• last year
We've driven a stack of all-new Volkswagen Amaroks, but haven't had a chance to get behind the wheel of a bi-turbo four-cylinder version yet! So now's our chance. Paul Maric drives the 2024 Volkswagen Amarok Life bi-turbo to see if it's any good.

Hardness tester, noise and lane keeping results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE

More Volkswagen content: https://www.carexpert.com.au/volkswagen
More Volkswagen Amarok content: https://www.carexpert.com.au/volkswagen/amarok

Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:59
Interior: 04:24
Infotainment: 06:05
Safety Tech: 07:45
Practicality: 08:25
On the Road: 11:05
Performance: 15:14
Verdict: 17:26

We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.

Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.

Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1

You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.

Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!

Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!

CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au

Paul Maric:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric

#volkswagen #amarok #review
Transcript
00:00 G'day, I'm Paul, Volkswagen Amarok.
00:02 I know we've reviewed a couple of these now,
00:03 but we haven't yet set foot in the four-cylinder diesel,
00:06 and that's what we're gonna do today.
00:07 This is called the Amarok Life.
00:10 It's one up from the base model.
00:11 The entry level actually has
00:13 slightly different diesel engine to this.
00:14 This one is, I guess, the media version of it.
00:17 This is priced at just under $57,000,
00:20 but if that's too expensive,
00:21 the entire Amarok range kicks off at just under 53 grand.
00:24 Now, this competes with things like Toyota Hilux,
00:27 Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, you know the culprits
00:30 in this segment, they're all there.
00:31 We actually shot a massive dual cab ute comparison,
00:34 so if you do wanna check that out,
00:35 click up here to watch that.
00:37 Today we're gonna do a detailed review of this car.
00:39 We are just gonna be doing on-road driving.
00:41 We will get one of these back with the all-terrains
00:43 to do some off-road driving as well.
00:44 If you do wanna skip ahead to other parts of this review,
00:47 you can use the time codes on the screen,
00:48 or if you're on YouTube,
00:49 you can scroll down and use the chapters below,
00:51 and if you haven't done so already,
00:52 subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon as well
00:54 so you can find out every single time
00:56 we review another dual cab ute.
00:58 Now let's chat exterior design.
01:02 You've got a number of colours to pick from.
01:03 Your optional colours, around $1,000.
01:06 I actually quite like the design of this a whole lot more
01:08 than that top-spec Aventura.
01:10 I think they've done a better job
01:11 with the colour combos here.
01:13 It's not sort of too in-your-face,
01:15 and it actually sort of looks premium,
01:16 but doesn't sort of look a little over the top.
01:18 So you've got that sort of brushed chrome look up here,
01:22 big Volkswagen logo just there,
01:23 and then that sort of grey-coloured silver look
01:26 down the bottom there as well.
01:27 So it's all sort of pretty straightforward.
01:29 Over here, you've got a set of full LED headlights.
01:32 You also have LED fog lamps hidden under there as well.
01:36 And as we whip around to the side,
01:38 have a look at these tyres.
01:39 So it's sitting on 17s,
01:41 but this is a very chubby profile, 70 profile tyres.
01:44 So this should actually ride really nicely.
01:47 I think I mentioned in the other Amarok reviews
01:48 that this was tuned slightly differently
01:50 to the Ranger product,
01:51 which means that it has its own sort of bespoke feel
01:54 behind the wheel,
01:55 and I'll be keen to see how different this feels
01:57 as well in comparison.
01:58 So wheel arch cladding up there.
02:00 I like this design.
02:01 So just differentiating it a bit
02:03 from other dual cab utes on the market,
02:04 you've got that little notch up the top there,
02:06 and it just looks classy, but off-road capable.
02:09 Up the top here,
02:10 you've got an indicator built into that wing mirror.
02:11 I have mentioned this before
02:13 in a number of dual cab ute reviews.
02:15 I really don't like these plastic sidesteps.
02:17 I just think they look a bit cheap,
02:18 and I think that they could perhaps at least offer
02:20 an option for something a little more stylized
02:24 and meatier down there.
02:25 No proximity sensing.
02:26 This is just a manual key to get in,
02:27 but you do get privacy glass.
02:29 This spec also gets rear disc brakes.
02:32 So you don't get disc brakes on the entry-level model,
02:34 but one step up from that brings you rear disc brakes.
02:37 The 4Motion sticker there,
02:38 because this is all-wheel drive.
02:39 Now around the back here,
02:40 you have incandescent globes,
02:43 so no LED in there.
02:45 Another 4Motion badge.
02:46 Amarok pressed into that tailgate.
02:49 I also like this.
02:50 So camera is central.
02:51 The reason this is a bit of a big deal
02:53 is there are a number of dual cab utes in this segment
02:55 that have the camera offset.
02:56 I think even the new Triton has the camera over here,
02:59 and it means that when you are backing into things
03:01 that nothing is ever aligned properly.
03:02 It has to be central to the tow bar.
03:04 So yeah, it is good that they've actually thought of that
03:07 and integrated that within the Volkswagen logo there.
03:09 Brake light just here,
03:10 reflected down the bottom there as well.
03:12 Another point just worth calling out as well,
03:14 it is useful having the brake light here
03:15 instead of up there on the cab,
03:17 because if you do actually fit a canopy,
03:19 this is then visible.
03:20 Whereas when it is up on the cab there,
03:22 you have to have a brake light fitted to the canopy itself.
03:25 So this is a much better setup.
03:27 3 1/2 tonne brake towing capacity,
03:30 and then a little sticky beak in the tray.
03:32 Now in here, you're gonna find no tray liner.
03:35 It is just bare in there.
03:36 You can get one installed if you do need to,
03:39 but load length of just over 1,500 mil,
03:41 load width of just over 1,200 mil,
03:43 and a payload of just under a tonne.
03:45 You've also got load hooks off to the side.
03:48 They have a light as well.
03:49 There is no 12-volt outlet off to the side here,
03:52 which I thought was interesting.
03:53 So you don't actually have anywhere
03:55 to connect power at the back here.
03:56 The panel is there.
03:57 So I guess you could run your own stuff if you wanted to,
03:59 but that is just something worth keeping in mind.
04:01 You do have a torsion bar down here as well
04:03 to make this easy to open and close,
04:05 and then a ruler built into here as well,
04:08 just for a bit of fun.
04:09 So what do you reckon about the Amarok in this spec?
04:13 I don't know, I just think that this is probably
04:15 the better proposition.
04:16 It is reasonably priced.
04:18 It comes with a fair bit of standard kit as well,
04:20 and I think it actually looks pretty good too.
04:21 So let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
04:24 Okay, so we are inside the Amarok Life.
04:27 This is what the key looks like.
04:28 You've got unlock, lock, and have a look.
04:31 It is a physical key.
04:32 So you can put that in the keyhole,
04:35 turn that to switch everything on.
04:37 So just in terms of appearance here,
04:40 the first thing I notice is it has a lot of these
04:43 pretty sort of scratchy surfaces along the top there,
04:47 and then all the way down as well.
04:49 Probably not such a bad thing,
04:50 given this is at the entry level,
04:51 and that kind of follows on here with the materials
04:54 they use in the rest of the cabin.
04:55 It is sort of very much built for the worker, I think,
04:58 someone who doesn't mind getting their vehicle dirty
05:01 and actually using it for work purposes.
05:03 So I guess if that is your task,
05:05 that's not such a bad thing,
05:06 but it definitely doesn't feel as premium
05:09 as some of the more expensive Amarok variants.
05:11 But I guess that's just worth pointing out.
05:14 Now, in terms of your touch points,
05:15 so that is nice and soft,
05:17 and very nice and soft on the door as well.
05:20 How soft are they?
05:21 Well, we've got our durometer.
05:23 We've tested the main surfaces in this cabin.
05:25 If you wanna see how this car compares to others
05:27 that we've tested before,
05:28 have a look at the link in the description below.
05:30 Now, build quality.
05:31 A bit wonky there in the center,
05:35 and you can see it kind of moving around there.
05:37 One thing I did notice,
05:38 the seat that I'm sitting on at the moment,
05:39 the fabric here is already bunching up,
05:42 which I don't think is very good
05:43 for a car that is 1,500 kilometers old.
05:45 Also notice some inconsistent gaps
05:47 up the front there as well.
05:48 So I mentioned in, I think, our first Amarok review
05:52 that build quality of the early cars
05:54 doesn't seem to be amazing,
05:56 and hopefully that is something that they will address
05:58 as customer cars start running through.
06:00 And our door slam is what it sounds like.
06:02 (door slamming)
06:05 Now, let's chat infotainment.
06:07 So the lower grades of Amarok get a smaller screen here.
06:10 So this is a 10-inch screen instead of the large one.
06:12 So you can see that bezel around the edge there,
06:15 finished in piano black,
06:16 takes up the room where the screen would normally be.
06:19 But just like the Ranger,
06:21 this smaller screen actually is faster
06:24 and works better than the larger screen.
06:25 So as you're sort of going between the menus
06:27 and stuff like that,
06:28 it's not as laggy as the bigger screen is,
06:30 which I think is a bit of a bonus
06:32 because there's no point having a bigger screen
06:34 if it's just going to be laggy and annoying.
06:36 But unfortunately, this still does have the downfalls
06:39 of the bigger screen in Amarok
06:40 because you don't actually have any real shortcuts here
06:44 for key items.
06:44 So for things like turning off stop/start,
06:47 you've got to go into this menu,
06:48 then you've got to go into turn stop/start off.
06:51 Same with climate control.
06:53 If you do want to close your air vent,
06:55 you've got to go into the climate menu,
06:56 then press that button.
06:57 There's no sort of easy way to do it.
06:59 There's no temperature control down here either.
07:01 You have to do that here on the screen.
07:02 So a little bit frustrating,
07:04 but I guess it is what it is.
07:06 Hopefully they can fix that in the future
07:07 with a software update.
07:09 On the radio front, you have AM/FM, DAB digital radio.
07:12 That is plumbed through a six-speaker sound system.
07:14 Sound system's okay, so nothing sort of too crazy.
07:17 You also have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
07:20 Apple CarPlay is wireless.
07:21 This is what it looks like.
07:23 It's a nice big integration there.
07:25 Very nice and quick as well.
07:27 This is what Android Auto looks like.
07:28 So that is wireless as well.
07:30 Full screen integration.
07:32 Nice and snappy too, very impressive.
07:34 Head of the driver is a smaller eight-inch display.
07:36 It's also pretty straightforward.
07:38 You have LEDs on either side
07:39 for fuel and engine temperature.
07:41 And then the center is all dedicated to speedometer
07:44 and also trip computer.
07:45 Let's talk safety tech.
07:46 So you have autonomous emergency braking
07:48 with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
07:50 You have an auto-dimming rear vision mirror.
07:53 You've got radar cruise control.
07:55 You've also got a blind spot monitor
07:56 built into the wing mirror.
07:58 Rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors,
08:02 and a reverse view camera.
08:03 I'll show you what that looks like.
08:05 So let's go over here into camera.
08:08 So the quality isn't actually too bad.
08:10 So you can kind of see what's going on
08:11 on the suitcase there,
08:12 but I do love the fact that that is centrally aligned.
08:15 You then can also zoom in as you're approaching the trailer
08:18 to get a proper guidance into that, which is pretty good.
08:22 This is what the horn sounds like.
08:23 (horn honking)
08:26 Let's check practicality
08:27 and we'll start off with your connectivity.
08:28 So down here, you've got yourself a USB-C port, a USB-A port.
08:33 You have a 12-volt outlet.
08:35 Got another USB-A port up here for dash camera.
08:38 Wireless phone charger down here, which is good news.
08:41 In terms of storing your phone,
08:42 you can whack it down there
08:43 or you can pop it over here if you want as well.
08:46 Bottles and cups and stuff.
08:48 So coffee cup can go into here.
08:50 Now I've mentioned this before in our other Amarok reviews,
08:53 but in the Ranger,
08:54 they have the cup holders over on this side,
08:56 which means it's easier to get your drink out here.
08:59 Kind of have to tilt down
09:01 and awkwardly pick that up while you're driving
09:03 and it is not the best spot for it.
09:05 But you do have teeth down there
09:06 to hold your bottle in place.
09:08 That fits in without any dramas.
09:10 Fits inside the door as well.
09:13 Big bottle too.
09:14 Yes, that fits inside the door too.
09:18 Turns your other storage,
09:19 you've got this center console here,
09:20 which is nice and deep.
09:22 You've also got a glove box down here,
09:24 which is pretty reasonably sized
09:26 and then a secondary glove box up the top here.
09:28 You've got this little nook up there
09:30 and then finally a sunglasses holder up here.
09:32 Now comfort, you have single zone, manual climate control.
09:36 So all done through this screen
09:38 and then you can adjust the temperature there as well
09:40 to get it outside of the bitterly cold temperature
09:43 that it is outside right now.
09:45 But outside of that,
09:46 there's nothing sort of too special there.
09:47 The seats, they are really comfortable
09:49 despite that sort of fabric issue I mentioned before,
09:51 but they do offer fully manual adjustments
09:54 with manual height control as well.
09:57 And then in addition to that,
09:59 you have steering that offers both tilt
10:01 and reach adjustment.
10:04 And on our reach test,
10:05 all of this stuff is really easy to reach
10:07 while you're driving.
10:08 Now, before we hop in the back,
10:10 I just wanna run you through how this all works.
10:13 Now under here, you have a little bit of storage.
10:15 So you can see there, they've got a jack,
10:16 tow bar, pop a couple of odds and ends in there if you want.
10:20 And behind here,
10:21 this is where you're gonna find your top tether points
10:23 as well, plus a little bit of extra storage.
10:25 Do keep in mind that you only have
10:27 two top tether points here.
10:28 This one and that one over there.
10:30 This is just for the seat to connect back in.
10:32 Now, what's it like in terms of space?
10:35 Let's climb on in.
10:36 Okay, so it's actually not too bad.
10:39 My seat is pretty far back.
10:41 Tower room is a little bit compromised,
10:43 but knee room is fine and head room is pretty good as well.
10:46 No air vents back here, which is pretty disappointing.
10:49 You do have a 12 volt outlet though,
10:51 and two map pockets just there.
10:54 You've got a center arm rest here
10:56 with two cup holders as well.
10:58 Now, what about the window?
11:00 So it's auto up and down.
11:01 Look at that, it goes all the way down.
11:04 Very impressive.
11:05 We've just hit the road in the Amarok Life.
11:12 So yeah, this engine's gonna be pretty familiar.
11:14 It is the same engine they use
11:15 in the four cylinder range of the Biturbo.
11:18 So two liter turbo charged four cylinder diesel,
11:22 makes 154 kilowatts of power, 500 Newton meters of torque,
11:26 and it's mated to a 10 speed automatic transmission.
11:30 It is worth keeping in mind as well,
11:31 that even though this has a four motion sticker
11:33 on the side there, it actually runs predominantly
11:36 in two wheel drive high range.
11:38 You can only use four wheel drive high range
11:40 when you are on unsealed surfaces.
11:42 That is because you're getting a 50/50 torque split
11:45 between the front and the rear,
11:46 and you can actually do a lot of damage
11:48 if you're driving in four wheel drive high range
11:49 on a sealed surface for extended periods.
11:52 And also it is just worth pointing out as well,
11:54 we've actually done a fair bit of off-road testing
11:56 in the Amarok too.
11:57 So if you wanna see how the off-road performance
12:00 of the Amarok is, click up here
12:02 to watch our Amarok off-road video.
12:05 Now, what does all that feel like behind the wheel?
12:07 Let's give it a little punch here.
12:09 Now look, it's a nice healthy slab of torque.
12:13 It's not going to sort of pull your face off,
12:16 but the gearbox is pretty nice and responsive,
12:19 and you can just lean on it,
12:20 and it starts sort of accelerating away nicely
12:22 without sort of too many dramas.
12:24 Now let's talk fuel economy.
12:25 So Volkswagen claims a combined average
12:27 of around seven litres per 100 Ks.
12:30 We are currently sitting on 8.5 litres per 100 Ks,
12:35 which I reckon is actually a pretty sort of decent number.
12:37 There, I'm quite happy with that
12:38 given that it has been driven around pretty hard this morning
12:41 so yeah, pretty impressed with that.
12:42 Okay, sine wave time.
12:44 I'm gonna dial up 130 Ks an hour.
12:47 We'll see what this is like over our sine waves.
12:49 It's interesting.
12:52 It feels about on par with the Ranger there,
12:54 despite the tyre choice being different here.
12:56 So it seems to me like they have
12:59 pretty similar suspension tune.
13:01 So it does get a fair bit of lift,
13:02 but it's nothing outrageous.
13:04 We did find with the Aventura
13:05 that it just left the ground when it hit those sine waves.
13:08 So this seems to be tuned for that payload carrying capacity
13:13 as opposed to that sort of softness.
13:15 Okey-dokey, time for our bumpy road test.
13:18 So we do this at 90 Ks an hour.
13:20 It is a very bad road.
13:22 Worst road in Australia.
13:24 So let's see what this feels like.
13:26 And then we've got a condensed sine wave as well.
13:28 It's interesting.
13:31 It's got a soft sort of edge to it,
13:32 but it is a little bit firm and bouncy.
13:35 Here's our condensed sine wave.
13:36 We'll see what it's like across here.
13:38 Makes the living daylights out of the car,
13:43 but yeah, look, it's fine.
13:45 I think if you're to attack a corrugated road
13:47 or something like that, it'll be fine.
13:49 It is probably just a little firmer
13:50 than I thought it was going to be
13:52 across this type of terrain.
13:53 Now just in terms of road noise,
13:55 outside of the engine making the noise inside the cabin here,
13:57 the tires are actually pretty good.
13:58 So this uses Continentals.
14:00 The Ranger uses a different brand of tire.
14:02 And this to me, I'm going to have to look back at the numbers,
14:04 but this to me sounds like it actually introduces
14:07 less noise into the cabin
14:09 when we put it up against our calibrated sound meter.
14:12 Now you don't have any on-road drive modes.
14:14 You've got normal, eco, tow haul, and slippery,
14:17 but let's go for a bit of a fang around
14:19 our ride and handling circuit
14:21 and just see how this feels with a bit of speed on board.
14:24 It is very wet out here today,
14:26 so maybe a little bit sketchy, but should be fine.
14:31 Now it is interesting, even being as damp as it is,
14:33 these tires feel like they have a whole lot more traction
14:37 available than they do in the Ranger.
14:39 And I think that Volkswagen has gone down the path
14:41 of selecting a more sort of SUV-oriented tire
14:45 as opposed to an off-road focused tire.
14:47 And I think that's actually paying dividends
14:49 because you're getting less road noise.
14:51 And here on our ride and handling track,
14:53 which is fairly unforgiving in the wet,
14:56 it is actually holding on really nicely.
14:58 So really impressed with this.
14:59 And this chassis in general is actually quite good
15:03 in terms of how much road holding you get out of it.
15:05 I think they've done a great job here.
15:07 It's unladen, two-wheel drive.
15:08 It is really just holding on beautifully.
15:10 So yeah, excellent job on the ride and handling front.
15:14 Okay, time to do a little bit of performance testing.
15:16 Now before we do it,
15:17 I wanna tell you about Help Me Car Expert.
15:19 Car Expert is a massive company.
15:21 It's not just me and Igor and Sean doing video stuff.
15:24 We have a network of vetted dealers across Australia
15:27 that can get you great deals on cars that are in stock.
15:31 So all you need to do is head to Google,
15:32 type in Help Me Car Expert,
15:34 and then we will take care of the rest from there.
15:37 Okay, so let's do some performance testing.
15:40 I wanna see how this goes to 100.
15:42 I'm gonna turn off traction control
15:44 and we'll see how it goes.
15:45 I'll just dial up some revs.
15:46 There is no sport mode.
15:47 And then we will see what happens.
15:49 We'll go all the way through to 120.
15:51 So here we go.
15:52 We'll slip off the line there.
15:59 It is unfortunately wet outside,
16:01 but we'll see how we go.
16:03 So there's 100.
16:06 And there's 120.
16:10 So I'll bring it up to a stop.
16:12 Zero to 100, 9.59 seconds,
16:15 which I think is pretty good
16:16 given we had wheels slip off the line there.
16:18 And then 80 to 120, 7.11 seconds,
16:21 which isn't too bad.
16:23 Yeah, look, it's okay.
16:24 I mean, that is where you're gonna fall down
16:26 with a four-cylinder.
16:27 A V6 will really give you that extra headroom
16:29 between 80 to 120,
16:30 which is your overtaking and that kind of thing.
16:32 All right, let's head back
16:33 and do a stop from 100 k's an hour.
16:35 All right, here we go.
16:38 All right, it is worth keeping in mind.
16:42 It is very patchy and wet out there.
16:45 So let's see how we go.
16:47 So 100 to zero, 3.43 seconds and 47.55 meters.
16:52 So yeah, not a great stopping distance,
16:55 but yeah, given it is so wet out there,
16:58 there's not much we can do about that.
17:00 Now, if you do want more information on the app
17:02 that we use for performance testing,
17:03 have a look at the link in the description below.
17:05 And if you do wanna see how the Amarok compares
17:07 to other dual cab units that we've tested before
17:09 in terms of performance results,
17:11 head to the link in the description.
17:12 Now, reverse acceleration test.
17:15 So turning to reverse, hit the throttle.
17:18 (car engine roaring)
17:22 We're gonna go 43 kilometers an hour.
17:25 (upbeat music)
17:28 So Amarok life, what do we reckon?
17:30 Look, to be honest, out of all the Amaroks I've driven,
17:32 this one is actually pretty good.
17:34 It kind of balances pricing and features.
17:36 It kind of gives you everything that you need
17:38 and it just delivers with that 500 newt meters of torque
17:41 from the four cylinder engine.
17:42 So I think this is probably the sweet spot in the range.
17:45 I really would love it if they'd offer
17:46 that four cylinder petrol in a spec like this as well.
17:48 I think it'd sell really well.
17:50 Things I didn't like though,
17:51 look, it was just those quirks that I've mentioned before
17:53 in our other Amarok reviews, like the build quality.
17:55 Just think some of that still definitely made some work
17:57 and also just not being able to access
17:59 some of those critical controls
18:00 that diving into the menus.
18:02 Outside of that, it does everything really well.
18:04 So let me know in the comment section below,
18:06 have you bought an Amarok?
18:07 Are you waiting for delivery?
18:08 What's it like?
18:10 How's it all going?
18:11 If you did enjoy this video,
18:12 please make sure you like and share it with your mates.
18:15 And if you haven't done so already,
18:16 subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon.
18:18 But until next time, take it easy.

Recommended