Volkswagen's new Hilux, the Amarok

| Friday August 13, 2010 00:00

I invite you to look up the word 'superlative' in the dictionary and I also guarantee you won't find a picture of the 2010 Toyota Hilux next to it. This is for one of two possible reasons. The first being that dictionaries are obsolete the moment the glue on their binding dries up - maybe even before. The second possible explanation is that the Hilux is just not that good. Here is a hint: the first explanation is very, very wrong. Let's find out why after the jump.

The view that most Toyota Hilux drivers will soon be terrorized by. The brand new VW Amarok - note the family resemblance in the head light kink - brings the VW Golf and Polo models to mind, and why not?, its a family affair!

Ever since the inception of the Hilux approximately 40 odd years ago the Japanese motor giant has continued to enjoy consistent top shelf, even sometimes self lauded and magnanimous position as the pack leader-you most certainly have seen their adverts all over the country and major roads; 'toyota lead the way' along with their rather silly-red-ribboned human-toothed-like dog, not to mention my favorite one- 'Botswana is Toyota country'!

Well, that's how you advertise - not that they hardly need to do any advertising at all - when you are king of the hill. And that, my friend, without a doubt, is what the current Hilux and its iterations have been, king of the pickup hill.

Any new double-cab four-wheel-drive pickup, even the first and aspiring one from one of the world's most popular European car brands, must be prepared to tackle the almost invincible reputation of the Toyota Hilux head-on.

Well I say almost because of the recent technical fallouts that caused quite an uproar in the US and other major markets.  One third of all double cab sales are Toyotas, and they are driven by the Hilux's promise of indestructibility. It has survived even the antics of those explosive-obsessed loonies from the BBC's Top Gear to destroy it. Its constant appearance on the news screen as the truck of choice for Afghani and African warlords only serves to enhance its reputation, by miles.

Rugged and sleek are words I'm trying to fuse in one sentence without English purists hauling me bodily to grammar court! Well then to be politically correct, I say it appeals to both my feminine and masculine hormones in unequal measures but both well within their legal rights. I see Audi-ish Q7 door mirrors in there, but then again, I could be wrong.

Impressive looking piece of machinery from whichever angle, even with those old fashioned 80's looking double chrome roll bars at the rear. 

Car-like interior is a plus compared to the offerings that have been continually fed to the public actually the best interior for any pickup known in Africa, fullstop. The Touareg comes to mind; again it doesn't fall far from the family tree.

The naming game...Volkswagen wants a slice of that pie, and they want it in a very big way while they are at it. Comes in the Volkswagen (VW) Amarok.  A label with the Eskimo origin, Amarok is derived from the language of the Inuit, a tribe of Eskimos living in Northern Canada and Greenland and it means Arctic Wolf.

For the tribe of the Inuit, the wolf is the king of the wild world, an impressive figure for its strength, resilience and supremacy. It's also a name taken up by a couple of progressive rock bands in Europe, (hmmm indeed). It is also said that the name means 'he loves stones'- (how much more can a name say off-road?), in the Latin languages, which are spoken in the major markets in Brazil and Argentina.  In these markets, pickups are highly in demand as recreational and commercial vehicles due to their versatility. I can understand why because in southern Africa or most of Africa, these kind of vehicles are used as family cars - they have space for five adults to seat in comfort plus a large load bed behind to ferry most forms of luggage if and when the need arise.

They are also used as off-road going machinery, both for sporting and utility, with the former being the popular 'Mantshwabisi' Desert Race, a duel between man/woman and machine, popularly thought to separate men/women from boys/girls.

This name fits to a tee the characteristics of our utility, which will set new standards in its class. We took great care selecting this name, which can be used globally. The Amarok is meant to invoke positive associations in all relevant international markets and make a more convincing argument than its established competitor's right from the start,' says Stephan Schaller, CEO of the brand Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Brief history on VW and pickups...Volkswagen first tested the waters of pickup territory when they introduced the caddy, a 'citigolf' derived model with minimalistic features adorning it.  Of course there was the VW Taro that was a joint and a brief flirtatious venture with Toyota (how the tables turn!) and VW for its manufacture in 1987. Production of the vehicle started earnestly on 10, January 1989 with the first Volkswagen Taro rolling off the assembly line at the Hanover plant.

A further development was in 1995, when the new Caddy came onto the starting blocks and it was based on the golf. In South America, there has been continued production of a Volkswagen utility to this day, in the form of the Saveiro, specifically for that market. As Dean Sheed, the Volkswagen General Manager of New Zealand commented; 'Being able to offer customers an option outside of the current Asian (read Hilux, Navara and Hardbody, Mazda and Colt - now Triton) based Utes (pickup) will be ground-breaking territory for our brand.

Backed by a Ute heritage that dates back nearly three decades, along with Volkswagen's proven commitment to safety, performance, TDI diesel technology and environmental standards, we are extremely confident of upcoming success of the Amarok across the marketplace.'

Engine, drive-train and general specificationsBoth the Toyota Hilux and the VW Amarok are four door pickup trucks which almost have the same size, shape and dimensions of each other upon first glance. The newcomer is said to be powered by a comparatively risky choice of a small 2.0 liter turbo diesel engine compared to the Hilux's 3.0 D-4D lump, but those in the know claim that is no dent in the vehicle's appeal. They go on to dismiss the size opting to let the grunt speak for itself, and there is a lot of that, 400Nm of torque and a robust delivery throughout the rev range ensured by two stage turbo-charging, the 120kw Volkswagen punches well above its engine size. 

The Amarok's 0-100kmh claimed time of 10.8 seconds is right in Navara territory and around a second faster than the Hilux. 'Having a smaller engine pays dividends at the fuel pump. Volkswagen says most owners can expect the Amarok to consume an average of 7.8 liters per 100km when driven in a variety of city/ highway scenarios.

That's a substantial reduction from the 9.5 liters/100km claimed for the Toyota and Nissan, and Amarok comes closest of any double-cab diesel 4WD to breaking through the 200g/km CO2 barrier, at 206g/km,' Paul Owen says.  Not bad for a two tonner capable of carrying 1000kg of cargo while towing up to 2800kg.

So then, the Amarok was built specifically to harass Toyota's pride in Botswana and make a coup of the country, and elsewhere.  This has been tried before, fellow Japanese car maker Nissan have tried to dethrone the Hilux with the ' Mantshwabise' and the bigger, better Navara. Mitsubishi came to the party with an egg shape and already Ford felt the heat and decided to change noses, all in an effort to beat 'mokoko'. 

I enjoy competition, for as long as manufacturers continue battling it out and trying to outdo each other.  Bring on the Wolf; hopefully it's not just a mere sheep, or even worse, a goat in big bad wolf overalls!