Skip to main content

Volkswagen sends three beefy Amarok pickups across Russia for Sochi Winter Olympics

While athletics obviously dominate the Olympic Games, they inevitably need a way to get to the games, which is quite a problem considering the harsh winter climate of Sochi.

Volkswagen group has answered Old Man Winter with a beast of a truck: a beefed up version of its commonplace Volkswagen Amarok, dubbed the Polar Expedition Amarok, according to Gear Patrol.

In order to survive the brutal landscape, the truck has been equipped with tires that make Jeep owners drool and fenders you could build a small house under. The suspension, shocks, and general componentry underneath the bumpers have been improved in order to handle the unrelenting conditions.

With the journey, Volkswagen put its ever-famous 4motion four-wheel drive to the test and trusted the Amarok’s 2.0-liter BiTDI diesel engine, that puts out 175 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque, to propel the Amarok through the often road-less Russian tundra.

The vehicle has also been given a larger-than-life roll cage, enhanced lighting, and improved communication systems. In other words, the Polar Expedition Amarok is what off-road junkies everywhere dream about.

The special edition Amarok has already proven itself a fair master of the Russian winter. Three of the vehicles made a  16,000 mile trek from Moscow to Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky, an expedition that makes the Rubicon trail look like a daily commute.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Dermody
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Audi Q6 e-tron ushers in the automaker’s next EV phase
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron front three quarter view.

Audi doesn’t get enough credit for getting luxury car buyers comfortable with EVs. While Tesla took care of the image-conscious types, the German brand unveiled its e-tron electric SUV in 2018 with the tagline “electric has gone Audi” in hopes of getting loyal customers excited about (or, at least, acclimated to) electric cars by pitching the e-tron as an Audi first and an EV second.

The e-tron wasn’t a one-off, either. It’s since evolved into the Q8 e-tron and has been joined by the sporty e-tron GT and entry-level Q4 e-tron. So, while some car brands are only just introducing their first electric models, Audi is ready for round two.

Read more