New VW midsize diesel pickup?

[AirsDream]

So there I was, driving down the street this afternoon, when I spotted a new (to me) VW mid-sized diesel pickup truck, an "Amarok." Crew cab, short bed. We see a lot of new vehicles in the Ann Arbor area, due to the presence of the EPA certification laboratory here, but this was new to me.

Apparently this vehicle has been available in South America and some other markets for several years. Not clear if it will be introduced into the U.S., but since at least one (with mfr. plates) is here, it is obvious they are seriously considering it. Bunch of photos of Argentinian, etc. vehicles available here: Volkswagen Amarok - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Might it make a decent tow vehicle for smaller 'streams? ... supposed to have a payload (at least in foreign countries) of >2600 lbs. 2 liter turbodiesel as sold over there. I have this engine in one of my cars, a VW Passat. Not clear how durable it will prove to be, but mine's off to a good start: it's got 230,000 miles on it and still at factory spec. for compression, etc. and doing fine. Lotsa' low end torque but it's clearly not a racer. I average over 40 mpg. in mixed city and highway driving, and can easily top 50 mpg. on the highway if I keep it to 65 or less. So it's efficient.

IIRC, GM and perhaps others had a mid-sized - or perhaps half ton? - diesels on the drawing boards but abandoned them in '09 or so. Maybe VW is planning to fill the gap. Anyone know more about this machine and its supposed / proposed availability or US specs?

[DKB_SATX]

Given my history with VWs I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to buy a VW tow vehicle, but I know a few people with TDI Touaregs who love them. I really think that a "modern half ton" (2000+ lb payload) with a smallish diesel and the wide ratio split you can get with today's 8-speed transmissions would be a great all-around vehicle. Not a racer, as you say, but geared properly could be a very flexible tow vehicle up to 7k-8k trailers.

My concern is that it won't happen for the same reason we have 800 lb-ft pickup trucks taking people to the mall... gotta have bigger numbers than the guy next door! It's not enough to get the job done, you have to be able to win at bench-racing too.

[barts]

This would be pretty nice... I love my 2009 TDI Jetta, and have often remarked on how nice that engine would be in a smaller truck. I could
sure use a tow vehicle rated at 6000 lbs that gets 34 mpg empty.
This would easily tow my boat, Burning Man mutant vehicles and
prob. our Airstream.

- Bart

[Friday]

The web-site seems to be having some issues... hard to say, could be viable for light-duty trailer towing... seems to spec'd out for payload and not so much for towing...

[vinstream]

I will keep my V10 TDI Touareg! They should of never stop making it!

[DGJackson]

Sounds like something I would be interested in. I'm really interested in the diesel route but to play in that world in US you have to go to the "big trucks" that can pull +13,000 pounds. I like the Dodge 2500 but just don't need that much vehicle every day.

[dznf0g]

This will be coming in 2013 Calendar year. Has been proven out in S.E Asia for a couple of years now.

2013 Chevrolet Colorado First Drive

[Road Ruler]

A 2.8 with these kinds of numbers (180 hp @ 3,800 rpm, 346 lb-ft @ 2,000) is just what we need on this continent (assuming it sips fuel).

That is a lot of towing power especially for an Airstream.

[barts]

Note that the article suggests:

Regulations in Thailand don't require fuel economy numbers, so there's no word yet on how efficient the new engines are on the road. There's no talk of using them in the U.S. trucks yet, so don't get your hopes up.

- Bart

[dznf0g]

That's a pretty old article. You can get your hopes up a little. Stay tuned.

http://wot.motortrend.com/spied-2014...an-223045.html

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/06/...es-of-milford/

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/n...ado/index.html

Opinions are all over the place, but 2016 CAFE????? For everything undr 8600# GVWR........Something's got to happen.

[Tom Nugler]

I’ve worked for the VW Auto Group for 40 years.

I’ve seen things ranging from air-cooled upright engines in Zamboni ice machines to small Toyota pickups built under licence in a VW (Skoda?)plant in Spain and re-badged as VWs.
We try to forget about the Chrysler minivan built for the domestic market and called a VW Routan.
With 90 factories in 20 countries there are always claims and conjectures about the latest engine or production model being made for the US.
VW will be upping automobile diesel production in the coming years. The big training push right now is for the Jetta Hybrid.

The two phrases that I’ve heard over the years are;
“We can’t ever get the good stuff over here.”
“Don’t believe anything you hear until it’s on the showroom floor.”

Tom.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Tom Nugler

I’ve worked for the VW Auto Group for 40 years.


The two phrases that I’ve heard over the years are;
“We can’t ever get the good stuff over here.” Tom.

Tom.... there seems to be some truth to that statement. As one who has a front row seat in the auto industry what is your view on this? Thnxs

[ElCamino Man]

Are you kidding? Theyll never give us Americans the good stuff lol. I wanted a crew cab Ford Ranger so bad, I could taste it, but getting one imported would be next to impossible

[Tom Nugler]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

....there seems to be some truth to that statement. ........what is your view on this? Thnxs

The good stuff, as you would suspect, is pretty subjective. That being said, this is only my opinion.

Focusing only on the VW European product line, the 1.4 diesel Polo would be a perfect commuter car for my needs. The kiddy street racers might like a Polo GTI. Some might want the new Scirocco.
IMHO the Sharan would have been preferable to the Routan but contractual agreements with Ford kept it across the pond. In any event it's too late for minivans.
How about the UP, The 2012 World Car winner. A 1 liter city car no one in the US has heard of.
The VW UK site is a good place to get a feel for what we’re missing out on over here.
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/car-range/

As far as the Amaroc goes it’s rumored that it will be marketed in Canada. In it’s current trim level it would be a good replacement for the old Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10. For the US market the powertrain would have to be upgraded to the 3.6 FSI or 3.0 TDI with a 6 or 8 speed trans. Might get a larger segment if the V-8 4.2 TDI was an option.

Now if you want a good truck rumor, how about VWAG buying Navistar/International to distribute it’s MAN and Scania heavy trucks.

Tom

[JFScheck]

Originally Posted by vinstream

I will keep my V10 TDI Touareg! They should of never stop making it!

Of course they should have - we now have the V8 TDI that blows away the V10 (cleaner exhaust, better mileage, torque and hp), now if we can only get it over here in the states....