Volkswagen Amarok: A smooth ride

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

Taking time to familiarise yourself with the controls of a vehicle you are about to drive for the first time has always made sense. And it also makes sense to ask questions to avoid embarrassing yourself if you are not on top of the latest safety features - such as the need to keep both the clutch and brake pedals depressed while starting the 2012 Volkswagen Amarok.

After an assurance from ATL marketing executive Sloane Jackson that talks of my shutting off the vehicle in the parking lot of its Oxford Road, New Kingston, hub would remain there, I tried to recall all he had shared as I gingerly pulled out on the road. After all, it had been many years since I had chosen to drive a manual shift vehicle.

Don't follow my example, unless you really love to drive and are prepared to truly enjoy yourself. The fun of driving is back!

Voted the Australian 4x4 Magazine's 'Ute Of The Year 2011' the VW Amarok has managed to fuse tough towing power and smart technology in the first bi-turbo engine in the segment. Available in 120 and 180 horsepower engines, the 2012 Amarok seems set to steal a march on the other vehicles in its class. Admittedly at a power disadvantage (with most other engines starting at 2.2 litre), Jackson was quick to point out that VW technology has given the Amarok an advantage.

"We are using a 2-litre turbo charged that delivers almost the same power as their baseline models and in the 180 hp model we are using twin turbo - one turbo feeding into a longer range for the power," he said.

Nice gearbox

As I took the six-speed transmission through its paces, I began to really appreciate the short shift gearbox - the ease-of-change which facilitated quick response - as I moved up and down through the range of gears, from second to sixth. Pretending to listen to Jackson, I managed to retain some of what he said, such as the most advantageous thing about the Amarok being the fuel efficiency.

"Because of the smaller displacement of the engine and how it is set up you can get in excess of 37 miles per gallon. All our pickups can go over 1,000 kilometres on one tankful," he had explained.

So, who really cares about all that interesting and useful information unless you are a potential customer? I was being quickly won over by the speed, power and comfort of the drive as I overtook everything in my path (where it was safe to do so), glancing over to see if I recognised anyone so I could slow down and pretend the vehicle was mine.

It didn't happen.

One of the things that sets the Amarok apart from the pack for me is the simplicity of the controls, such as for switching to off-road mode and engaging hill. Another thing Jackson wanted to make sure I got out was that this is the only pick-up which is designed especially to facilitate a standard pallet, with built-in hooks to allow for strapping it in place.

Talk about technology! Jackson was quick and willing to do so. "All our cars come with GPS, full map of Jamaica, just plug in and set up ... . Touch screen, voice activated," he said.

In terms of product knowledge, Sloane Jackson makes an excellent marketing executive and if you have the time and money, take the time to engage him at ATL Automotive at their Oxford Road office. If you do nothing else, go for that test drive with him and then like me you will be able to say "the fun and excitement of driving is back!"