From 2012 Volkswagen will offer the Amarok pickup truck with an 8-speed automatic transmission option.

It’s not about showing off that car makers put more gears in their boxes anymore. These units have undeniable performance and economic advantages. In Amarok’s case, when combined with BlueMotion Technology it’ll deliver greater ride comfort and good off-road skills with a level of fuel consumption below that of the same model with a manual gearbox.

Equipped with permanent 4-wheel drive and a new132 kW / 180 PS 2.0-litre bi-turbo TDI engine, the 8-speed Amarok does 7.6 litres per 100 km and CO2 emissions of 199 g/km. The 8th gear was configured as a fuel-saving overdrive gear that operates at reduced engine speed.

Performance-wise, 0 to 100 km/h is irrelevant for a diesel-powered pickup truck. What you need is good in-gear acceleration, and the Amarok does 80 to 120 km/h in 8.5 seconds, and tops 179 km/h.

Also thanks to the automatic gearbox, the Amarok’s towing capacity has now been increased to 3.2 metric tonnes.