What is it?
Potentially, this is the ultimate Volkswagen Amarok. Or at least we hope it will be, given this one within striking distance of £47,000 - excluding the VAT discount that attracts so many business users to pick-up trucks.
That’s not an overwhelming shock, but it’s a bit rich given VW’s Nissan Navara rival starts at £30k with a lightly detuned version of the same 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine. It’s also more expensive than a top-spec Mercedes X-Class with its diesel V6.
But let’s gloss over the price for a bit and look at what you get. The Aventura is Volkswagen’s riposte to the creeping gentrification of pick-ups that the X-Class rapidly accelerated. Exterior upgrades include 20-inch wheels, chromed side steps with LED floodlighting and a body-colour ‘sports bar’ sporting Aventura badging. There’s also some slightly tacky ‘4Motion’ graphics on the side of the load bed, which (thankfully) look like they can be removed without much effort.
Inside things are a bit less showy, with only a few trim upgrades. The main highlight is the softer Nappa leather seats, which are both 14-way adjustable and heated in the front.
With the venerable VW Group 3.0-litre V6 diesel turned up to 11 and putting out 254bhp (the middling 221bhp version has gone, but the base 201bhp tun remains) the Amarok Aventura is now officially the fastest-accelerating pick-up on sale in the UK, pipping the V6 X-Class by one-tenth of a second. Every little helps.
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Navara V6?
As far as I know there is no V6 diesel Navara, and it there was it wouldn't be a detuned VW engine
Drums
If it has there's a reason for it
Does it still still have drum
Does it still still have drum brakes at the rear?