More from the New York Auto Show
The Tarok is a “compact” pickup that is based on the same MQB platform that underpins several VW vehicles, including the Atlas three-row midsize SUV. At 193.5 inches long overall, the Tarok is notably shorter than would-be rivals such as the Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma, but its bed length can match or beat most of its class competitors… thanks to a little design trick. The Tarok can carry loads up to 73.2 inches long, thanks to a unique fold-down panel at the rear of the cab that extends the pickup-bed area. That cargo can’t be too tall, however since the rear window remains fixed.
Save for standard concept-vehicle dress-ups (mainly flashier wheels and exterior detailing), the Tarok Concept looks very close to a showroom-ready vehicle. It’s powered by a 1.4-liter TSI turbocharged 4-cylinder that makes 147 horsepower and is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4Motion all-wheel drive.
CG Says:
Volkswagen says that it has no plans to offer the Tarok in the US, buuuut… this is the second New York Auto Show in a row that they’ve shown a pickup concept. (Last year, the burly Tanoak Concept took the stage.) The idea of a U.S.-market VW pickup is interesting, but the Tarok seems a bit too far off the beaten path (no pun intended) to gain a foothold in the compact/midsize-pickup category. More horsepower would be necessary (a 147-hp 4-cylinder is a significant disadvantage in the class), and novel cargo-bed arrangements historically haven’t been huge marketplace successes here (who remembers the Chevrolet Avalanche?). If VW does decide to bring a pickup truck to the North American market, we’d expect it to be something closer to last year’s Tanoak Concept… but even that is a long shot.