Test Driven ....

[2dr Evangalist]

Barloworld 5dock has their demonstrator. Its decalled up as a Dakar support truck, trendline with highline wheels, rollbar and steps.
It drives v v well. Front end is setup soft, back is firmer with just a hint of unladen kick. This is on std rear springs.
Clutch is light, but bites v close to the bottom of its travel. Gearchange is light but positive, and turning circle is pretty good.
Front seats are v comfy, only spent 35min in them so dont know how they will go on a long haul, but she was easy to place on a packed sat morn parramatta rd so that is a good start.

[phaeton]

Pictures ????

[2dr Evangalist]

Sadly no.....

[Ocy_RS_TDi_Kombi]

I test drove an Amarok on the weekend too. Quite nice steering & handling. The ride was great for truck capable of taking 1 tonne. The cabin was a nice place to sit (like any other VW car really) and its quiet too. But the performance disappointed me, I'd rate it 4 out of 10.

Now I'll probably get canned by people stating it's a truck not a car, but compared to our current Citroen C4 Picasso (2.0 turbo diesel with 6 speed auto weighting approx 1,700kg) and a ML Triton I had for a few days last year (current shape but with the 3.2 turbo diesel & 5 speed manual), the Amarok is slow. I'm not racing the thing, just talking day to day driving.

Below 1,500rpm there is really no go. Driving up a slight incline at approx 90km/h the gear shift told me to go to 6th which I did. At that point if you want any type of acceleration you need 4th and even then it wasn't great. By comparison our Citroen would kick down to 4th and rocket away and the Triton would have no issues with this in 5th (Triton does appox 2,000rpm @ 100km/h in 5th, Citroen 1,800rpm @ 100km/h in 6th - same the Amarok).

In normal traffic as other cars are accelerating, you would have to row the Amarok along to keep it up. At the lights I though a 2nd gear start would help with the acceleration (cause 1st is quite short) but each time I tried it stalled. Now I know you would get the hang of it eventually but the Triton started in 2nd no dramas.

As the Amarok weighs about 1,900kg it needs a large motor (not 2.0 litres) or an auto upon which the torque convertor can mask the lack of torque low down and move it along between gear changes. I know you can rev the motor, bring the twin turbos on and it goes OK, but its a diesel not a petrol turbo.

Cheers

[gavs]

Well dermot, you might need to hit me up, there is a nice few suspension goodies available now

[gmantrix]

had a test drive a week back, very impressed with styling, finish and size. This thing is larger than my crewman, and I was most surprised that the tub space is larger cos it looks decieving. Smooth driving through the gears, and gets up and goes reasonably well. I felt 1st gear is too short though. Overall a real good package.
Im not an off roader, though I get onto tracks etc where I ride my dirt bike, so this will suit my purpose. I also tow a boat (2.3t loaded) and this is where I have some reservation. I understand its twin turbo, the torque figures seem reasonable in comparison to opposition brands, though are we expecting too much out of a 2litre, bit dissappointing maybe it could have been larger capacity engine.
Am I being overly concerned...will it tow the 2.3t boat up the hills with ease?

[gavs]

It needs underbody protection too.

Hmmm, yes, yes it does....

[gavs]

had a test drive a week back, very impressed with styling, finish and size. This thing is larger than my crewman, and I was most surprised that the tub space is larger cos it looks decieving. Smooth driving through the gears, and gets up and goes reasonably well. I felt 1st gear is too short though. Overall a real good package.
Im not an off roader, though I get onto tracks etc where I ride my dirt bike, so this will suit my purpose. I also tow a boat (2.3t loaded) and this is where I have some reservation. I understand its twin turbo, the torque figures seem reasonable in comparison to opposition brands, though are we expecting too much out of a 2litre, bit dissappointing maybe it could have been larger capacity engine.
Am I being overly concerned...will it tow the 2.3t boat up the hills with ease?

Ok, I'm starting to get sick of hearing this over and over again. Cubic capacity counts for nothing, look at the turbo charged F1 engines in the 80's, over 1000bhp at 1.3 litres?! then look at a top fuel drag car, 400m, full engine rebuild, supercharged 13litres on nitro methanol and producing around 8000hp.

NO dual cab ute on the maket bar the new $65,000 Navara 550 will do this, but would you justify $65,000 for a datsun ute? People for get that 15 years ago, the hilux came with a naturally aspirated 2.4lt engine and people would be towing the same kind of weights in far less comfort and refinement. If it struggles up a hill in 6th, drop back to 4th and stay in the left lane, what's an extra 2 minutes going to really cost you, especially when you can get out of the car with no pain or aches after a 6 hour drive with a stop every 2 hours due to your legs going numb (thank you toyota for your crappy hilux SR5 and it's lack of comfort!)

[flyingfridge]

I've out-dragged a few HiLuxes over the last few days (They generally get the jump on me in first but as soon as I'm in second it's all over)

[gavs]

Sam is bang on correct. 25 degree incline, 800kgs in the tray, 80 kph, hilux SR5 manual screaming in 4th and going backwards in 5th, Amarok cruising up in 6th. The only advantage some of these competitors have is the auto gearbox which will generally put you in the right gear for the job.

[Ocy_RS_TDi_Kombi]

Ok, I'm starting to get sick of hearing this over and over again. Cubic capacity counts for nothing, look at the turbo charged F1 engines in the 80's, over 1000bhp at 1.3 litres?! then look at a top fuel drag car, 400m, full engine rebuild, supercharged 13litres on nitro methanol and producing around 8000hp.

Agreed, on paper the Amarok should have the goods, but on the road its just not there.

A 2.0 diesel motor (turbo or not) has approx 160nm torque at idle or below 1,500rpm. A 3.2 diesel (again turbo or not) would have 220nm torque below 1,500rpm. It makes all the difference in driveability and this where the Amarok lacks. My brother inlaw notices this in his Triton - he had a 3.2 t/d and now drives a 2.5 t/d. When towing the 2.5 t/d isn't as good as the 3.2 and says the 3.2 was nicer to drive - the 2.5 is peaky. The Amarok would be no different.

Also the Amarok peak torque (400mn) is higher than most 4X4 utes, but the example I drove just felt flat.

Cheers

[gmantrix]

Agreed, on paper the Amarok should have the goods, but on the road its just not there.

A 2.0 diesel motor (turbo or not) has approx 160nm torque at idle or below 1,500rpm. A 3.2 diesel (again turbo or not) would have 220nm torque below 1,500rpm. It makes all the difference in driveability and this where the Amarok lacks. My brother inlaw notices this in his Triton - he had a 3.2 t/d and now drives a 2.5 t/d. When towing the 2.5 t/d isn't as good as the 3.2 and says the 3.2 was nicer to drive - the 2.5 is peaky. The Amarok would be no different.

Also the Amarok peak torque (400mn) is higher than most 4X4 utes, but the example I drove just felt flat.

Cheers

my point Ocy, I have some reservation in towing my 2.3t boat with ease, not simply dropping gears, sitting on left lane (if lane choice is there) and watching every other %&# pass me up those hills. No issue with taking 2 mins longer, but being confident that this thing will tow with ease. btw, I did rate the Amarok well with all other aspects

maybe if the dealers are confident, they would allow me to test drive towing my boat??

[fouros]

i found it MUCH nicer to drive than my D40 navara, turning circle is heaps better , seats are WAAAY more comfortable just feels like its in a different league

[STIDUB]

just popped into bundamba VW after work, jumped into their demo model, didnt mind it to be honest, im not a ute person because i cant stand the feeling like im driving a tractor every day, compared to my cousins BT50 & previous bravo, hilux & triton its exceptionally comfortable, apparently it had the hardest springs optioned for it too, It feels HUGE, i told them ill be back with a trailer with my beetle on once its over 1000kms & has a towbar, ill be very curious if its substantially better than my tiguan, its acceptable to tow with but i wouldnt call it effortless, also curious what APR or similar can do for it...

[ntboozer]

I also had the chance to test drive a Highline on Saturday (thanks Sam). If I was in a position to buy now I would have my name on an order form .....but I must keep telling myself 'stick to the finacial plan man'
I was very impressed with the drive and more importantly so was the other half. She tagged along and to be honest I was expecting a heap of grief (she's not into 4x4 utes) however most comments were positive. On the 'not so positive' side she agreed with me on the following:
1. 'ocky straps' to hold the read seat base up looks 'very cheap',
2. having two pull tabs to fold the rear seat back down is a pain. If you're by yourself you'll need to 'chock' one side then go to the opposite side and release. Every time I tried it on Saturday (without chocking) had the lock re-engaging,
3. trim material used on the arm rest area of the door card looks very cheap - looks like some form of stocking material. It had me looking at how I could remove the door card and re-trim,
4. no ipod input for the stereo (that we could see) and no steering wheel controls for stereo (Sam did your tech guys work out if the loom will support the fitment of a MF wheel from a transporter etc?)

Cheers
nt