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John Mellor’s<br />
Go<strong>Auto</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
Amarok’s fresh swipe<br />
New TDI340 variant slips<br />
under HiLux as VW takes<br />
$2000 from ute start price<br />
By MARTON PETTENDY<br />
VOLKSWAGEN will reduce the admission<br />
price of its HiLux-crushing Amarok dualcab<br />
ute to $31,990 (plus on-road costs) with<br />
the addition of a new entry-level variant<br />
dubbed the TDI340.<br />
That makes the base Amarok $600 cheaper<br />
than its most direct rival within Toyota’s<br />
top-selling utility range, the 2WD SR dualcab<br />
diesel pick-up ($32,590 plus ORCs).<br />
Reducing the Amarok starting price by<br />
$2000, the new model shares the same<br />
specifi cation as the previous range-opener,<br />
the Amarok TDI400 2WD manual ($33,990),<br />
but is powered by a lower-output version of<br />
Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.<br />
As its name suggests, instead of the<br />
TDI400’s 120kW/400Nm peak fi gures,<br />
the TDI340 produces 90kW of power<br />
at 3850rpm (150rpm lower the TDI400<br />
engine) and 340Nm of torque.<br />
Matched exclusively with the same<br />
six-speed ZF manual transmission, it is<br />
unclear whether the TDI340 will be more<br />
economical than TDI400 2WD, which<br />
returns just 7.7L/100km.<br />
As with other Amarok models, two load<br />
confi gurations will be available for the new<br />
TDI340: the standard heavy-duty set-up<br />
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with 3+2 leaf springs offering a GVM of<br />
3040kg and payload of almost 1200kg; the<br />
other with a no-cost ‘Comfort’ suspension<br />
option with 3+1 leaf springs, a 2820kg<br />
GVM and a payload of almost one tonne.<br />
Like all other Amarok twin-cabs, the<br />
four-door fi ve-seater TDI340 comes with a<br />
braked towing capacity of 2800kg (750kg<br />
unbraked).<br />
Standard equipment remains the same<br />
as the TDI400 2WD, including twin front<br />
and side head/thorax airbags, front seatbelt<br />
tensioners, fi ve three-point seatbelts and<br />
head restraints for all fi ve occupants, plus<br />
ABS brakes and ESC.<br />
It also offers the 2WD TDI400’s 16-inch<br />
steel wheels, ‘Spacer’ cloth trim, power<br />
windows/mirrors, air-conditioning, AM/<br />
FM/CD audio and reach/rake-adjustable<br />
steering wheel.<br />
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE<br />
SUBSCRIBE FREE: www.Go<strong>Auto</strong>Media.com<br />
May 18, 2011 Page 18<br />
Fiat and PSA outline joint van and drivetrain plans<br />
By MARTON PETTENDY<br />
FIAT and PSA Peugeot Citroen will end<br />
a joint-venture arrangement in 2017 that<br />
produces the mid-size Fiat Scudo, Peugeot<br />
Expert and Citroen Jumpy vans in France<br />
“due to diverging product strategies”.<br />
However, the two European auto<br />
giants – which also share a compact van<br />
– have extended to 2019 their agreement<br />
to produce a common large commercial<br />
vehicle in Italy, meaning the nextgeneration<br />
Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer<br />
and Citroen Jumper vans will again be<br />
mechanically identical.<br />
PSA and Fiat jointly revealed the<br />
commercial model decisions last week at<br />
the SevelSud plant in Val Di Sangro.<br />
“Following detailed analysis, it has<br />
been jointly agreed by PSA Peugeot<br />
Citroen and Fiat Group <strong>Auto</strong>mobiles that<br />
their SevelNord joint venture, based in<br />
Valenciennes, France, will not be renewed<br />
at its expiry in 2017 due to changes in<br />
GOLF GTI TURNS 35<br />
VOLKSWAGEN has unveiled a more<br />
powerful version of its Golf GTI hot<br />
hatch to mark the now-iconic model’s<br />
35th birthday, a small number of which<br />
are expected to be available in Australia<br />
before the end of this year.<br />
The Edition 35 produces 173kW – up<br />
18kW on the standard model – from the<br />
same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder<br />
engine, though Volkswagen remains tightlipped<br />
on any changes to performance<br />
or economy.<br />
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE<br />
Jumpy<br />
each partner’s future product strategies,”<br />
said Fiat.<br />
PSA said: “The product strategies of Fiat<br />
and PSA Peugeot Citroen in the segment<br />
served by the Peugeot Expert, Citroen<br />
Jumpy and Fiat Scudo being divergent,<br />
their joint-venture at SevelNord will not<br />
be renewed.”<br />
At the same time, PSA announced a<br />
major three-year €355 million ($A474m)<br />
capital expenditure program to produce a<br />
turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine<br />
and new dual-clutch transmission.<br />
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE<br />
TDI400
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