VOLKSWAGEN set the bar high when it entered Australia’s highly competitive one-tonne ute market with the Amarok in February 2011.

Despite having no previous entry in the segment, VW not only delivered a dual-cab ute with class-leading safety, dynamics, interior presentation and fuel consumption but the biggest tray in the business as well.

Now VW is raising the bar higher with the addition of a single-cab body style and an eight-speed automatic transmission for the dual-cabs.

Since the Amarok’s original launch, established players like the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and Holden Colorado have been replaced with impressive all-new versions, so can the VW maintain its status as king of the hill?