• 

  The Volkswagen Amarok at the recent Dakar Rally in South America. Thirty-five VW Amaroks were used as support vecles for the event which traverses 5,600 miles of some of the toughest terrain on the planet. Photo Gallery

A must-have automatic for Volkswagen's tradie ute is at least 18 months away.

But Volkswagen Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, believes the lack of an auto will not be the biggest problem for the workhorse Amarok when it goes on sale later this year.  "The auto is not really a major factor," he says.  "We expect supply to be the bigger issue."

Early indications are that Volkswagen will have another global hit on its hands as the company prepares for the global rollout of the four-door ute.  Gehling says supply for the Argentine-built ute will be limited for Australia.  One over-zealous buyer has already put a deposit on a car sight-unseen.  "We could not even tell him what it will cost," Gehling says.

Gehling believes the car has the potential to lure not only tradies wanting a rugged workhorse but lifestyle buyers looking for some Euro cache.  The Amarok will arrive initially with 2.0-litre diesel engines, with petrol models following around the same time as the automatic.  Both single and twin-turbo versions of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder are likely, mated to six-speed manuals.

The twin-turbo has 120kW/400Nm while the single turbo punches out a respectable 90kW/340Nm.  The entry-level diesel uses only 7.6 litres/100km and the more potent unit manages 7.8 litres/100km.  With an 80-litre fuel tank the Amarok will have a range of more than 1000km.

Like some its key Japanese rivals, the rugged ute will be available as a rear-wheel drive as well as four-wheel drive.  One uses a constant four-wheel drive system shared with the Audi Q7 but designed more for slippery surfaces than bush bashing.

Another switchable 4WD system with a Torsen centre differential and a low-range gearbox is designed for off-road work.  The payload will vary depending on the model, but will run from about 850kg to 1150kg for the dual cab and the single cab will haul about 1200kg.

The ute's towing capacity will be 2800kg.  Volkswagen has just used 35 Amaroks as support vehicles in the 9000km Dakar rally in South America.