Should the Volkswagen Amarok Come to the U.S.?

Absolutely. Bring it over. Better still, build it here at that new VW plant we've been hearing about.

yes it should

Of course they should with TDI engines. The first company to sell a modern compact truck in the USA will make a fortune. Todays "compacts" are just mid to large size trucks with 6 cylinder engines.

The diesel engine and VW interior bits fascinate me. Nothing like that exists in the smaller trucks. We'd love to have a truck with some interior space. This would help with all of our projects.

Wow. I would buy that right now with the TDI and manual. Love the front end too.

A) VW's been known for it's interiors, and this one's pretty bland. I know it's a truck, but take a look at the pick of trucks out there. Manufacturers know that it doesn't matter what type of vehicle it is, it needs to at least "offer" a classy interior. Maybe the one they're showing is more of a base model. I'll reserve judgment.

B) As much as I do like this truck overall, I really, REALLY wish that the U.S. would put out a competitive small-to-midsize truck. The Ranger is what, 50 years old? The Dakota, Colorado and Canyon are all sub-par in interior materials, engine offerings (the V-8 in the Dakota is overmatched by weight; the GM twins do offer the 5.3 now) and overall sophistication of the Toyota and a lesser extent, Nissan.
I owned a F-150, beautiful interior, not-so-great engine (6.2 is on its way), just a great truck. However...it got 13mpg on its best tank.
This VW has good size, and offers the TDI. A great combination. Big 3, ARE YOU LISTENING?

If I remember correctly, VW was selling this as a 1 ton pickup.
If they brought it here with a TDI and 1 ton capacity frame, it would sell out of production.

My guess is they would gut it and make a 1/2 ton to compete with the Tacoma and Frontier, even though they have the Japanese beat with what they have now.

cruiserhead

Yes, the payload is supposed to be pretty impressive—yet another reason to bring it over.

This truck with a diesel engine would ABSOLUTELY be my next vehicle if they bring it to the US.

The Amarok may have been designed with some US specs but the million dollar question is whether that exhaust system meets US specs with regards to diesel particulates.

Regardless, diesel is the right way forward!

More choice is always good. But making a business case for this truck would be hard. The TDI is a huge plus as it would likely offer fuel economy that no other small truck in the US could touch. However, that would almost certainly be offset by a purchase price far higher than most small trucks. Throw in VW's spotty rep for reliability (even if it is not necessarily accurate today) and I think this would be slow selling vehicle that would fail to recover US certification costs.

I would love to see it here, but it seems unlikely to happen.

I like it, but that is based off some US or Nissan truck? I can see the lines of either a Nissan or GM product in there...maybe even Dodge since they us the Mini van?

it should come over to the US, considering it would be the only small truck on sale in the US to have a diesel engine. With the 2.0 TDI, it would at least have a shot at getting halfway decent mileage, plus if it comes with a manual i'd be all over that.

Keeping in mind that the Ridgeline has been a mild success at best, would it be profitable to do so? Probably not.

Add to that the fact that compact trucks in general are not exactly "the hotness" right now.

Yes i would trade in my Nissan Rogue for that right away.... like now...TDI with the truck utility I was wondering why there isn't a 4 cyl diesel truck for ordinary people who want a truck for home jobs, gardening, and fishing without horrid fuel economy... I don't need a full fledged f-150 and the 4 cyl rangers towing is like shit, 6 cyl drinks gas like a kid with milk...this is perfect.

To be brutally honest, all of the offerings on the truck-based side of small/midsize pickups just suck.

1. The GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado both very crude in every aspect. Their interiors are just terrible in fit and materials quality. Plus, the electronics that they contain are nothing short of ancient when referencing the ways that new cars are being equipped. the engines they use are inefficient and underpowered- the 5 cylinder is a complete disaster and needs to be scrapped. the 5.3L V8 isn't much better, since the engine does still use pushrod technology.

2. the Dodge Dakoda has a terrible interior and inefficient engines as well. Like GM's 5-cylinder, Chrysler's 3.7L V6 just needs to go away forever. the 4.7 is better, but the vehicle is just too heavy for what you get. the ride is terrible even with something in the bed, and driving dynamics are awful.

3. the Ford Ranger just needs to go away in its entirety. it seems like it has been around since shortly after Ford became a major motor company.

3. the Nissan Frontier and Suzuki Equator both share powertrains, and they are not the best. for its size, the 4.0L V6 could be making alot more HP and therefore get much better fuel economy. the 4-cylinder struggles to move these vehicles because they are just so heavy. fit and finish is better than the American attempts, but not my much. i would also argue that the ride is worse in these trucks.

4. the Toyota Tacoma is just as old as the Canyon and Frontier, and its doing just as "well." its ride is terrible, and the interior is noisy and unrefined, with fit and finish that is mediocre at best. the engines that are offered are reasonably efficient, but they're not the most powerful in the class in the least.

The midsize truck segment is slowly dieing in this country, and that is because people shy away from all of the offerings because they are so crude, but at the same time automakers allow the trucks to wither away because there is just not that much demand from them.

The exception to this would probably be the Honda Ridgeline, but that has drawn much criticism from not being able to tow much, and its not any more efficient than the big V8 trucks from Chevy and Toyota.

The addition of the Amarok could go one of two ways...it could introduce a pickup truck that VW really needs to be a viable player in the world market and at the same time introduce a new level of quality to the midsize pickup segment to the US, or it could be looked over because of price or towing, etc or because there just isnt much interest in the segment anymore. given the Touareg's 7,700 lb tow rating, I have a feeling that towing will be just fine.

To be brutally honest, all of the offerings on the truck-based side of small/midsize pickups just suck.

1. The GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado both very crude in every aspect. Their interiors are just terrible in fit and materials quality. Plus, the electronics that they contain are nothing short of ancient when referencing the ways that new cars are being equipped. the engines they use are inefficient and underpowered- the 5 cylinder is a complete disaster and needs to be scrapped. the 5.3L V8 isn't much better, since the engine does still use pushrod technology.

2. the Dodge Dakoda has a terrible interior and inefficient engines as well. Like GM's 5-cylinder, Chrysler's 3.7L V6 just needs to go away forever. the 4.7 is better, but the vehicle is just too heavy for what you get. the ride is terrible even with something in the bed, and driving dynamics are awful.

3. the Ford Ranger just needs to go away in its entirety. it seems like it has been around since shortly after Ford became a major motor company.

3. the Nissan Frontier and Suzuki Equator both share powertrains, and they are not the best. for its size, the 4.0L V6 could be making alot more HP and therefore get much better fuel economy. the 4-cylinder struggles to move these vehicles because they are just so heavy. fit and finish is better than the American attempts, but not my much. i would also argue that the ride is worse in these trucks.

4. the Toyota Tacoma is just as old as the Canyon and Frontier, and its doing just as "well." its ride is terrible, and the interior is noisy and unrefined, with fit and finish that is mediocre at best. the engines that are offered are reasonably efficient, but they're not the most powerful in the class in the least.

The midsize truck segment is slowly dieing in this country, and that is because people shy away from all of the offerings because they are so crude, but at the same time automakers allow the trucks to wither away because there is just not that much demand from them.

The exception to this would probably be the Honda Ridgeline, but that has drawn much criticism from not being able to tow much, and its not any more efficient than the big V8 trucks from Chevy and Toyota.

The addition of the Amarok could go one of two ways...it could introduce a pickup truck that VW really needs to be a viable player in the world market and at the same time introduce a new level of quality to the midsize pickup segment to the US, or it could be looked over because of price or towing, etc or because there just isnt much interest in the segment anymore. given the Touareg's 7,700 lb tow rating, I have a feeling that towing will be just fine.

Yes. Absolutely. This is wicked clean. This is slot that is going to disappear sans Toyota and Nissan very soon.
This will be a huge hit. The target market is not the full size truck guy/gal. Those will continue as is. This is for those who need real utility and sport in a small package.
Please forward the order form now.
Too bad Ford does not shipo their four door Ranger sold in England. It would compete nicely with this.

Yes. Absolutely. This is wicked clean. This is slot that is going to disappear sans
Yes. Absolutely. This is wicked clean. This is slot that is going to disappear sans Toyota and Nissan very soon.
This will be a huge hit. The target market is not the full size truck guy/gal. Those will continue as is. This is for those who need real utility and sport in a small package.
Please forward the order form now.
Too bad Ford does not shipo their four door Ranger sold in England. It would compete nicely with this.

Yes. Bring it with the TDI and the manual. I'll buy it.

2.o diesel that cant pull or haul anything? Not a real truck bed. VW has a history of pricing itself out in the stratosphere on competitive vehicles. I see this thing flopping like a dead fish. Probably could steal sales from the Honda Ridgeline though. Well, anything could be better than that abortion. I would buy an old Dakota or Canyon before looking at this.

According to the wikipedia article, this is a passenger vehicle, not a light truck.
So it would be exempt from the Chicken tax. Wouldn't it?

This passenger vehicle has rear seats, rear seatbelts, and rear mirror.
So it's not a truck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax#Circumventing_the_tariff

Very clean, simple styling. I like that. I think truck buyers would like it, too.

With a diesel this would slot nicely in the light duty "I don't want V8 gas mileage" niche. I imagine small business owners would find it appealing.

Thumbs up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax#Circumventing_the_tariff

I think it looks quite sexy for a pick up and looks count to self employed tradesmen who are "stuck" with a pickup but because it may also function as a family vehicle don't wish to sacrifice style.

And the Baywatch thing could happen - the UK RNLI Lifeguards up and down the country's surf beaches currently use HiLuxes for beach patrols if I remember; a swap to Anoraks needn't be out of the question if they're priced well.

http://www.macktruck.org/volkswagen-amarok.html