Amarok Pan Americana (2023)

PUSHING my bicycle through deep snow my head feels heavy.

I put it down to weariness as it’s been about six miles since I was able to actually ride my bike, thanks to snowflakes the size of bin lids settling all around.

It’s only when I pause to take a selfie of the pretty winter scene that I realise I have 4in of snow on my head – that accounts for the weight then – what a numbskull.

Abandoned cars are strewn around the roads like pine needles from a dehydrated fir tree and many of these are so called 4x4s, though in reality they are no more than soft-roaders.

If they can’t move and I can’t even ride my bicycle, then how on earth am I going to get out of my village, a hamlet now devoid of electricity, by the way, as the snow has brought down the powerlines.

Well, thankfully, I’m not in a car I’m in a pick-up and it’s a doozy. It’s the latest Amarok courtesy of Volkswagen and until this point I didn’t fully appreciate it’s capabilities.

Before the heavens dumped 12in of the white stuff I’d been happy enough to bowl along in what is a very well appointed and comfortable vehicle. It’s so well equipped in fact that you completely forget you are in something that is supposed to be utilitarian.

The dash and touchscreen fascia is completely SUV, the seats are sports saloon supportive and the ride is exemplary, not harsh or pogoing-soft.

The 3.0 litre V6 is powerful with an aural quality you would not normally expect from a diesel. It is strong and smooth, torquey and quiet at cruising speeds – but it is not economical in any sense of the word so expect around 22mpg; ouch.

But if I’m happy in clement conditions then I’m absolutely elated in the snow. Where most cars slither to an eventual halt in the treacherous conditions Amarok doesn’t even spin a wheel. It is truly astonishing how the snow makes absolutely no difference to its progress.

Being prudent, and seeing what stetches before me, I engage four wheel drive, the lower of two transmission ratios and lock electrically the centre differential. Amarok moves off like there is no snow there at all. It corners and climbs like the roads are clear and as we pick our way around the multitude of stranded vehicles I actually start to enjoy my plight, mainly because in the Amarok I have a plight no more.

If getting going is impressive then slowing and stopping is remarkable. The problem with big 4x4s is that there’s a danger of them becoming oversized toboggans downhill as their weight sees them gain momentum alarmingly. But on the Amarok there’s a little button on the transmission tunnel which becomes a god send when pressed as it activates the hill descent control.

At the first sign of the VW gathering too much speed this piece of electronic wizardry intervenes slowing the vehicle in a completely controlled fashion and almost to a halt without even touching the brakes. It is brilliant, a true life-saver.

I didn’t realise how stressful driving in bad weather could be until I suddenly realised I’m actually enjoying myself in the Amarok. In fact we become heroes on the day, as we scour the area in search of an open café, by rescuing stricken motorists and taking them to safety.

It may feel like a quality SUV but the Amarok remains a pick-up and has a very useful lockable covered cargo bay on the back. It is dry and well-shaped proving to be a huge ‘boot’ for my valuables and easily swallows the bulk I have to transport this particular week.

With an interior like this the VW Amarok is more than suited to the leisure market but it is so capable and practical that it will continue to appeal to the professionals – the farmers, forestry workers, construction industry, power companies – in fact anyone who needs to be somewhere when the conditions turn tough.