Volkswagen Amarok Reviews

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.Dubbed the Amarok W600, Volkswagen revealed some initial details of this locally fettled ute late last year, but ahead of its launch in August, CarsGuide was given the opportunity to test out the ute at Holden’s former proving ground at Lang Lang, Victoria.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.

Volkswagen Australia used its Amarok dual-cab ute to set a new record for crossing Australia's 10 deserts... in one go. And a limited run of 300 '10 Deserts Edition' examples has been commissioned to celebrate. We've driven it on-road and over some challenging off-highway trails to find out if the value and dynamic ability equation adds up.

The VW Amarok PanAmericana gets some new 4x4 capabilities and rugged good looks, but will this new entry prove to be a true competitor against its Toyota and Ford rivals?

The most powerful ute in the Volkswagen Amarok range is powered by the engine used in some of Ford's icons like the 'Stang and Focus RS - but does petrol power work in a big ute?

The Volkswagen Amarok has been around since 2011 and it has garnered a stack of awards, a legion of fans and long ago set the standard for refinement in utes. Times changed, though, and the rest of the ute pack eventually caught up or even surpassed it. But the new Amarok is here and it shares the Ford Ranger's platform and many of that ute's components. Is it better than the top-selling Ranger?

The new-gen Volkswagen Amarok has been on sale for about a year now so it's time to give the entry-level Core a run through to see exactly how tradie-friendly it is compared with its rivals.

Sure, top-spec utes are great, but what if you don't have a pile of money so high you'd need a 4WD dual-cab to climb over it? Volkswagen reckons its Core and Life models are the answer, offering the cheapest way into the Amarok range, and plenty of bang for your bucks. But which is best? We put the Amarok Core and Amarok Life to the test to find out.

As far as niches go, offering an Australian designed and engineered German-branded dual-cab ute made in South Africa with an American muscle-car heart and glamorous luxury features is quite a unique one.

This is the wildest looking version of the new-generation Amarok, and it's taking aim at the hot-selling Ford Ranger Wildtrak.

The VW Amarok Style kicks off from  $66,990, before on-road costs, and – as with all the new and second-generation Amaroks – is based on the T6.2 Ford Ranger. They share the same platform, body structure and drivetrain.