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- We drive the Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 – It’s Fast!
We drive the Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 – It’s Fast!
Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 Driven Review
I’ll be honest, I don’t want to be that Bakkie guy. As an Englishman in South Africa, words such as “Bru” and “Voetsek” have already been adopted into my language. I feel like I’m holding onto my culture by the skin of my teeth and owning a bakkie would simply tip me over the edge, another tick on the scorecard.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to own one. I see all the benefits, the practically & space along with the offroad ability and pulling power, I also think they look pretty cool and really slot into the “South African” lifestyle pretty smoothly.
Sadly, after spending a week with the Volkswagen Amarok V6 Canyon addition, I’m fighting a losing battle. I’ve always been a fan of the Amarok, in my opinion, it’s one if not the best looking bakkie on the road and up until recently I’d never properly sampled the V6 variant.
So what’s the Amarok Canyon edition all about?
The first thing you’ll notice about thE Volkswagen Canyon Amarok V6 is the ‘Honey Orange exterior paint, it’s exclusive to the Canyon. I’m not the biggest fan of this color, but from those I’ve asked, it seems a fan favorite.
Black exterior trims such as the door handle, radiator grille, widening wheels arches, new design matte black styling bar and matte black side tubes add a nice contrast to the exterior color and improve the look. I’d love to see this spec with a white exterior color…but I don’t think that wish will be granted.
Finally, the Amarok canyon has massive arches, and I personally don’t think the 17″ Aragua alloy wheels fill said arches enough. In comparison to the vehicle, the alloys look small. The addition of bigger alloys or a meatier offroad tyre would really compliment the overall style.
The Amarok features an interior with technology more likened to one of its passenger vehicles rather than its commercial range, and the honey Orange theme is carried through with hints and splashes of the color in the seats, stitching, seatbelts and steering wheel.
How does the Volkswagen Amarok V6 Canyon Drive?
If you’re worried about lack of on-road performance when buying a bakkie, The Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 will cure your sleepless nights. With a 165kW and 550 N.m available all the time, the Amarok doesn’t hang around. It pulls like a trooper from the get-go, and in-gear acceleration makes the vehicle very pleasant to drive on the open road. On top of this, the 3.0 V6 has an over-boost mode, which produces a hefty 180 kW and 580 N.m for 1o seconds when you put your foot to the floor. Do this from stand-still and you’ll be a little taken aback – we were!
It’s very well known the Amarok is one of the comfiest bakkies around and this is no different with the V6 Canyon version. What’s even more impressive is that the Amarok runs a conventional leaf spring suspension setup, similar to that of many other ” workhorse ” orientated bakkies. The Amarok’s lifestyle competitors such as the Nissan Navara and Mercedes-Benz X-Class use a 5 link suspension system which is known to be much more comfortable and more passenger vehicle orientated. Having said this, the comfort margins between the Amarok and its direct competitors are negligible to say the least.
Coincidently, I needed to move around 30 boxes when I had the Amarok on test and the vehicle didn’t skip a beat under load and the braking was on point. I especially enjoyed the protected rear bin, it’s hardwearing and smooth making it a breeze to slide boxes and other items in and out.
The Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 runs with a permanent 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system which seems very capable. My only gripe would be that the gearbox is sometimes a little delayed when putting it into reverse and this causes the vehicle to roll forward slightly, and a letter from my body corporate asking why I ran over the newly planted bushes…
Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 Pricing in South Africa
Coming in at R799,000 the Amarok is not cheap, but what modern lifestyle bakkie is? For that price you get a very complete vehicle that can service you from a lifestyle, safety, family & work orientated lifestyle. There’s plenty of power on tap, along with creature comforts and luxuries to keep everyone satisfied. It’s my pick of the bunch and while I can’t imagine why you would need a faster Amarok, the 190kW version heading to our shores soon is really going to take the cake.
The Volkswagen Amarok Canyon V6 comes standard with a 3 year/ 100 000km manufacturer warranty, 5 year/ 90 000km Genuine Automotion Service Plan and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty.
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