The Volkswagen Amarok pickup should now appeal to a wider potential customer base following the addition of a manual gearbox version to the range.
The six-speed manual gearbox is combined with the 204hp 3.0-litre diesel V6 engine and selectable all-wheel-drive, and will bring the cost of buying an Amarok down by more than £650 to £25,600 excluding VAT.
It will slot into the range as an entry-level model, sitting below the existing version which uses an eight-speed auto transmission and permanent all-wheel-drive.
In standard mode, the new version operates in rear-wheel-drive format and will hit 62mph from rest in 8.4 seconds – half a second faster than its automatic sibling. Combined cycle fuel economy is quoted at 32.5mpg, with CO2 emissions of 229g/km.
Crawler gear
The manual transmission also allows the addition of an off-road gear reduction function to allow extreme crawling pace for navigating complicated passages off-road or scaling particularly steep inclines of up to 100% (slope angle of 45°).
The manual version of the Amarok has a gross vehicle weight quoted at 3,200kg, braked trailer weight of 3,000kg, and a payload of 1,050kg.
The new model joins the auto version of the latest Amarok that went on sale in the UK in December 2016. A programme of updates included a refreshed external look, a new 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, an all-new interior and the addition of latest-technology infotainment systems and technology.
Volkswagen intends to extend the pickup range further, planning to launch a 163hp variant of the manual Amarok early next year.
Customers can place orders for the 204hp manual version at Volkswagen Van Centres now, with first deliveries expected in February 2018.
