Volkslieferwagen: They Call It An "Amarok"

[homeforsummer]

As far as I know, yes. It's sold in the UK too, and is also sold as a Peugeot and a Citroen. Virtually all of them with diesels rather than the V6 I drove. The one we drove looked like this:

The older one looked a bit more ungainly:

The new ones are quite nice really. As the first SUV I drove it was also one of the main reasons my view on SUVs in general has changed a little from how it used to be. It's a very competitive market though. Over here it's got the VW Tiguan, Ford Kuga, RAV4, Honda CR-V and dozens of others to compete against... doesn't make things easy.

Back slightly more on topic, is the Amarok roughly F-Series (F150-, to be more specific) sized then? I'm surprised they didn't start with something smaller, or with a monocoque rather than separate chassis. Maybe they've beefed up a few old Beetle platforms

 

[Jim Prower]

Heh. There's also their larger DSM-based one, I forget what exactly It's called.

 

[Joey D]

Heh. There's also their larger DSM-based one, I forget what exactly It's called.

The Endeavor? Whatever the heck that is. I never see Mitsus on the road so I doubt they exist from time to time.

 

[homeforsummer]

The Endeavor? Whatever the heck that is. I never see Mitsus on the road so I doubt they exist from time to time.

They aren't massively common in the UK either, really. I see more Evos than regular Lancers. I think the Shogun or the L200 are the most prolific here.

 

[Tornado]

Has the Outlander bombed then? We had one for the majority of my R66 trip a few years back, was a very pleasant car to cross the country in. Felt pretty solid too.

Oh heavens yes. Mitsubishi had ridiculously low standards for what they wanted it to sell in the U.S., and its never met them anyways. They cannot win.

 

[Sniffs]

looks like you guys forgot about what kind of engines they drop in things like the Tacos. they always put a 3-4 liter v6 minimum in any pickup now. remember, we're carrying more weight (vehicle AND passengers) than most other countries that aren't touching the billion mark. throw in the fact that Americans were using Pickups and SUV's for the rear drive and POWER they were denied for decades...

the remaining 4 cylinder pickups in the US are either disintigrating or have LONG since been recycled into the fenders of a new Silverado or Titan. besides. US 4 cylinder pickups have never gotten more than 22. the 4 bangers we had were designed to work with 3 speed autos.

 

[JCE]

Looks great, but secretly this has to have some DNA borrowed from somewhere... The air vents look Ford and the door panels look Nissan.

 

[Prosthetic]

I have a feeling its going to fall on its face like other pick-ups not made by the big three... Nissan and Toyota seems to be only others that get it right outside the US.

 

[homeforsummer]

I have a feeling its going to fall on its face like other pick-ups not made by the big three... Nissan and Toyota seems to be only others that get it right outside the US.

Never underestimate the power of the VW badge... they could rebadge a Reliant Robin and people would buy it...

 

[Sniffs]

Never underestimate the power of the VW badge... they could rebadge a Reliant Robin and people would buy it...

I take it that's a member of "Britsh Leyland"? yes, some of us watch Top Gear, here, too. I miss it (stupid frickin economy). btw, AMC was our own british leyland

JC: that's cause toyota went out and actually TALKED to truck using guys here to figure out how to design the Tundra at it's last update for guys that normally drive around F350's and Silverado HD's.

 

[homeforsummer]

I take it that's a member of "Britsh Leyland"? yes, some of us watch Top Gear, here, too. I miss it (stupid frickin economy). btw, AMC was our own british leyland

Unless I'm completely mistaken I don't think Reliant was ever part of BL, actually. For the record, this was the Robin

 

[Jim Prower]

You're far too hard on AMC, Sniffs. The compacts were better-built and more reliable than any other domestic in the '70s.

Also. No, Reliant was an independent that made 3-wheel cars entirely out of fiberglass.

But, yeah, VW's marketing department could sell you just about anything. Even a grape.

 

[homeforsummer]

But, yeah, VW's marketing department could sell you just about anything. Even a grape.

Grapes sell themselves, dude. No VW badge needed. Unless they wanted to sell you a more efficient, BlueMotion grape. Uses less juice.

 

[Moglet]

If they really want it to sell, remove the rear bed area, whack in some more seats, extend the roof and market it to mums. They'll lap it up for the school run.

Hell, they'd buy a tank if they could. They're 99% idiots.

 

[ExigeEvan]

If they really want it to sell, remove the rear bed area, whack in some more seats, extend the roof and market it to mums. They'll lap it up for the school run.

Hell, they'd buy a tank if they could. They're 99% idiots.

99% of mums are idiots?

 

[Philly]

I think it's awesome. They need to sell it here.

If they really want it to sell, remove the rear bed area, whack in some more seats, extend the roof and market it to mums. They'll lap it up for the school run.

Hell, they'd buy a tank if they could. They're 99% idiots.

Isn't that what the Touareg is for?

 

[YSSMAN]

Or the Tiguan, which is actually a rather excellent CUV. In fact, if I had some cash money, the Tiguan would sit pretty high on my list of "Things I Should Probably Buy Car-Wise In Case of Winter, or Transport of Large Objects."

JC: that's cause toyota went out and actually TALKED to truck using guys here to figure out how to design the Tundra at it's last update for guys that normally drive around F350's and Silverado HD's.

A dual-tiered glove box! A center console that can hold file folders! Large, flat surfaces so you can write things! Build quality that is less than the Toyota standards! An engine that is outclassed by "lesser" American designs that have been around for decades! Fuel economy that totally sucks!

They did a wonderful job of building an American truck that was totally outclassed by American trucks. The new Tundra has been an absolute disaster for Toyota.

 

[Prosthetic]

Never underestimate the power of the VW badge... they could rebadge a Reliant Robin and people would buy it...

It;s a little different where I live.. The only people I see driving VW's are 16 year old girls.

 

[Sniffs]

HFS: oy, next time, put a pic in for the yanks, kay? and that made me laugh, that car.

Prower: actually, I was thinking of things like Ramblers and so on from the 60's, when Willys, Hudson, Kaiser-Frasier and Nash were thrown together in order to survive. i hear they were so crap, they make the peices of the aforementioned British Leyland look reliable

 

[TheCracker]

Also. No, Reliant was an independent that made 3-wheel cars entirely out of fiberglass.

And RS200's for Ford

 

[homeforsummer]

It;s a little different where I live.. The only people I see driving VW's are 16 year old girls.

So that's where all the Beetles are being sold...

HFS: oy, next time, put a pic in for the yanks, kay? and that made me laugh, that car.

Go on then...

Though the one above might be a Rialto. And the one in the awful sitcom Only Fools and Horses was a Regal. They're all essentially pretty similar.

I've entertained the idea of buying a Robin for a laugh before. You can get perfectly sound ones for about £300. I'd probably get the VW badge off ebay...

 

[Prosthetic]

So that's where all the Beetles are being sold...

More like Jettas, Passats, Golf GTIs, and Eos's... (How they hell do your plural Eos?) And... with the occasional Beetle.. But the Beetles are usually driven by the same people that drive Prius.

 

[homeforsummer]

More like Jettas, Passats, Golf GTIs, and Eos's... (How they hell do your plural Eos?) And... with the occasional Beetle.. But the Beetles are usually driven by the same people that drive Prius.

Maybe it's a cunning strategy by Volkswagen to keep the guys interested in the new models: get high-school chicks to drive them.

Re: Plural of Eos... I'm tempted to say Eooooooooos.

 

[Jim Prower]

Eosses?

 

[homeforsummer]

Maybe just "Hairdressers' Golfs"?

 

[Jim Prower]

More like "Hairdresser's Jettas" but, eh close enough.

Does this make the Amarok the "Redneck Touraeg?"

 

[Tornado]

Maybe just "Hairdressers' Golfs"?

Wouldn't that be the Beetle Cabrio?

 

[Joey D]

A single cab version had been spied.

Spy Shots: Get Shorty - VW Amarok goes single-cab

Is the two-door, single-cab pickup truck a thing of the past? Sometimes it seems that way, and judging by the distinct lack of bench seats and long beds we see roaming the parking lots at the local Home Depot, most of us prefer an extra set of doors and a couple more seat belts in lieu of a lower price. Looking around the streets of small-town America, though, not to mention other countries that depend on the personal pickup truck, there's still a need for an honest-to-goodness little work truck – and that often means a single cab.

Volkswagen appears to realize this fact, and here are the spy photos to prove it. Somewhat surprisingly, VW doesn't seem the least bit concerned with camouflaging these single-cab Amaroks, despite the fact that the German automaker has so far only offered a dual-cab configuration. We have no idea when this two-door Amarok may hit the global market, but we'd expect to see the same 2.0-liter common-rail turbo diesel four-cylinder with 163 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and we still don't expect to see it in the U.S.

More photos here.

 

[buickgnx88]

I still think VW needs to try and sell it here. GM's offerings are fairly lackluster, the Ranger will be redesigned within the next couple years (VW could get a head start) and the current model is over a decade old, and Dodge's offering is closer to a full-size.

 

[Joey D]

They won't sell it in America because of the Chicken Tax.