THERE'S ONE thing for sure about VW's Amarok pick-up - it is one big monster and, by my reckoning, the more vertically challenged amongst us will almost require a mounting block just to get into the saddle!

It also has one of the biggest price tags to match, which begs the question ... is it worth it? I think that's a qualified 'yes' vote, especially for serious users, who spend a long working day in their vehicle. The Amarok is certainly a comfortable environment to do business in - and that's whether it's in the field or on the road.

It does also attract an envious following from fellow road users and certainly got as much attention from wee boys and petrol heads as any sports car I've ever driven.

This is a very comfortable and, as pick-ups go, pretty refined beast, all the way from the solid clunk of the door, to the sturdy tailgate. The one tested was a special edition Canyon fitted with a bi-turbo version of VW's admirable 2.0-litre diesel motor, tweaked to 177bhp (it is 138bhp on the standard models).

Best of all, though, those horses were linked to the axles via a belter of an eight-speed smoothy transmission and the well-proven 4Motion intelligent four-wheel-drive system. While it's not quite 'car-like refinement', it comes as damned close as any pick-up currently in the UK market stalls.

There's a host of electronic 'do-gooders' aimed at making that so, including electronic stabilisation, anti-lock brakes (plus off-road ABS), brake assist, traction control, diff lock, hill hold assist and hill descent control. And, for those making use of the Amarok's 3.2-tonne braked trailer capacity (that's with the 'auto box; three-tonnes with the manual six-speed), there's a pretty handy trailer stability control set-up.

The auto-box version comes as standard with a heavier duty leaf spring suspension than the manual models, but, to be honest, I was surprised to see that leaf springs were being used instead of more modern coil spring. That said, leafs are much easier to replace.

Canyon spec' models (there are to be 350 of them for the UK) get snazzy 19-inch alloy wheels, moulded body panels and a special high gloss 'styling' bar, upon which you can opt, for the not inconsiderable sum of £945 before VAT, a body coloured, four unit light bar which is capable of showing up the twinkle of a fox's eye about a mile away! Reynard beware - Amarok's gonna getcha.

Inside, those familiar with a Golf hatch-back will not be fazed by the controls and it's all done out with typically Teutonic ergonomic efficiency. Leather seats with contrasting orange threading is standard on the Canyon, with less gaudy dead cowhide versions available on the Highline top-spec' models.

Performance wise, the big Amarok is no slouch - at least for this type of vehicle - with a 0-62mph rating of a little more than 11 seconds. And, even with the natural fuel use penalty that the auto-box brings (no it wasn't the efficient DSG-type), you can still expect to get well into the mid-30s for mpg.

And so to the cost! The model tested hit the road with a whopping £30,720 before tax, or an eye-watering £37,841 with VAT on top - which makes it one for serious users only. But, it does come with a three-year/100,000-mile warranty with breakdown assistance.