PRITESH RUTHUN
6 OF THE best
THE bakkie wars are heating up as OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) around the world prepare to launch new pick-up trucks across multiple segments, all set to debut in the coming years. In this edition, you will read about big and small bakkies we wish were sold here, and while we yearn for them to arrive, there are still some extremely formidable light commercial vehicles on sale in South Africa that you can buy. After much debate, and back and forth, our team settled on six that will hit your sweet spot in terms of quality, dynamics, engineering and aftersales support. These bakkies represent the best of the best in the LCV segment and each brings a unique offering, some with thundering performance, others with rugged “goanywhere ability”. Here are Drive360’s top six bakkies (in no particular order) on sale in South Africa in 2020:
6 VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK
It’s hard to believe that the Amarok is almost a decade old. The wolf made headlines when it debuted its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, which most believed would not have the mettle to stand up to the 3.0-litre Toyotas and Fords of the time. Ten years on, the Amarok soldiers on, with very few readers reporting niggles with their vehicles. Our pick of the Amarok range, however, is not the 2.0-litre. Oh no, we recommend the big, bad, imposing Amarok V6 TDI Double Cab. You see, if you’re going to spend lots of money, on a bakkie, you might as well spend it on one of the
VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK most SUV-like out there. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class V6 came close to trumping the Amarok in our testing but, in the end, the sublime nature and the sheer grunt of the Amarok won us over. When you’re going tyre-kicking, ask the salesman about the Canyon edition, which was launched towards the end of last year, as it’s the most up-todate version and it’s brimming with safety, comfort and driving technology. They might try to sell you a 2.0-litre BiTDI Dark Label version, but that’s not the one, trust us. For what it’s worth, the Amarok Canyon rangetopper comes with Bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, parking distance control (front
and rear) with a rear view camera, Radio Composition Media and App-Connect with voice control. It can be personalised with optional features such as the Discover Media system which includes satellite navigation as well as a seat heating package. A comprehensive list of safety equipment comes standard too – including six airbags, tyre pressure monitor, Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP), Electronic Trailer Stabilisation, Hill Descent Assist, Offroad ABS with Hill Hold Assist, and Volkswagen’s award-winning automatic post-collision braking system, which can reduce the chance of or severity of a second accident in the event of a collision. The Amarok Canyon 3.0-litre V6 TDI, with
