Must have been an Amazing trip! Well Done. More and More good reports of the Amarok being posted on this site.
If you have time, can you maybe post a Trip Report...I for 1 would read it.
|
I just came back from a 3 week 7800 Km trip through Makgadigadi Pans, Tshodilo Hills, Okovango Delta, Popa Falls, Tsumeb, Etosha, Khorixas, Damaraland, Skeleton Coast, Doros Crater, Messum Crater, Sossusvlei, Brandberg, Luderitz, Fish River Canyon and Keetmanshoop, I was lucky to be joined by my dad in his Toyota Lancruiser 200 V8 Tdi. My vehicle is only fitted with BF Goodrich A/T 265/70R17 tyres no other aftermarket enhancements and my father's vehicle with BF Goodrich A/T 285/70R17 tyres.
Neither of these vehicles had any suspension upgrades or other accessories. For comparison purposes my vehicle carried the following load 4x diesel jerry cans (80kg), 2x water jerry cans (40kg), fully loaded Campmaster 110 Lt fridge (84Kg incl fridge), 2 x 10 Kg gas bottles (20Kg), Recovery gear incl High Lift, straps, air pump etc. (50Kg), Tent (60Kg incl poles&patio), Tool Cases (40Kg incl service fluid spares i.e oil ect), Groceries i.e. 6x Ammo cases (60Kg), Misc (chairs, tables, suitcases, ice water can (25 Lt), bedding, cooking equipment etc.) ( 225 Kg) Total with passengers and full tank of Fuel (Me 105 Kg Wife 60 Kg Tank 80 Kg) was approx 900 Kg.
Everything except the water bottle, suitcases and 2x recovery bags (and obviously the wife) fitted in the load bay without a canopy. The tail drop was acceptable i.e. the vehicle was level in contrast to normally being somewhat nose down. My average Fuel consumption for the entire trip incl lots of soft sand and off road travel was 9.4 Km/Lt (worst 5 Km/Lt soft sand, best 14 Km/Lt cruising at 100 Km/hr), tar stretches was done at +/- 145 km/hr cruise control. My top speed on a level tar road was 177 Km/hr in Sixth gear. Overtaking was never a problem at al only requiring a gear change to 4 th, all cruising was done in 6 th gear.
Here are my conclusions after this trip and another 6000 Km with the Amarok, due to my fathers vehicle being quite heavy on fuel consumption we were forced to refill at some small and dodgy fuel stations, there was never any "low Sulphur" available for the entire trip, we refilled at all the same fuel stations, the Amarok only had 6000 Km on the odo before the trip and the Land Cruiser was serviced 500 Km prior to the trip. The cruiser suffered from a clogged Diesel filter which was a new one prior to the trip and was replaced during the trip at Toyota Rundu so the fuel quality was very poor, the Amarok luckily was very happy to run on the dirty diesel without any problems.
At the Twyfelfontein Camp site we were discouraged from using the Doros Crater 4x4 route as it was flooded away and needed very serious 4x4 with minimum 2 vehicles by the tour operator in his Unimog (Flossie), we decided to push on and turn around if it got too bad, luckily both vehicles made the trip without any damage, the Amarok easily managed anything the Cruiser could and although plenty of diff lock and low range was required I would happily confirm that the approach, departure and ground clearance is almost identical in real world conditions despite what is on paper, the Amarok never felt underpowered or strained and handled the approach angles slightly better but departure slightly worse due to the large spare scraping slightly once.
The wheel articulation is also excellent with grip levels being phenomenal due to the combination of the electronic front and mechanical rear diff locks. The hill decent control was excellent but something to get used to. As we used less common gravel roads the conditions was mostly very very poor with severe corrugations and the drifts was mostly washed away requiring slowing down to a crawl. The road before Keetmanshoop to the Fish River Canyon was also closed due to flooding but we ignored the signs and pushed on. Despite severe temperatures and demanding roads the Amarok never ran hot and performed flawlessly.
My biggest problem is that because of the body of the Amarok fully overlapping the chassis whereas in other bakkies the chassis hangs underneath most of the body you can't fit side steps without affecting the ramp over angle, therefore no side step to protect the wheel arches from stones meant plenty of stone chips on the rear wheel arches. Here are my Good and Bad points re the Amarok after the trip:
Bad:
Stone chips on wheel arches.
Spare wheel low but does protect rear bumper.
Atermarket Toneau cover broke on the corners.
Clutch pedal vibration when new.
Rear bench only folds if pull tabs on both sides are pulled.
Air lift Jack has to be connected in front of the rear axle to the exhaust.
Good:
Excellent Air Con much better than my previous Triton.
Excellent power and cruising ability.
Effortless 4x4 ability.
Space & Comfort class leading.
Excellent economy.
Excellent build quality.
Extremely stable at speed.
After the trip I don't have any rattles or loose bits. I removed the air filter to inspect as I mostly followed in my fathers dust and expected it to be severely clogged, to my surprise it had minimal dust inside maybe due to the design of the air intake. When the vehicle was new it had an irritating clutch vibration which has now disappeared.
For those that dispute ESP and may I also say the most awesome part of the vehicle was only seen on my way home yesterday, part of the N14 was closed which lead to us using a detour, during overtaking a Condor at 146 Km/Hr (two vehicles had to be overtaken) the guy decided to also overtake the guy in front of him ignoring my vehicle already next to his and pushed me off the road, there was a telephone pole on the shoulder 25 metres in font of us and we had to swerve over the shoulder, into the veld for +/- 100 meters and serve back rapidly to the tar road to miss a goat.
I was convinced the vehicle was going to roll and everything was in slow motion seeing the crash in my minds eye, but all that happened was the ESP kept flashing and we smoothly albeit abruptly returned to the tar road. ESP WORKS, it definitely saved my car and maybe my families life's yesterday. Another factor is the fact that not only is the vehicle 20 cm broader but its rear leaf springs is fixed on the side of the chassis therefore its weight distribution width is much broader than any other bakkie. In the twee spore tracks it ran exactly on the same width tracks as the Cruiser.
Many people dispute its power or overtaking I assure you use the right gears and this vehicle is very competitive, we compared my vehicle on an 22% incline of approx 200 metres with the load as above except that the 4 diesel jerry cans was empty with a D4d Fortuner from 100 Km/hr at the start of the incline, the D4d lost a cars length to the Amarok on the top, I was very impressed to say the least. I am sure the new Ford Ranger, Isuzu KB and Toyota Hilux will outperform the Amarok and maybe the new Navara with 140 Kw, but it is extremely capable in the current bakkie environment.
My previous vehicle was a lovely Triton 3.2 Did and the Amarok feels very similar in terms of power with less Turbo lag above 1200 rpm. The front seats were very comfortable, I never suffered any back or bum aches. The Cabin is very quiet and even after the last leg of 1300 Km from Keetmanshoop to Pretoria done yesterday I felt relaxed without any aches. The Amarok is an excellent vehicle I assure anyone that is interested. Invest in better tyres and some stone guard for the wheel arches and you will have a very comfortable, able and safe vehicle. Another thing behind the rear seat squab the floor has tie down anchors and my High Lift jack fitted very nicely behind the rear seat.
Some more about the trip: Etosha was very very disappointing due to the veld being very wet and dense the pans is not yet completely full, we saw more animals on the Doros trail than the entire Etosha, The Okovango Delta right now is breathlessly beautiful and if you are willing to take a few rough back roads you will easily reach water within 300 meters along the entire southern main road, the Doros Crater was also very green with lots and lots of wildlife, most of the rivers in Namibia have come down so be very careful on any gravel roads crossing even small normally dry streams but all main roads coastal and non-coastal can be traveled with a vehicle with good ground clearance, Mile 108 camp site was very poor (broken toilets, no water, broken showers, no hot water, no bread, most stuff in the shop is wrotten) and Tshodilo Hills camp site the toilets are very dirty with no hot water, Nata bird sanctuary was good, Popa Falls camp site is completely flooded with only space for 3-4 campers next to the chalets and access to the falls only via Makoro boats run by the locals which sometimes get chased away by the camp officials but the camp site and amendments is in excellent condition, Kupferquele camp site in Tsumeb is also excellent with a very nice swimming pool and shop, Halali is being renovated but good generally, Aba Huab rest camp had only open toilets and no electricity despite claims that they do, Sossus Oasis camp site is the best I have ever used, ignore the price it is worth it, with your own private toilet, shower and kitchen with electricity and each camp site has its own geyser, Shark island camp site in Luderitz was also very nice and the Quiver Tree Camp site outside Keetmanshoop had excellent hospitality and service with very good service.
Namibia at the moment is a true paradise with lovely grass fields dancing in the dessert and abundant wild life in even the most arid regions. Any questions regarding the vehicle or the trip is welcome.
Last edited by Dirk; 2011/04/26 at 07:21 PM.
Must have been an Amazing trip! Well Done. More and More good reports of the Amarok being posted on this site.
If you have time, can you maybe post a Trip Report...I for 1 would read it.
Last edited by Swys14; 2011/04/26 at 04:13 PM.
Hi,
Sorry just a little thing.
Does your computer have an ENTER key.
Seperate sentences and paragraphs would make a HUGE differrence.
As it is, I cant read it without loosing my place after about 20 words.
Sorry, not being nasty, but it is near impossible to read without getting dizzy.
Keith
Last edited by Fluffy; 2011/04/26 at 04:18 PM.
Cheers
NAGOF
HAM Callsign - ZS5KAD
Freedom of speech is useless unless you allow people you don’t like to say things you don’t like………
If you fly or drive to an anti-Fracking meeting, you have no business being there and you wont get my ear......
What a nice trip and report back . I must agree that after 19,000 km my Amarok is still the best bakkie I have ever owned . I drove the 90 kw version a few days ago and i was very impressed . I think to 100km/h there is no or very little differance in acceleration between the 90 and 120 kw versions. Well done VW.
Nive report. just stick some spaces in please
you mentioned
"with grip levels being phenomenal due to the combination of the electronic front and mechanical rear diff locks."
I understand the rear locker but is the front locker aftermarket?
Cheers
NAGOF
HAM Callsign - ZS5KAD
Freedom of speech is useless unless you allow people you don’t like to say things you don’t like………
If you fly or drive to an anti-Fracking meeting, you have no business being there and you wont get my ear......
No, the Amarok has an EDL front as standard which is activated in the 4x4 Low and OFF-Road modes, it works via the ABS system.
I mean no it is not aftermarket, not no it is not traction control,
it is the traction control system that allows limited slip and then brakes the wheel that is slipping via the ABS system.
In the Nissan Navara the rear Diff lock works in this way and is not a mechanical unit. The Amarok rear diff lock is also more aggressive allowing less slipage than most rear diff locks but is unfortunately still only a LSD not a full lock like the ARB air locker units.
Also I wrote the post via my HTC cellphone, therefore the spacing was almost impossible on the small screen.
Cheers
NAGOF
HAM Callsign - ZS5KAD
Freedom of speech is useless unless you allow people you don’t like to say things you don’t like………
If you fly or drive to an anti-Fracking meeting, you have no business being there and you wont get my ear......
I don't think you know what a diff-lock is, all rear diff-locks work in the same way....they lock both shafts together, sending 50% power to each wheel.
If it doesn't lock the shafts together, it's not called diff-lock.
I am not so sure you know what diff lock mean.
Diff lock means it locks it 100% like the triron, navara, ford etc.
EDL means traction control IOW electronic diff lock. So when the rear is locked mechanically {100%} the traction control works only on the front wheels because the rear is already turning st the same speed.
I just came back from a 3 week 7800 Km trip through Makgadigadi Pans,
Tshodilo Hills, Okovango Delta, Popa Falls, Tsumeb, Etosha, Khorixas,
Damaraland, Skeleton Coast, Doros Crater, Messum Crater, Sossusvlei,
Brandberg, Luderitz, Fish River Canyon and Keetmanshoop.
I was lucky to be joined by my dad in his Toyota Lancruiser 200 V8 Tdi.
My vehicle is only fitted with BF Goodrich A/T 265/70R17 tyres no other aftermarket enhancements and my father's vehicle with BF Goodrich A/T 285/70R17 tyres.
Neither of these vehicles had any suspension upgrades or other accessories.
For comparison purposes my vehicle carried the following load 4x diesel jerry cans
(80kg), 2x water jerry cans (40kg), fully loaded Campmaster 110 Lt fridge (84Kg incl fridge),
2 x 10 Kg gas bottles (20Kg), Recovery gear incl High Lift, straps, air pump etc.
(50Kg), Tent (60Kg incl poles&patio), Tool Cases (40Kg incl service fluid spares i.e oil ect),
Groceries i.e. 6x Ammo cases (60Kg), Misc (chairs, tables, suitcases, ice water can (25 Lt), bedding, cooking equipment etc.) ( 225 Kg)
Total with passengers and full tank of Fuel (Me 105 Kg Wife 60 Kg Tank 80 Kg) was approx 900 Kg.
Everything except the water bottle, suitcases and 2x recovery bags (and obviously the wife) fitted in the load bay without a canopy.
The tail drop was acceptable i.e. the vehicle was level in contrast to normally being somewhat nose down.
My average Fuel consumption for the entire trip incl lots of soft sand and off road travel was 9.4 Km/Lt
(worst 5 Km/Lt soft sand, best 14 Km/Lt cruising at 100 Km/hr),
tar stretches was done at +/- 145 km/hr cruise control.
My top speed on a level tar road was 177 Km/hr in Sixth gear.
Overtaking was never a problem at al only requiring a gear change to 4 th, all cruising was done in 6 th gear.
Here are my conclusions after this trip and another 6000 Km with the Amarok,
due to my fathers vehicle being quite heavy on fuel consumption we were forced to refill at some small and dodgy fuel stations,
there was never any "low Sulphur" available for the entire trip.
We refilled at all the same fuel stations,
the Amarok only had 6000 Km on the odo before the trip and the Land Cruiser was serviced 500 Km prior to the trip.
The cruiser suffered from a clogged Diesel filter which was a new one prior to the trip and was replaced during the trip at Toyota Rundu,
so the fuel quality was very poor,
the Amarok luckily was very happy to run on the dirty diesel without any problems.
At the Twyfelfontein Camp site we were discouraged from using the Doros Crater 4x4 route,
according to the tour operator in his Unimog (Flossie) it was flooded away and needed very serious 4x4 with minimum 2 vehicles,
we decided to push on any way and turn around if it got too bad.
Luckily both vehicles made the trip without any damage,
the Amarok easily managed anything the Cruiser could and
although plenty of diff lock and low range was required
I would happily confirm that the approach, departure and ground clearance is almost identical in real world conditions despite what is on paper.
The Amarok never felt underpowered or strained.
It handled the approach angles slightly better but departure slightly worse due to the large spare scraping slightly once.
The wheel articulation is also excellent with grip levels being phenomenal
due to the combination of the electronic front (traction control) and
mechanical rear diff locks.
The hill decent control was excellent but something to get used to.
As we used less common gravel roads the conditions was mostly very very poor
with severe corrugations and the drifts was mostly washed away requiring
slowing down to a crawl.
The road before Keetmanshoop to the Fish River Canyon was also closed due to flooding but we ignored the signs and pushed on.
Despite severe temperatures and demanding roads the Amarok never ran hot and performed flawlessly.
My biggest problem is that because of the body of the Amarok fully overlapping the
chassis whereas in other bakkies the chassis hangs underneath most of the body
you can't fit side steps without affecting the ramp over angle,
therefore no side step to protect the wheel arches from stones meant plenty of stone
chips on the rear wheel arches.
Here are my Good and Bad points re the Amarok after the trip:
Bad:
Stone chips on wheel arches.
Spare wheel low but does protect rear bumper.
Atermarket Toneau cover broke on the corners.
Clutch pedal vibration when new.
Rear bench only folds if pull tabs on both sides are pulled.
Air lift Jack has to be connected in front of the rear axle to the exhaust.
Good:
Excellent Air Con much better than my previous Triton.
Excellent power and cruising ability.
Effortless 4x4 ability.
Space & Comfort class leading.
Excellent economy.
Excellent build quality.
Extremely stable at speed.
After the trip I don't have any rattles or loose bits.
I removed the air filter to inspect as I mostly followed in my fathers dust and
expected it to be severely clogged, to my surprise it had minimal dust inside maybe
due to the design of the air intake.
When the vehicle was new it had an irritating clutch vibration which has now disappeared.
For those that dispute ESP and, may I also say the most awesome part of the vehicle,
was only seen on my way home yesterday.
Part of the N14 was closed which lead to us using a detour,
during overtaking a Condor at 146 Km/Hr (two vehicles had to be overtaken)
the guy decided to also overtake the guy in front of him ignoring my vehicle already
next to his and pushed me off the road, there was a telephone pole on the shoulder
25 metres in font of us and we had to swerve over the shoulder,
into the veld for +/- 100 meters and serve back rapidly to the tar road to miss a
goat.
I was convinced the vehicle was going to roll and everything was in slow motion
seeing the crash in my minds eye, but all that happened was the ESP kept flashing
and we smoothly albeit abruptly returned to the tar road.
ESP WORKS, it definitely saved my car and maybe my families life's yesterday.
Another factor is the fact that not only is the vehicle 20 cm broader but its rear leaf
springs is fixed on the side of the chassis therefore its weight distribution width is
much broader than any other bakkie.
In the twee spore tracks it ran exactly on the same width tracks as the Cruiser.
Many people dispute its power or overtaking I assure you use the right gears and this vehicle is very competitive,
we compared my vehicle on an 22% incline of approx 200 metres with the load as
above except that the 4 diesel jerry cans was empty with a D4d Fortuner from 100
Km/hr at the start of the incline, the D4d lost a cars length to the Amarok on the top,
I was very impressed to say the least.
I am sure the new Ford Ranger, Isuzu KB and Toyota Hilux will outperform the Amarok and maybe the new Navara with 140 Kw,
but it is extremely capable in the current bakkie environment.
My previous vehicle was a lovely Triton 3.2 Did and the Amarok feels very similar in
terms of power with less Turbo lag above 1200 rpm.
The front seats were very comfortable, I never suffered any back or bum aches.
The Cabin is very quiet and even after the last leg of 1300 Km from Keetmanshoop to
Pretoria done yesterday I felt relaxed without any aches.
The Amarok is an excellent vehicle I assure anyone that is interested.
Invest in better tyres and some stone guard for the wheel arches and you will have a
very comfortable, able and safe vehicle.
Another thing behind the rear seat squab the floor has tie down anchors and my High
Lift jack fitted very nicely behind the rear seat.
Some more about the trip: Etosha was very very disappointing due to the veld being
very wet and dense the pans is not yet completely full, we saw more animals on the Doros trail than the entire Etosha.
The Okovango Delta right now is breathlessly beautiful and if you are willing to take a
few rough back roads you will easily reach water within 300 meters along the entire
southern main road.
The Doros Crater was also very green with lots and lots of wildlife.
Most of the rivers in Namibia have come down so be very careful on any gravel roads
when crossing even small normally dry streams.
All main roads coastal and non-coastal can be traveled with a vehicle with good ground clearance.
Mile 108 camp site was very poor (broken toilets, no water, broken showers, no hot water, no bread, most stuff in the shop is wrotten)
and Tshodilo Hills camp site the toilets are very dirty with no hot water,
Nata bird sanctuary was good.
Popa Falls camp site is completely flooded with only space for 3-4 campers next to
the chalets and access to the falls only via Makoro boats run by the locals which
sometimes get chased away by the camp officials but the camp site and amendments
is in excellent condition,
Kupferquele camp site in Tsumeb is also excellent with a very nice swimming pool
and shop, Halali is being renovated but good generally,
Aba Huab rest camp had only open toilets and no electricity despite claims that they do.
Sossus Oasis camp site is the best I have ever used, ignore the price it is worth it,
with your own private toilet, shower and kitchen with electricity and each camp site
has its own geyser, Shark island camp site in Luderitz was also very nice and the
Quiver Tree Camp site outside Keetmanshoop had excellent hospitality and very good service.
Namibia at the moment is a true paradise with lovely grass fields dancing in the
dessert and abundant wild life in even the most arid regions.
Any questions regarding the vehicle or the trip is welcome.
I hope it is now more user friendly!
nope
Diff locks are unfortunately not all the same,
I agree that they all lock 100% once engaged i.o.w "locked" and sends 50% power to each wheel.
But they differ in the amount of slippage they allow before they engage therefore
causing traction loss before they lock,
most bakkies now use clutch packs inside the LSD which with increased slip heats up
and the viscosity of the oil increases causing the diff to lock,
however some slippage still has to occur first and therefore different diff locks may
allow more or less slippage before they engage assuming you are comparing different
LSD locks as in most bakkies.
ARB air lockers however lock 100 % from the moment they are activated.
Some people will appreciate the feedback Engel, although you obviously don't.
Here is a photo of my Amarok with its "beard".![]()
Another photo.![]()
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