Volkswagen Amarok 2027 review: W600 - Australian first drive

We’ve been waiting a few years for Volkswagen and Walkinshaw to fully reveal its latest creation and now it won’t be long until it's on public roads.

Following the success of the original Volkswagen Amarok W-Series of flagship utes, there has been a lot of hype surrounding what the German carmaker is planning for its current-generation model which shares its platform with the Ford Ranger.

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Volkswagen and Walkinshaw claim the Amarok W600 is the ‘ultimate driver’s ute’ and it has been modelled as a more street-focused, performance model, like the previous Amarok W580S. This contrasts against key rivals like the Ford Ranger Raptor, Isuzu D-Max Blade, Mitsubishi Triton Raider and Nissan Navara Warrior which are off-road-focused.

Highlight changes include new 20-inch alloy wheels that are 10 inches wide and wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres, a dual side-exit exhaust system, a bespoke Koni suspension set-up with a Walkinshaw tune and the fitment of a 22mm rear anti-roll bar.

Other niceties include electric side steps, Walkinshaw embroidering on the leather-upholstered seats and aluminium sport pedal covers.

The Amarok W600 has a tough and menacing stance. There are wider wheel arches to cover the fatter wheels, plus a unique front fascia with a W motif in the grille and a light bar connecting the headlights.

One thing we don’t know yet is how much the tough looks and all of these performance additions will add to the price tag. For context, the current flagship Amarok Aventura caps out at $82,990, before on-road costs.

The previous Amarok W580S was $7500 more than the Aventura at the time and if this price difference is carried over this could see the Amarok W600 be priced over $90,000.

This is notable as the Ford Ranger Raptor is currently priced from $90,690, before on-road costs.

Wherever VW lands will be interesting as the Amarok W600 has an unchanged 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine that’s available on other trim levels, as well as in the Ford Ranger.

It produces 184kW and 600Nm which is 16kW less and 20Nm more than the previous W580S which also had a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel but it was sourced in-house.

Also unchanged are the braked towing and load-carrying capacities. Volkswagen has confirmed the Amarok W600 retains a 3500kg braked towing capacity and will have a payload capacity close to 1000kg.

Exact figures, including the kerb weight, haven’t been confirmed yet.

Something Volkswagen has locked in though is a standard-fit 17-inch steel spare wheel even though Walkinshaw ensured there is enough space to fit a full 20x10-inch alloy. This means you’ll likely need to travel at reduced speeds when it’s fitted. That’s not ideal for this type of vehicle.

We had the opportunity to sample the Amarok W600 back-to-back with the regular Amarok TDI600 Style across a series of scenarios at Lang Lang and the differences are pronounced.

One of the most obvious changes behind the wheel is the tyres which offer fantastic grip. They were put to the test on a rather rainy day and held up very well.

Also impressive is the improved braking performance. It’s noticeably better than the regular Amarok and goes to show how much braking can change with different tyres as the braking system itself hasn’t been altered.

Additionally another major area of change with the Amarok W600 is how it rides and handles. The Koni-sourced suspension and damper package helps make this ute feel a lot more planted during hard acceleration and braking.

Plus, the rear anti-roll bar helps keep the ute flatter through the bends. As a result it's more confidence-inspiring to drive spiritedly. You can focus more on the driving ahead than what the ute is doing.

My only criticism of the package is that you can feel more pimply bumps and road imperfections in the Amarok W600 compared to the regular Amarok. It’s unclear if this is the suspension, larger wheels or a combination of both.

Plus it’s worth noting that Volkswagen and Amarok may still fine tune the suspension in this ute ahead of its launch in August.