The all-new Volkswagen Amarok has made waves across the nation with the feature-packed utility boasting an abundance of technology and style on a completely new platform.

Built from the ground up and ‘forged by some of the world’s toughest critics – Aussies’, Volkswagen’s designers were pushed to create their most capable utility yet.

Taking the Amarok Pan Americana for a tour around the Limestone Coast last week provided an opportunity to put the utility to the test.

While the Pan American may not have all the ‘bells and whistles’ of the top-spec Aventura, this does not mean you are left with any less performance, any less style or any less functionality.

In fact, depending on what you are looking for in a utility, this may even be your pick of the bunch as it is geared more towards the owner who prefers the perfect blend between on and offroad usage and the Pan Americana is geared to go straight out of the box.

A powerful TDI600 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine is at the heart of the Amarok, with 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque propelling the utility along through a 10-speed automatic gearbox and advanced selectable 4MOTION all-wheel drive system.

There are four driving modes to help tackle the smoothest through to the harshest terrain, with 2H driving the rear wheels for normal road usage and 4H, 4L and 4A options selectable depending on the harshness of earth beneath the vehicle with the support of a selectable rear mechanical diff lock.

While geared towards more rugged usage, the Amarok Pan Americana styling remains top-notch.

Gracing the front end of the utility is Volkswagen’s IQ.Light LED Matrix headlamps, led fog lights and black X-Design front bumper, while black side steps and sports bar round out the side and rear of the vehicle with stylish LED tail lights and AMAROK-emblazoned power locking tailgate.

Black 18-inch alloy wheels also ensure there is plenty of sidewall to bite on loose terrain to climb or descend tough tracks with the support of Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tyres.

Helping enhance the exterior panels is a number of quality paint finishes including Clear White, Bright Beige Metallic, Bright Blue Metallic, Dark Grey Metallic, Deep Red Metallic, Light Grey Metallic, Mid Blue Metallic and Midnight black Metallic.

Taking to the open road the Amarok Pan Americana is as comfortable and nice to drive as you would expect it to be. The 10-way electric heated front seating ensures you can lock in the perfect seat position while staying warm on cold journeys and hold you firmly with a precise amount of support.

Even when navigating the varying road surfaces around town through spoon drains and over speed bumps or tackling the beaten pine breaks or gravel roads, the Amarok soaks up the humps and bumps with ease and makes being behind the wheel an absolute pleasure.

Ensuring all your favourite tunes are easily accessible through a 12-inch radio and navigation system is bluetooth connectivity through Wireless App Connect with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, while a premium 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer plays all your favourite tunes in high-definition sound.

There are a host of function and safety features packed into the Pan Americana, with keyless entry and an alarm system, area view and park assist, tyre pressure monitoring, lane keeping assist, front and rear park control and rain and light sensors just to name a few, but the feature that continues to impress is the and speed sign recognition system.

Sitting on cruise control and heading out towards the race course, upon reaching the 80kph speed zone the vehicle automatically recognises the change in speed and increases as required, with the same happening when reaching highway speed a smidge further up the road.

Even more impressive, is if you happen to miss a speed sign when heading back towards town, the vehicle will recognise this and apply the brakes to slow you down as necessary.

Each Volkswagen Amarok sold comes with a 5-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and one year of roadside assistance, with a number of owner care plans available to include the first five scheduled services to ensure hassle-free motoring.

Pricing for the Amarok Pan Americana starts at $81,919 driveaway, with a wide range of cargo, exterior, interior and off-road accessories available before taking delivery of your new utility.

Pop in and see the Barry Maney Volkswagen team on Crouch Street North or contact the dealership on 8721 3400 to configure your new Amarok today.