Even though it’s not on sale in the world’s largest market for pickup trucks, the Amarok is a no-nonsense workhorse that isn’t afraid of getting down to business. In addition to the capable chassis, the Amarok also features one of the most powerful engines in the segment, coming in the guise of the 258-PS 3.0 TDI V6.
Tipping the scales at 2.28 tons, the Amarok with the range-topping turbo diesel also has 580 Nm (406 pound-feet) of torque. The rotational force in this application is enough for the mid-size pickup to tow the CAF Urbos 3, a tram that tips the scales at 42.9 tons. The feat, thought up by Volkswagen of Hungary, sees the Amarok do the impossible although the wheels struggle to find traction in the first part of the clip.
The promo video was filmed in Debrecen, the second largest city in Hungary after the capital of Budapest. It’s hard to understand what VW will gain from this promo from a commercial standpoint, but from the point of view of marketing, pulling a tram with the combined weight of more than 18 Amarok V6 models fits the bill.
Over in Volkswagen’s home market of Germany, the Amarok with the range-topping engine starts at €51,384 for the Highline trim level and €58,072 for the Aventura. Coming as standard with 4Motion four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Amarok in these two grades blurs the line between an honest-to-God work truck and lifestyle-oriented vehicle intended for adventurers.
Even though the Amarok isn’t available in the United States, the peeps at Volkswagen are expected to bring the Atlas Tanoak pickup concept to the market at some point in the future. The Atlas Cross Sport concept has been confirmed for production at the Chattanooga factory in North America in 2019, and based on the theoretical capacity of the plant, there’s room there for an MQB-based, unibody truck as well.
If the Atlas Tanoak morphs from concept to production reality, Volkswagen will market it against the likes of the Honda Ridgeline. Hyundai is also working on a mid-size pickup for the U.S., previewed by the 2015 concept called Santa Cruz.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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