Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has released camouflaged pictures of its all-new 2022 Amarok Ute while on test in Europe before its global market release later this year.
The manufacturer says the vehicle was designed and conceived in Germany and Australia and will be built in South Africa at the Ford plant in Silverton, Pretoria.
The base model will simply be known as an Amarok, followed by the more upscale Life and Style variants.
The top specification off-road focussed Amarok model will be called the PanAmericana, while the top specification on-road focussed Amarok model will retain the familiar Aventura sub branding.
At 5,350 mm the new Amarok is 100 mm longer than its predecessor. A wheelbase of 3,270 mm equates to an increase of 175 mm – providing more space in the cabin. The payload is also increasing to up to 1.2 tonnes and a maximum towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes is now possible across more engine/gearbox variants.
The new Amarok provides a significantly greater fording depth as well as improved arrival and departure clearance angles when driving off-road.
Dependent on the market, one petrol and up to four different diesels with four to six cylinders and cubic capacity of 2.0 to 3.0 litres will be available – optionally with rear-wheel drive, or on- demand or permanent all-wheel drive.
Enhanced safety, meanwhile, is provided by more than 30 driver assist systems, of which 20 are completely new to the Amarok.
The pick-up’s exterior design has a powerful and charismatic form according to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
“For the new generation we have significantly modified the Amarok’s archetypal design. It is now unambiguously more expressive and once again appreciably more impressive,” says Albert Kirzinger, Head of Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
The new front section is a statement in itself. Striking: the straight and very upright bonnet with a clear brand DNA. Charismatic: the horizontal, upper radiator grille crossbars with the concisely integrated, narrow LED headlights, which are standard for all versions.
Optional ‘IQ.Light – LED matrix headlights’ underline the Amarok’s high-tech look. Below the bars the radiator grille unit merges depending on version into a horizontal division of the front section or into an X- shaped design on the top specification models.
The half-round wheel arches of the previous model are continued. The top of the arches forms a practically straight rather than a circular line – a typical Amarok characteristic. The wings above the up to 21-inch alloy wheels and all- terrain tyres (available for the first time as standard) have a powerful look.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ new pick-up is striking from the rear too. The wide tailgate is framed by the standard LED rear lights, and the word ‘Amarok’ is embossed across the tailgate’s full width.
As in the previous model, in the new Amarok there is sufficient space on the cargo bed between the wheel arches for a euro pallet to be loaded in sideways and strapped in place through the robust lashing rings.
With its intuitive controls, digital cockpit and tablet-style infotainment display, the Amarok’s interior has a functional yet high-quality appearance says Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Further contributing to this as options are an exclusive sound system, the elegant leather-look surfaces of the instrument panel and door panels with distinctive decorative stitching.
The vehicle’s premium positioning is matched by the seating. It gives all passengers the customary Volkswagen comfort: drivers and front-seat passengers sit in the new Amarok on comfortable, wide seats, which can optionally be configured with electric, 10-way adjustment. The rear also offers plenty of space for three adult passengers.
More than 830,000 units of the current generation of Amarok have been sold to date in Europe, South America, South Africa and Oceania.
The new Amarok will launch at the end of 2022 in the first few countries with a four-door double cab, and in some markets with a two-door single cab.
