP3 compatible CD drive and climatic air conditioning system to automatically regulate the temperature inside the vehicle are available as standard to ensure your well-being of course, you can also let in a refreshing breath of air by opening the electronic windows with the push of a button.

Now nothing will stand in the way of an exciting and yet relaxing drive. The Amarok is being sold for US$28,400 as the starting price.

The name Amarok which means Wolf in the Inuit language was developed and researched by branding agency Interbrand on request from Volkswagen. VW considers the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton to be Amarok competitors.

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