Named after the rugged desert of South America to emphasise its off-road abilities, the new Volkswagen Amarok Atacama is now available to order from Volkswagen Van Centres.
Even for the high level of specification, the £26,850 asking price for the Amarok Atacama looks like rather a lot of money.So what do you get?
Atacama spec
The new Volkswagen Amarok Atacama will feature the bi-turbo version of the 2-litre unit, which generates up to 178bhp and 420Nm of torque. Available in three colours (Candy White, Horizon Blue and Deep Black), the Amarok Atacama comes with a raft of design and styling features that give it a striking look.
Exterior styling
Bi-xenon headlights have been fitted and new, bulky rear styling bars and rear bumper have been finished in a glossy black. New 19-inch ‘Cantera’ alloy wheels give extra traction off-road and the load bed features a ‘Durabed’ protective coating, while distinctive black foil finish on the B-pillars and unique ‘Atacama’ side decals complete the design package.
In the cab
A luxurious ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery lines the front and rear seats, and a newly designed leather multi-function steering wheel are the biggest changes on the inside. The infotainment system (which includes standard RNS310 sat-nav system) can connect through Bluetooth and there’s a Climatronic two-zone air conditioning.
Availability and prices
The Volkswagen Amarok Atacama is limited to a run of 500 editions, and they are available to order from any of the 72 Volkswagen Van Centres nationwide.
All Volkswagen Amaroks come with a three year or 100,000-mile warranty and service intervals are set at every 25,000 miles or two years. For just short of £27,000, it’s very expensive, especially considering newer special edition models like the Isuzu D-Max Fury for under £20,000.
So should I buy one?
Over the next 18 month, the pickup market is set to experience huge change (read Six New Pickups for 2015 and 2016) with more manufacturers entering the market and new generations of existing vehicles.
Even the Argentinian-built Volkswagen Amarok is starting to near the end of its life cycle and is set to receive a facelift. The current generation still has a lot to offer though, and limited edition runs have proved extremely popular for Volkswagen.
