Amarok wins first SA Bakkie of the Year contest
Mahindra Karoo Best Value for Money Bakkie
South Africans – like Namibians – are bakkie mad!This fact is borne from the monthly vehicle sales figures for the country, with three of the five top-selling vehicles being ladder-frame-based one-ton pickups, as well as the best-selling passenger vehicle in the country for the last decade.
Given this popularity, it made sense to establish a dedicated South African Bakkie of the Year competition with the purpose of evaluating and appraising the specific requirements, as well as critical performance measurements – such as off-road, advanced 4×4 and on- and off-road towing capabilities – expected from these vehicles. These exact requirements were addressed and evaluated in a measurable, repeatable, and verifiable manner.
After undergoing an extensive evaluation divided into three distinct disciplines (4×4 driving and capability tests, off-road performance tests, and towing performance on and off-road), the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion was crowned as the winner of the inaugural 2023 South African Bakkie of the Year (SABOTY) competition at the Nampo Cape exhibition in Bredasdorp.
Impressive
The new Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 V6 TDI, launched earlier this year, impressed the SABOTY jury, consisting of leading specialist motoring journalists and industry experts, with its impressive dynamics and towing capability, comfortable ride on the road as well as off it, and its high-quality interior.
To ensure the highest grade of professionalism in the SABOTY evaluation procedures, an expert in each discipline was appointed to draw up the testing procedures and requirements. The three “discipline specialists” were multiple national rally champion and off-road performance expert Sarel van der Merwe, off-road and 4×4 towing expert Gerhard Groenewald from Klipbokkop Off-Road Academy, and 4×4 driving dynamics expert Francois Rossouw from 4×4 Sport.
Ably assisted by the jury who, besides participating in the testing procedures, also comprehensively scored each vehicle according to a very detailed and specifically developed questionnaire, the winner of the first SABOTY competition was chosen from the flagship leisure double cab 4×4 bakkie with automatic transmission from each manufacturer.
Other participants were the Nissan Navara 2.5 DDTI Pro-4X 4×4 AT; GWM P-Series 2.0TD LTD 4×4 AT; Mahindra Pik Up 2.2 S11 Karoo Storm; Peugeot Landtrek 4Action Africa Edition 4×4 6AT; Mitsubishi Triton 2.4 DI-DC 4×4 AT Xtreme; Isuzu D-Max 3.0 Ddi 4×4 V-Cross AT; Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 2.0 BiTDI 4Motion AT; and the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion.
Rigorous evaluation
After the rigorous evaluation in the different disciplines all the points were tallied and audited (including cost of ownership as supplied by Lightstone, and value for money in terms of retail price, warranties and service plans), the winners of the different categories are:
• 100 - 120kW category: GWM P-Series LTD (120kW)
• 121 - 150kW category: Nissan Navara Pro4X 4×4 AT (140kW)
• 151 - 190kW category: Volkswagen Amarok Panamericana 3.0 V6 TDI (184kW)
However, in terms of the lowest cost of ownership the Mahindra Pik Up 2.2 S11 Karoo Storm was judged the best bakkie.
For the towing tests, Marius Ras from Mobi Lodge Adventure Caravans supplied two camping trailer models – a small MobiX off-road trailer and the top-of-the-range Mobi Lodge – with the less powerful bakkies towing the smaller model, while the most powerful contenders were also tested with the big caravan. The same test was repeated in off-road conditions, and the power of the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion assured it of victory in this category as well.
The 4×4 tests at the Klipbokkop Off-Road Academy included terrain with sand, rock and shale, and the testing of wheel articulation and traction. It also included measurable evaluation, such as a dirt road braking test and wheel travel measurements.
Discernible differences
The jury members commented on how discernible the differences between the contenders were when tested back-to-back in the same conditions but in the end it was the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion that again earned the laurels.
The performance tests, done under the auspices of Sarel van der Merwe, were conducted on suitable tar and dirt roads close to Franschhoek. All performance aspects (acceleration, braking and handling) were evaluated, and there were some surprising results... However, with the evaluation concluded, the smaller Volkswagen Amarok, the PanAmericana 2.0 BiTDI 4Motion AT was declared the winner.
SABOTY convener Dirk Gallowitz congratulated Volkswagen South Africa on the Amarok’s victory. “After extensive evaluation, we can confidently declare the Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion a worthy winner. The Amarok impressed the jurors in virtually all aspects and proved itself a great all-rounder by winning two categories besides the overall accolade.
“The first Bakkie of the Year competition has set a new benchmark for the evaluation of vehicles in the highly popular and hugely competitive pickup category, and we look forward to again presenting this competition next year, perhaps looking at different models within the same segment.”
The organisers decided to include "Cost of Ownership" as a criterion, with data received from Lightstone. Four specific but very relevant criteria measured over 4 years/80 000km were addressed, namely, Maintenance, Insurance, Fuel consumption measured at claimed figures, and Trade-in price. The Mahindra Karoo achieved the lowest figure here to win what can be regarded as "Best Value for Money Bakkie".