Volkswagen South Africa has commemorated the 2010 launch of the highly-successful Amarok double cab bakkie with the release of its most powerful variant ever.

According to the company, more than 37 000 Amarok bakkies have been sold locally over the past 10 years, a level of success that has certainly shaken things up in the uber-competitive South African double cab market.

The new 190kW Amarok is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine, adding 25kW to the previous V6 derivative’s figures and boosting torque to 580Nm. The Amarok V6 has earned a reputation of being faster than it looks, and the new model can rocket from 0-100km/h in just 7.6 seconds.

If that’s not enough for you, the Amarok also includes an ‘overboost’ function that can spike power to 200kW for a maximum of 10 seconds, officially making it the most powerful bakkie on sale in South Africa.

Naturally, the Amarok is first and foremost a functional double cab, benefitting from the largest load bin in its class. All-round disc brakes match speed with stopping power, while fuel consumption remains comfortably low at a claimed 9.5l/100km.

Pricing remains the Amarok’s biggest sticking point, but the appeal of an upmarket bakkie is one that obviously resonates with South African buyers.

The Volkswagen Amarok comes standard with a 3-year/100 000km manufacturer warranty, 5-year/90 000 km Genuine Easy Drive Service Plan, and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty.