Used Volkswagen Amarok review and buying guide (2011 to 2023): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Volkswagen Amarok should you buy?

No year of the 2011 to 2023 Amarok stands out as the safer buy, because it's one generation and none of the problems owners have reported is tied to particular years. That means you're choosing on engine, gearbox and condition. Launch trucks were double cabs with a 2.0 diesel and a six-speed manual, a single cab joined in 2012, and the eight-speed automatic came later with an uprated twin-turbo engine.

If it's going on a company's books, skip the comfort suspension. It can't carry a 1 tonne payload, so HMRC treats the truck as a car and benefit-in-kind is charged at car rates rather than the van rate. The V6 is heavy enough to be limited to 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways, while lighter, older Amaroks aren't held back like that.

Trucks ordered from 2023 are a different Amarok, built by Ford on the Ranger with Ford's 2.0 EcoBlue diesel wearing a TDI badge. That engine's timing belt runs in oil and is due every 100,000 miles or 72 months, so check when the change falls due on the one you're looking at. Almost everything owners have reported concerns the older truck, so the rest of this guide covers that one.

Which Amarok engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The twin-turbo 2.0 BiTDI is the engine to look at hardest. One owner's uprated BiTDI started using oil at the end of a lease with no leak anywhere, and an oil test found aluminium and iron: a corroding EGR cooler was shedding aluminium that wore the bores, and a new engine was needed. That's one truck rather than a proven pattern, but it's a failure you don't want to inherit.

The 3.0 V6 TDI is quiet but has huge pulling power, and nothing in owners' reports counts against it. The same goes for the entry-level 2.0 TDI that sat below the BiTDI at launch. In both cases that's a thin record rather than a clean one, so don't read the silence as proof either engine's tougher than the BiTDI.

Two owners have had a gearbox fail: a 2015 eight-speed automatic went at only 15,000 miles, and a 2014 truck's transmission broke at 70,000 miles after a long spell of constant grinding. That's enough to make the test drive count on any Amarok, especially an auto. The six-speed manual has no reports against it, which says the record's thin, not that it's bulletproof.

What should you check when viewing a used Amarok?

Listen for grinding from the gearbox once it's fully warm, since that's how one 2014 truck's transmission behaved before it failed. Hold the steering wheel at speed and feel for vibration: on one 2015 automatic it began at 58,000 miles, and a dealer couldn't cure it with a new propshaft, wheels, tyres and half shafts. Try every electric window too, as that 2014 truck also had electrical faults.

Check the dipstick and ask how often a BiTDI's been topped up between services, because oil vanishing with no leak is how the bore damage shows itself. On the drive, feel for a truck that's short of pull: one 2017 Amarok's particulate filter clogged again and again and choked its performance, and it kept coming back after several roadside callouts.

Ask for proof that the recall for fuel leaks in the engine bay of the 2.0 TDI has been done. Ask outright whether the BiTDI's been remapped: an aftermarket upgrade adds power, removes the speed limiter and has to be declared to the insurer, and it can be switched back to standard in seconds, so a look under the bonnet won't tell you.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Volkswagen Amarok cost to run?

What do Amarok owners like about them?

It's refined and properly finished inside, and it drives like a car rather than a working truck. The common-rail diesels still pull strongly but stay quieter and smoother than you'd expect from a commercial engine, so there's none of the clatter you'd brace yourself for in a pick-up.

The load bed's wide enough between the arches to take a Euro pallet sideways, which matters if it's earning its keep. Off road, the permanent four-wheel drive version feeds more drive to whichever wheel has grip, a rear diff lock is available, hill descent holds the truck at the speed you pick, and hill hold stops it rolling back on a steep start.

• The Amarok achieved a 4-star Euro NCAP rating, with strong scores for adult protection and safety assist systems.
• The Amarok offers impressive refinement and high interior quality, making it one of the most car-like pick-ups available.
• The common rail TDI engines deliver strong performance and are notably quieter and smoother than many other commercial vehicle diesel units.
• ESP is a standard feature on all models, and the Amarok achieved a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
• The V6 TDI engine is quiet, delivers immense torque, and the advanced all-wheel-drive system includes sophisticated hill descent braking.