SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.Touch on the manufacturer’s name and choose from the drop down list.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.

Launch report: Volkswagen Amarok double-cabs

This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.


Pics supplied

Amarok - the wolf, king of the wilderness

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday September 29, 2010

There, now you know. I asked and Bill Stephens, VWSA communications manager, explained. Amarok is Inuit for wolf and Eskimos call this lean and hungry canine the king of the wilderness. Fighting words indeed, but VW spokespeople point out that, as part of the company's 8-million km test programme, 35 Amaroks accompanied the Dakar Rally team. All 35 completed the course without any failures, most of them repeating sections a few times, dashing back and forth to fetch supplies and equipment.

The formula is tried and proven. Take a body on chassis configuration, add simple suspension with double wishbones and spring dampers in front and a rigid axle on leaf springs at the back, dial in plenty of ground clearance with short overhangs front and rear, and there you have it.

The engine used initially is a 1 968 cc, four cylinder turbodiesel developing either 120 kW/400 Nm in Highline form or 90 kW/340 Nm in Trendline versions. Models will be phased in gradually, starting with the range-topping double cab 4Motion Highline in the next couple of weeks, followed by its 4x2 sister, then the two Trendlines by the end of December. A 4x2 petrol version is expected early in 2011.

All variants are fitted with an easy-shifting 6-speed manual gearbox. The top ratio is intended for relaxed cruising, as my driving colleague on the day discovered. He was bowling along happily at (censored) km/h when he realised there was still another gear available.

The 4Motion name has been carried over from other models, but Amaroks use conventional 50:50 four-wheel drive, selectable on the fly. Low range requires the usual complete stop before selecting. The ESP system, standard on 4Motion versions and optional on 4x2s, incorporates brake assist, hill start/hill descent control and trailer anti-sway.  All models boast traction control, electronic differential lock, EBD, HVV (maximum rear axle deceleration), MSR (engine drag torque control) and mechanical locking for the rear differential.

The antilock braking system incorporates off-road ABS. This deliberately allows tiny amounts of wheel lockup in order to build up aggregate (what we peasants call gravel) in front of the wheels to aid braking. It not only stops the vehicle more quickly, but maintains steering control while doing so. It was fun to play with.

Standard equipment includes driver and front passenger airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchorages on the back seat, immobiliser and alarm, remote central locking, spare wheel security lock, lockable glove box, height adjustable front seats, folding rear seat, fabric seat covering, storage drawers under front seats, electric windows front and rear, electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, height and reach adjustable steering wheel, cruise control, front and rear fog lamps, 16" alloy wheels, air conditioning and a four-speaker sound system.

Highline models have two extra airbags, 17" wheels, leather-covered steering wheel, hand brake lever and gear knob, and an uprated sound system.  They also gain a second make up mirror on the driver's side. Listed among the options are larger wheels and when ordered on Trendline models, fairing of wheel arches is included automatically. Just remember that you cannot have this done if you decide to upgrade after delivery. The same applies to the no-charge option of heavy-duty suspension - order it upfront.

Most manufacturers of aftermarket accessories have approached VW for approval, but there are two important things to remember. The ESP program includes trailer antisway control, but be sure your tow hitch supplier uses the special VW wiring package that includes this feature. The other concerns bull bars. Pedestrian safety compliance requires a naked front end. If you add a bull bar, say goodbye to this and hello to possible litigation in future.

The load bin is claimed to be "biggest in class," accepting a DIN-sized pallet between the wheel arches. The cab is big, wide and spacious and the dash is clean and uncluttered. The material used is hard, rather than soft plastic, in the interests of durability. Seating (leather is optional) is comfortable, with more than one scribe commenting on absence of lower back pain after being at the wheel for extended periods.

The off-road drive was not hectic, but about what your average farmer or weekend adventurer would demand. This took place on ranger trails in the Baviaanskloof, home of Saartjie Baartman. Good to rough dirt roads, mild washaways, a shallow stream and a bed of smooth and rounded river rocks of the type gardeners love, was tackled with ease.

The numbers

Prices: R316 800 to R390 000

Engines: 1 968 cc four cylinder turbo or biturbo

Power: 90 kW at 3 750 rpm or 120 kW at 4 000 rpm

Torque: 340 Nm at 1 750 - 2250 rpm or 400 Nm at 1 500 to 2 000 rpm

Maximum speeds (claimed): 161 km/h to 182 km/h, depending on model

Acceleration to 100 km/h (claimed): 10,8 to 13,5 seconds, depending on model

Combined cycle fuel consumption (claimed): 7,7 to 7,9 l/100 km

Emissions class: Euro 3 (500 ppm diesel usable)

Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km

Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km

Intervals: 15 000 km

Ground clearance: 249 mm

Approach/departure/rampover angles: 28/23,6/23 degrees

For the single-cab launch, click here

Or for a mini test on the d/c, click here

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?

Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously. Contact me here

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