Car Reviews

From the November 1966 issue of Car and Driver.
What’s a Camaro? Chevrolet sent us a French-English dictionary which defined “camaro” as a little-known colloquialism meaning “comrade” or “pal.” The word was so little-known that none of our French friends had ever heard of it. Sounds Spanish, they said, so we tried a Spanish-English dictionary. Eureka! “Camaro” is defined as a gratuity, a shrimp or something very much like something else. Perfect! There was even a little quotation which translated: “The shrimp that sleeps is carried away by the stream.”
Chevrolet seemed to sleep for two years while Ford racked up Mustang-sales by the millions. Now the Camaro is here, and whether it’s gratuity, shrimp, pal, comrade or very much like the Mustang, Chevrolet must have decided it was better late than never. The mystery is why it took Chevrolet so long to launch a car in the animal name market. GM is mum on the subject, but we can speculate.
The Corvair may—in a roundabout way—be partially responsible for the Camaro gap. The Corvair was intended to be the American Volkswagen, and in that, it failed. While Ford’s Falcon and Plymouth’s Valiant burned up the sensible-transportation market, Chevrolet fiddled with the Chevy II. By the time the Chevy II was ready, Chevrolet had inadvertently created a whole new market—the enthusiasts were accepting the Corvair as a sporty car. Chevrolet failed to capitalize on this, and Ford again stole the thunder—this time with the sporty Mustang. Chevrolet was still a leap behind.

M. BRADY

As a sporty car, the Corvair was a cul de sac. Chevrolet took great pains to make it the best-handling sedan in America only to discover that potential buyers were more interested in looks and power. With the 180-hp turbocharged engine, the little flat-six was at the end of its tether as far as more power was concerned.
The situation demanded a whole new engine, which would have cost a fortune, and the prospects for a decent return on the investment were slim. A whole new car looked like a better bet than improving the old one. Accordingly, all basic engineering work on the Corvair stopped two years ago, and the Camaro project (which was code-named the “Panther,” or the “F” car) was initiated.
Like the Mustang, the Camaro is not so much a new car as it is a new approach. Like the Mustang, the Camaro is based largely on existing hardware—in this case, the Chevy II/Chevelle models. Like the Mustang, the Camaro is a sporty-looking car with a long hood and a short rear deck, although its styling is related much more closely to the Corvair than to the Mustang.
The youth market—or what’s left of it after The Draft and tight money—is what the Camaro is aimed at, with older folks wanting in on the fun because that’s where they think the action is. It’s Every man’s “cute little car,” with practicality or performance, as you choose. We naturally opted for the performance model, the SS 350. The “SS” stands for Super Sport, a family of high-powered Chevy options. There’s an SS 427 in the full-size Chevrolet line-up and an SS 396 Chevelle (the Chevy II 327 is too hot to publicize, and the 164 cu. in. Corvair is barely warm to the touch).

Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS
1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger sports sedan, all steel integral body/chassis, with front sub-frame
PRICE AS TESTED (Prices for the 1967 models had not been released by the manufacturers at press time. Our unofficial estimate would be ca. $3400.00 as our test car was equipped.)
ENGINE TYPE water-cooled V-8, cast iron block and headsDisplacement:350 in3, 5694 cm3Power:295 hp @ 4800 rpmTorque:380 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm
TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 108.1 inLength: 184.6 inWidth: 72.5 inHeight: 51.0 inCurb weight: 3269 lb
C/D TEST RESULTSZero to 60 mph: 7.8 secZero to 100 mph: 23.0 secStanding ¼-mile: 16.1 @ 86.5 mphBraking, 80-0 mph: 280 ftRoadholding, 280-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 g
FUEL ECONOMY:EPA city/highway driving: 13-16 mpg (premium fuel)

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A few years ago, we asked a Volkswagen executive why the Amarok pickup truck wasn’t offered in the United States, where pickups are a default mode of personal transportation. His answer: It’s too good and, therefore, too expensive. He added that if VW had partnered with one of the established truck manufacturers, it could be a different story.
In the United Kingdom, the Amarok’s base price was about $35,000 before taxes and destination charges, stretching to around $52,500 for a top-of-the-line Aventura model with the most powerful engine. You can see how that would be a tough ask in the U.S., where a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 costs less than $45,000.

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The Amarok’s premium price reflects the ambitions of former CEO Ferdinand Piëch, who commissioned the project to get VW into the mid-size pickup market. Typical of mid-2000s Volkswagen, the company chose the most difficult path, designing the Amarok from scratch. Now, a decade after its introduction, the Amarok has reached the end of its life cycle as the remaining stock in the European market dwindles. The factory where it’s built, in Hanover, is switching over to produce the new Multivan and electric ID. Buzz, and import tariffs make it prohibitively expensive to import the Amarok from VW’s plant in Argentina. The Amarok will continue to be built and sold in South America, though, for a few more years.

View Photos

Volkswagen

Depending on the market, the Amarok is powered by four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines or by an Audi-designed turbocharged diesel V-6. It’s available in rear- or all-wheel drive and as a single cab or a four-door crew cab. We drove a top-level version, an Amarok Dark Label special-edition crew cab, with all-wheel drive and a 201-hp 3.0-liter diesel V-6 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Ten years after its debut, the Amarok is still well-proportioned and pleasantly subdued in appearance—unless it’s specified with Dark Label trim. Riding higher than a regular Amarok, the Dark Label is fitted with a roof-mounted LED light bar and a snorkel, standing tall above European traffic.
Once you’ve climbed up into the cabin, the Amarok feels familiar. Straight, clean lines reflect the design language that was en vogue in Wolfsburg circa 2010. The buttons and switches feel thick and provide satisfying feedback. And the materials, while not quite Audi grade, are better than you’d expect in a mid-size truck. The touch-sensitive navigation screen is a bit small by today’s standards, but it includes seamless connectivity.

View Photos

Volkswagen

The turbo diesel that made its debut in the 2014 Audi A6 and A7 assumes its duty with a quiet, reassuring purr. The torque-rich 3.0-liter is familiar from other Volkswagen Automotive Group vehicles, including performance and luxury cars. And while this one is in a mild state of tune, a diesel V-6 is unusual in this segment, where most competitors deem a gasoline-fed turbo-four or large-displacement V-6 to be entirely sufficient. This engine’s potential was demonstrated by the 2019 Amarok Red Rock concept, which cranked out 350 horsepower but never made it to production.
The Dark Label’s 201-hp rating translates into a claimed zero-to-60-mph time in the 9.0-second range and a terminal velocity approaching 120 mph. The most powerful Amaroks offer 255 horsepower and top out at a claimed 129 mph, which would make them the fastest pickups in the U.S. The version we drove serves up maximum torque of 369 pound-feet from 1250 to 2750 rpm. While the engine’s growl remains subdued even under high loads, the snorkel system emits a delicious hiss that can be modulated with the throttle and reliably manages to turn heads while prowling the city.
The single-turbo V-6 operates with surprisingly little turbo lag, and the bountiful torque means that the Amarok feels quicker than its leisurely shove to 60 mph would suggest. On an empty autobahn, 110 mph is a comfortable cruising speed. We observed fuel economy in the 23-mpg range, although aggressive driving will drop that to around 17 mpg.

View Photos

Volkswagen

Piloting the Amarok at triple-digit velocities feels remarkably safe. It tracks steadily, and the low-effort steering offers ample feedback. The suspension is designed for truck stuff—hauling and towing—yet even an empty Amarok feels comfortable enough for long trips. It might not challenge the Honda Ridgeline’s on-road manners, but the Amarok manages to deliver plenty of off-road capability and utility while doing a credible impression of a Piëch-era VW sedan on the highway.
In fact, with the optional aluminum tonneau cover, you can use the Amarok as a sedan that happens to have an exceptionally large trunk. That cover kept the luggage—in my case, a boxed collection of rare books—totally dry during an unexpected downpour.
Despite its refinement and capability, however, the Amarok’s run is over. At least VW has promised a successor. Slated for a launch in late 2022, the next-gen Amarok will be co-developed with the Ford Ranger. It will still be called Amarok, and a diesel engine will continue to be offered. But this time around, the price should follow the trajectory of other post-Piëch projects and take a healthy drop. And this might finally make the Amarok a feasible product for the country that can’t get enough pickup trucks.

Specifications

Specifications
2020 Volkswagen Amarok Double Cab Dark Label
VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
BASE PRICE (GERMANY) $56,869
ENGINE TYPE turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve diesel V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement 181 in3, 2967 cm3Power 201 hp @ 4500 rpmTorque 369 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm
TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 121.9 inLength: 206.9 inWidth: 76.9 inHeight: 72.2 inCurb weight (C/D est): 5000 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 9.0 sec100 mph: 27.0 sec1/4 mile: 17.0 secTop speed: 118 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST) Combined/city/highway: 26/23/31 mpg

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