Road test: Volkswagen Amarok Aventura

Jul 09, 2023

The newly refreshed Volkswagen Amarok is already proving a decent seller, notching some 300 units sold since May, when the new one arrived. There are four new models to choose from but the most popular is the posh, lifestyle-oriented Aventura.

We’ve already had a look at the mid-range Style so I won’t go over the details of the new Amarok in too much ... er ... detail. But, I will cover the basics.

As you might have heard, this time around Ford and VW are sharing hardware for their new utes. Ford has donated its second-generation T6 platform along with its engines, which Volkswagen then took and draped in its own fineries with some bespoke mechanical tuning to set the two vehicles apart.

That deal might seem a little one-sided but Volkswagen will help Ford out in other parts of the commercial vehicle world, set to include some MEB-based EVs.

For the Aventura, this means plenty of leather in the cabin, tyres aimed more at the tarmac than the gravel, more chrome, a body-colour sailplane, roof rails, a heated steering wheel, and premium floor mats.

Folks familiar with the Ranger might recognise the massive touchscreen in the middle of the dash, and they’d be right, it’s another Ford donation but with a Volkswagen skin applied overtop. It’s also the source of just about the only gripes I have with the Amarok.

One, it really doesn’t like phone mirroring. The system is slow to connect, and will often drop the connection entirely until you restart the car. A couple of times the screen didn’t even turn on, which meant I couldn’t change the music (aside from using the steering wheel controls) or adjust the temperature until I could turn it off and on again.

At the end of the day, these are (presumably) easy fixes through software updates.

To be clear, those issues are present on the Ranger too. But I do like that the Ranger has physical temperature controls underneath the screen, something VW ditched.

Under the bonnet is Ford’s lovely new-to-Ranger diesel-fed turbocharged V6. It produces 184kW/600Nm, sent to all four wheels through a ten-speed automatic transmission. It’s a peach of an engine too, incredibly smooth for an oil-burner and a marked upgrade over the 2.0-litre biturbo. And VW’s old V6 as well, now that I think about it.

The torque flows freely pretty much from idle and the ten-speed feels much more at home here than it does paired with the biturbo – less busy, happier to stick in a lower ratio and let the engine work. It can get slightly caught out if you stamp it at low speeds but not for long. The Amarok isn’t really designed for stamping it anyway.

There isn’t a sport mode but you can manually set the gear via the little rocker on the gear shifter to keep the engine spinning faster for better throttle response and access to the meaty torque range. The engine doesn’t rev high, keeping it between 2000 and 3000rpm seems to be the sweet spot.

Being the range-topper, the Aventura also gets a fantastic new 4x4 system with 2WD, 4WD in high/low range and a new ‘4A’ option that lets the computer figure out where to send the power to best maintain traction and stability.

It’s bloody good too – 4A is fine for most driving, dialling the front axle right back until it’s needed to keep fuel usage down but bringing it back in without any noticeable change in driving behaviour.

Towing is rated at the full 3500kg so don’t worry about bringing the boat or not, but if you can get away without pulling something behind you, the Aventura probably has the best steering and handling of the current ute class. I know I just said the Amarok isn’t really designed for stamping it, but it still drives well.

The ride in the Aventura is also better than the Ranger in my opinion, but that could also be down to the plushness of the Aventura. Or it could be the ‘Comfort Suspension’ standard on the Aventura and PanAmericana models.

And if you do want to go off the beaten track, you can. Within the limits of the tyres, of course. The Aventura has the same 30-degree approach and 26-degree departure angles as the rest of the range, the same 800mm wading depth and the same 217mm of ground clearance.

As good as the Aventura is as a ute that will likely see everything between mountain bike trails and suburbia, it does come at a cost.

Clean Car fee inclusive, $96,555 is a lot of money. But as the registration figures show, people are willing to pay for a high-quality, do-it-all truck.

I guess the question really comes down to how much you value off-road performance – in which case, check out the PanAmericana, which gets different 18-inch wheels, all-terrain tyres, more black bits, and special decals along the sides. There’s also the slightly cheaper Ford Ranger Platinum, as a lifestyle-oriented Ford-badged alternative.

Bonus images