The North American market might see another unibody pickup truck in the near future, as the 2021 VW Tarok has been rumored. The small pickup already has a premiere in New York last year and after excellent reception, it looks like the production for this market might start soon. Currently, this pickup truck is available in Brazil. Still, we presume it will be offered in other parts of the world as well.
When it comes to North America, this model definitely has a lot of potentials. While the market is overflowed with traditional body-on-frame pickup trucks, there is just one unibody pickup truck and that’s a pretty large Honda Ridgeline. However, we should mention that the new Hyundai Santa Cruz is expected in the near future as well.
2021 VW Tarok Design
In terms of base design characteristics, the Brazilian-market isn’t much different compared to the model that has been shown at the New York Auto Show. That means we are talking about a unibody pickup truck, which puts focus rather on things like comfort and ride quality that overall capabilities. Therefore, the first thing you should know about this pickup is that it isn’t particularly capable. Due to its design, it definitely can’t compete with BoF pickup trucks, either with Ridgeline, which is much bigger and has a more powerful engine.
This model measures less than 197 inches in overall length. So, it definitely belongs to the class of compact pickup trucks. We expect to see the new Hyundai Santa Cruz in the near future, so these two models would definitely close rivals.
Exterior and Interior
When it comes to the exterior design, the 2021 VW Tarok is a typical Volkswagen. It features a familiar design language and shares a lot of styling solutions with models like Touareg, T-Roc. However, it adds a couple of modern details, which makes it look far more interesting compared to way too conservative majority in the brand’s lineup. The new model should be available in a double cab layout only.
In terms of interior design, there is really nothing to complain about. Even the Brazilian version looks very nice and comes with all kinds of fine materials, as well as with the latest tech goodies. If it comes to North America, we presume the company would make additional upgrades. This refers to higher-quality materials, new color schemes and trims, more standard equipment etc.
2021 VW Tarok Engine
In Brazil, this small pickup comes in two output variants, one diesel and one gasoline. The standard gasoline model comes with a quite potent 1.4-liter turbo engine, which delivers around 150 horsepower. Typically for this market, the engine can run on ethanol as well. The diesel version comes with a well-known 2.0-liter TDI, which also puts out around 150 horsepower.
Of course, the oil-burner definitely won’t come to North America, while the gasoline unit seems a little bit underpowered. Therefore, the U.S. version would feature something bigger and more powerful. A 2.0-liter turbo-four, which currently powers the compact SUV Tiguan and delivers around 182 horsepower seems like a good pick. Also, this engine comes in pair with a more modern, 8-speed automatic transmission, instead of the current 6-speed unit. Finally, some form of electrification also seems quite possible.
2021 VW Tarok Release Date
At this point, the North American version of 2021 VW Tarok is just a speculation. The company is still considering the possibility to offer this model in the U.S. Still, if we consider the words of the company’s management, chances of seeing this model in this part of the world are really slim. On the other side, the Brazilian version will carry on, while we count on expansion on other markets of the world as well.
