THE Volkswagen Amarok pick-up, one of the most car-like pick-ups on the market for driving, has been face-lifted for 2017 and given a heart transplant – and is now available to order from Volkswagen Van Centres.
The Amarok’s old 2.0-litre TDI has been replaced by a 3.0-litre V6 TDI – the first six-cylinder in the pick-up segment.
How much tax can you save running a pick-up?
- Find out more about company double cab pick-up tax.
The range-topping version has a clever over-boost function, taking the power from 220bhp to a hot hatch-rivalling 236bhp. This means a top speed of 119mph and 0-60mph acceleration in just 8 seconds.
But unlike a hot hatch or even an estate, it’s got great go-anywhere abilities for those who enjoy physical leisure pursuits – and can save a stack on benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax by comparison. Like the sound of £53 a month?
For the current tax year 2016-17 the benefit in kind on a double cab pick up is £3,170. So if you pay tax at 20% that’s just £634 a year – £53 a month – or £1,268 p.a. for a 40% tax payer. Not bad!
Combining car-like comfort and technology with full off-road capability, UK customers can choose from selectable (with manual gearbox) and permanent (with auto) 4MOTION four-wheel drive. An optional mechanical rear-axle differential lock is also available for demanding off-road use.
Despite the big change under the bonnet, exterior changes to the outside of this pick-up – winner of our sister site Business Vans ‘Best Pick-Up’ title for the past two years – are limited to the reshaped front bumper and new fog lights, revised alloy wheel designs and the third rear brake light is now LED.
Inside, there’s most of the standard features you’d expect in a Volkswagen car, with a new centre console and the latest MIB touch-screen infotainment system. Bluetooth and DAB radio are now part of the standard kit, with options including navigation, Guide & Inform, Car-Net and App-Connect systems.
The latest Amarok isn’t just about all the standard kit, there’s a comprehensive list of safety equipment too, with four airbags, Electronic Stabilisation Programme and Volkswagen’s award-winning Automatic Post-Collision Braking System all included.
UK trim levels mirror the previous generation and run from the Startline, Trendline, Highline and Aventura special edition – of which just 240 examples will be available.
Additional special kit for the Aventura includes bi-xenon headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights, plus 19-inch alloy wheels with 255/55 wide tyres and arch extensions, matt black Durabed coating for the bed and load box.
It also comes with a Discover Media navigation system with mobile online services, ParkPilot automatic parking system with front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. This model is available in exclusive Ravenna Blue metallic paint finish.
Prices for the Amarok start at £32,493 for the Trendline with 204 PS, up to the limited edition Aventura launch model costing £39,381.
Of more interest to business buyers, are the current Double Cab Tax Rates, which means the benefit in kind tax you pay on this Amarok double cab pick-up is a lot less than if you drove a conventional company car.
Currently, HM Revenue & Customs classifies these pick-ups as vans – as long as they have a payload of one tonne (1000kg) or more – payload being the vehicle’s gross weight, less its unoccupied kerb weight.]
