Now here is a combination for the adventurous family who spend too many days in the confines of suburbia, and who live to go exploring those picturesque back roads that makes southern Africa so exciting!

Mondays to Fridays they demand good, car-like comfort in the city, where heavy traffic proves the need for ultra-smooth automatic transmission, reasonable fuel economy and space. But come the weekend, it’s time to hitch up the caravan, pack the firewood and camping gear into the load bay, and get away from the humdrum of high-density living.

Having an easy tow to and from the destination is a priority. With 550 Nm of turbo-charged engine torque under this V6 Amarok’s bonnet, there is no need to drive in a way that demands concentration in coercing or extracting maximum engine performance. There is also no sitting on the edge of the driver’s seat in readiness of making early gear changes to overtake or get up the hill without slowing down to a snail's pace and holding up traffic. With all this power plus 4-wheel traction, this is one of the most relaxing tows you will find today.

Some 9 years ago, Volkswagen rewrote the bakkie manual when they entered the market with a relatively small engine, a 2-litre twin turbo Amarok. It was a brave move, considering this hotly contested big bakkie market segment was experiencing a demand for bigger and more powerful engines.

Now VW has done it again by fitting a smooth-running 3-litre diesel car engine and 8-speed automatic into the Amarok.

This turbo diesel engine is not new: It has seen service in Audi, Porsche and VW vehicles, not to forget the 4x4 Toureg.

While turbos are effective in getting huge amounts of power out of smaller engines – particularly diesel engines – this bigger capacity turbo diesel engine achieves a response that is simply delightful, particularly when it comes to towing.

Towing ability