If you're asked to name some of the most successful automakers, you'd likely include Volkswagen in the top ten of your tier list. The German automobile company has been delivering affordable and well-assembled cars with adequate safety and a cluster of gears. To name a few, the Jetta, the Beetle, the Golf, and the Touareg are considered among the ten best Volkswagen Cars.
Despite its magnificent presence in the automotive industry, Volkswagen hadn't shown a serious interest in the world of hefty pickup trucks up until 2010. The VW Amarok left everyone open-mouthed. No one had any idea that VW has an intuitive knack for producing rugged and cruel pickup trucks.
The Amarok is flexible enough to generously offer a spectrum of engine and layout choices. As it oozes outstanding performance and muscular, sporty looks, the VW Amarok was built to make some trouble for the likes of the Chevrolet Colorado, the Ford Ranger, the Toyota Hilux, and the Nissan Navara. From the beginning, VW's promising mid-size pickup truck was good enough to fulfill the critics' lofty expectations… and to stay out of the US borders.
Similar to the Toyota Hilux's boycott, the VW Amarok couldn't find a chance to unravel the nature of the US territory. Car And Drive made an attempt to find out the truth about the leading cause of the Amarok's forbiddance in the US, and thereby, inquired one of the Volkswagen executives in an interview. The answer? "It's too good and, therefore, too expensive."
Of course, there has to be a more appealing explanation for this, but before getting into it, let's figure out what has brought such a reputation to the VW Amarok.
A Powerful Powertrain Is The Key To Survive In Raw Adventures
When a car, especially a pickup truck, isn't allowed in a country, you best believe there's something unusual within the powertrain. The VW Amarok appears to be super functional, no matter where it is headed; it smoothly rides on peaks and valleys. Available in RWD and AWD, the VW Amarok offers a good variety of engine options, all fit for carrying around heavy loads.
The power comes out of whether turbocharged petrol and diesel I4s or a turbocharged diesel V6. The first two initially belong to VW' T5 van, but they're modified to give you enough torques to carry more than a ton of payloads. The high-end variant is a bi-turbo model tuned to produce 161 HP and an enormous 300 lb-ft. of torque.
Later on, the V6 option was added to throw the Amarok around the likes of Mercedes Benz X Class, making up to 2021 HP and 406 lb-ft. of torque. The engines could go with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The True Reason Why The VW Amarok Is In The US Blacklist
On the surface, the VW Amarok is well-fit for the vast pickup truck market in the US, but how come is that Americans missed the trick on this one? Can't say the chicken tax isn't the dominant reason. The chicken tax was executed initially in the '60s, initiating a twenty-five percent tariff on light trucks. That makes the VW Amarok cost almost $70,000, which sounds absolutely off the limit for most Americans; around $50,000 would get you a top-of-the-line model of the Chevrolet Silverado, and that's enough proof of how would the Amarok end in the US market.
Other than that, the Amarok wasn't meant to go on sale globally, dubbed "too premium for the US." That's due to the fact that the Amarok has little conformity with the US regulations on vehicles. In other words, the US auto market doesn't find the VW Amarok roadworthy, and the rift is too deep to be filled.
The Second Generation Of VW’s Versatile Pickup Truck Will Share A Lot With The Ford Ranger
The VW Amarok has been a smash hit, and that's true with each part of it. The exterior looks tough and appealing to truck-lovers. It's available in single cab and four-door crew cab, which added to its popularity in Europe and South America.
Moreover, The fully-fledged cockpit comes super comfortable. It's been upgraded with the newest technologies, including a 6.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. After all, some cars are not made for you, no matter how much you drool over them.
The good news is that the next-gen Amarok will be produced with the collaboration of Ford, which means Americans can also pick the VW Amarok over the other pickups on the market. Sharing the same underpinnings with the Ford Ranger, VW's mid-size pickup truck will finally sit among its rivals, and that sparks out intrigue.