2017 Volkswagen Amarok - INTERIOR

2017 Volkswagen Amarok V6 3.0 TDI Aventura dual-cab price and specifications

HOW MUCH? $70,000 plus on road costs (estimated)
ON SALE: late 2016
ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel
POWER: 165kW at 3000-4500rpm
TORQUE: 550Nm at 1500-2750rpm
TRANSMISSON: 8-spd automatic 4x4
WEIGHT: 2320kg
0-100km/h: 7.9secs (claimed)
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.6 L/100km combined (European figures)

Originally, we wanted to call this story "how to spend 50,000 euros on a Volkswagen truck" but the Germans would have been angry with us and smoked us out of the man cave. As you might have heard, the Amarok pickup truck just received a major update. There are many interesting aspects, but we'll try to focus on the most important.

First of all, let's mention that all the German journalists were called out to test this Aventura special edition. It costs a whopping €50,000, thanks to all the options that have been added. These include a "sports bar", retractable bed cover, fancy blue paint, big alloys and lots of chrome.

Perhaps the most interesting feature are the roof lights. If you've installed those, you can't have high beams at the front. Weird, right?

Given the negative press associated with the old 2.0 TDI engine, Volkswagen upsided the Amarok to a 3.0 TDI engine. This is the cheapest V6 model sold by the Volkswagen Group in Europe.

There are several power outputs, as with vans and other commercial vehicles. The base unit has only 163 hp, followed by a 204 hp model. In these videos, we have the flagship version with 224 hp. According to the manufacturer, the 2017 Volkswagen Amarok will return up to 7.6 liters (30.9 US mpg or 37.1 mpg UK) and will emit a maximum of 199 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

The added benefit of having a bigger engine is that the truck is now faster. Below, you'll see how 550 Nm of torque and an 8-speed automatic gearbox make mincemeat of going from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds. The official top speed is 193 km/h, which is higher than many regular cars.

In a way, Volkswagen seems to have realized the Amarok cannot be turned into an overnight success and decided to turn it into a lifestyle statement. Considering the price of this version is about half a Porsche 911, not many folks will afford the people's truck.