Chevrolet Silverado vs Volkswagen Amarok

What's the difference?

With its unique V8 soundtrack, all-terrain capabilities and sumptuous comfort, the ZR2 is a quintessential American muscle truck that's as capable of carting crews and accessing rugged worksites during the week as it is towing boats, horse-floats and caravans or getting muddy on weekends. For either work or play, there's a lot to like here.

The Amarok W600 is impressive when you get it onto a twisty road, and my hat goes off to Walkinshaw for turning a dual-cab into something that is genuinely fun to drive on twisty roads. I’m not kidding, the W600 is proper fun.

But it’s expensive, and despite the tough looks and on-road ability, it doesn’t have any more on-paper performance than its standard siblings. That and its ride is compromised by its new abilities.

Those who spend the cash on a W600 probably won’t be disappointed if they can handle a slightly stiff ride, but it’s possible VW is expecting people will be more into the idea of a corner-carving dual-cab than is the reality.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Silverado’s extensive remanufacturing to RHD, performed on a purpose-built production line in Melbourne, meets OEM standards of fit and finish.

As the off-road focused 1500 model, the ZR2 has hardware and detailing consistent with its rugged bush-bashing persona, highlighted by aggressively treaded mud-terrain tyres and unique raised suspension with high performance dampers.

Other ZR2 features include a raised bonnet with ZR2 applique, ‘off-road cut’ front bumper, bash plates, black grille with ‘Flow Tie’ (flow-through) bow-tie motif, ‘Performance Red’ chassis-mounted front recovery hooks, concealed dual-outlet exhaust, black fender flares/door handles/bumpers/window surrounds and chrome ZR2 badges.

It has a tough and purposeful look with bluff-fronted styling and an imposing stance. 

An expansive length of almost 6.0 metres (5931mm) and a 14.4-metre turning circle highlight formidable (and at times impractical) dimensions for urban life.

The cabin is spacious and airy with a tasteful blend of contrasting tones and textures combined with many soft-touch surfaces, yellow stitching along seams and splashes of chrome and satin chrome creating a plush look and feel.

The Amarok W600 looks tough. In fact, it might even look a little too tough given the engine under its bonnet is unchanged from the regular V6 Amarok.

Walkinshaw has done an excellent job making the Amarok look like a properly fierce on-road performer, from the bespoke front bumper and new ‘W’ motif in the grille, to the lightbar across the front of the fascia connecting the lights and the aforementioned 20-inch Walkinshaw wheels.

The side-exit twin exhaust up the back of the ute looks excellent, and the fact that the sidesteps retract to tuck in below the doors gives the ute a sleeker vibe.

It’s a bit underwhelming in the cabin by comparison, with the Walkinshaw stitching in the headrests and the stainless steel pedals the biggest additions to the (admittedly already plush) Amarok interior.

It’s just a little more than a jazzed-up Ranger interior, but not by much.

The ZR2’s hefty 2587kg kerb weight and 3300kg GVM results in a 713kg payload, which is modest given a seated crew of five big tradies could use up about two-thirds of that payload capacity before loading any of their gear.

It can also legally tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer on a 50mm ball and up to 4200kg on a 70mm ball. The latter figure is 300kg less than the LTZ due to the specialised off-road suspension.

However, given the ZR2’s 6851kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), you would be left with a mere 64kg of vehicle payload if you wanted to tow the maximum 4200kg.

That’s barely enough for a driver - and a light one at that. Fact is, few if any owners in real-world use would need to tow 4200kg, but it’s important to be across these legal limits if you’re planning to.

The load tub is protected internally by a spray-on liner and offers almost 1.8 cubic metres of load volume. Its load floor is 1776mm long, 1813mm wide and sits 569mm deep, with 1286mm between the rear-wheel housings. More than wide enough for hauling Aussie or Euro pallets.

There are also 12 load-anchorage points, power assistance for lowering the tailgate and a tub camera to keep an eye on loads when driving. The rear bumper provides surefooted tub access using either the centre step or concave side-steps.

All occupants enjoy luxurious space, particularly rear passengers thanks to easy entry created by the wide-opening doors, a flat floor with no transmission hump for the centre passenger to straddle and palatial head and legroom even for tall people. Combined with ample shoulder room, a full crew can travel in enviable comfort.

Cabin storage for the driver and front passenger includes two bottle holders and a bin in each door. There’s also a large glove box and the centre console has an open tray and two USB ports up front, two bottle holders in the centre and a big box at the back topped by a padded lid that provides comfy elbow support.

Rear passengers get a bottle holder and bin in each door, plus more USB ports and two more pairs of bottle holders in the rear of the centre console and in the bench seat’s fold-down centre armrest.

There’s also storage pockets on both front seat backrests and handy compartments for small items are cleverly concealed within the rear seat’s upper-backrest cushions. Its 60/40-split base cushions can also swing up and be stored vertically if more internal load space is required, or to access ample under-seat storage.

The Amarok starts from a solid base in terms of practicality, so the W600 inherits pretty much all of it, including a couple of its downsides.

The positives to start, the W600 uses the same handy multimedia system on a nice, clear vertical touchscreen with always-on climate controls and a few buttons for key shortcuts.

As much as a bespoke steering wheel would feel more special, the standard one from the Amarok has convenient buttons and is nice to hold.

The seats in the W600 are comfortable, and finding a naturally ergonomic position is easy with the 10-way electric adjustment, but as much as everything falls nicely to hand the cupholders are in an awkward position and there’s not a lot of easy storage space.

A little cubby above the glovebox and a small centre storage bin are a little hard to reach or access while driving, and the phone charger isn’t the best place to store items.

There’s decent space in the back, with doorcard bottle storage (as up front) and a centre armrest with cupholders.

Impressively, the Amarok W600 still has a 3500kg braked towing capacity, a 954kg payload, and no intrusion on the 1544mm long and 1224mm wide tray. There’s an optional roller cover for that, too.

Given the W600 is positioned at the pointy end of the Amarok range it should be no surprise that the dual-cab ute is pricey.

But the W600 starts from $91,990 before on-roads, which is $1300 more than the Ford Ranger Raptor. And the Raptor could be considered a bigger step up in performance when compared with its Blue Oval Brethren than the W600 is to its family. 

Noting, of course, that the Amarok borrows much of the Ranger’s construction from chassis to driveline to interior elements, the W600 is like the much more refined European cousin to the redneck Raptor.

For what you pay, the W600 does have a healthy level of features included, but it does feel like a lot of that cost is paying for the engineering that comes with it.

Regular stuff like a big 12.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, wide 12.3-inch driver display, eight-speaker sound system, electric leather seats and wireless phone charger should be expected anyway, but specific to the W600 is a set of 20-inch Walkinshaw wheels custom-fit to the W600, a dual-exit exhaust which of course exits to the side, and retractable sidesteps.

That, and the engineering underneath which includes a bespoke set of Koni dampers, the addition of a rear anti-roll bar, and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres to go with the new lightweight wheels.

Like the LTZ, the ZR2 is powered by a 6.2-litre petrol V8 producing 313kW of power at 5600rpm and 624Nm of torque at 4100rpm. It features cylinder deactivation to optimise fuel economy when full power isn't required.

This is paired with a refined 10-speed torque converter automatic, armed with an auxiliary external oil cooler ideal for heavy towing duties and off-road slogging. It also offers sequential manual shifting using steering wheel-mounted paddles and there are numerous selectable drive modes.

Its dual-range transfer case with push-button control offers the choice of '2WD High', '4WD High', '4WD Low' and '4WD Auto', with the latter being a full-time torque-on-demand system. It’s also equipped with driver-selectable front and rear locking differentials for optimum traction in the rough stuff.

Powering the W600 is the standard 3.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel V6 available in other Amaroks, with 184kW and 600Nm.

It’s mated to a 10-speed torque converted automatic and powers either the rear or all four wheels, depending on how you’ve set the all-wheel-drive system.

GMSV claims official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption of 12.7L/100km and the dash display was showing 15.3 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 397km test, which included our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about half was hauling a variety of payloads.

This compares to our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, which was higher again at 16.8L/100km. That exceeds the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and real-world consumption but is still acceptable for a 2.5-tonne pick-up powered by a big petrol V8 in urban use.

So, based on our real-world consumption figure, you could expect a driving range of around 540km from its relatively small 91-litre tank.

The Amarok’s diesel V6 engine remains unchanged so the 8.4L/100km fuel consumption rate stands, but if you’re driving the W600 as intended, you’ll see that figure climb.

It’s fitted with an 80-litre fuel tank so theoretically a 950km trip would be possible in WLTP test conditions.

The ZR2’s raised off-road suspension requires more of a climb aboard than the LTZ, but the low-slung removable side-steps fitted to our test vehicle certainly make boarding easier and are an accessory worth considering if most of your driving is on-road.

There are large handles on the truck’s A- and B-pillars to assist entry to the cabin where the driver is treated to multiple power adjustments of seat and steering wheel plus a large left footrest, which together provide a very comfortable driving position.

The ride and handling are outstanding, as the ZR2’s suspension combined with the additional cushioning of its baggy all-terrain tyres is commendably supple over bumps, yet it's surprisingly responsive to steering input without the ponderous feeling expected in a vehicle of this size and weight.

This response is optimised when the ‘Sport’ mode is selected as it sharpens steering, brake pedal feel and suspension tuning for a more engaging drive. It also activates the louder and freer-flowing exhaust setting and modifies the auto’s shift calibration, which allows the V8 to shine with a guttural roar under full throttle that is not only an aural delight but can quickly reach triple-digit speeds with remarkable ease.

By contrast, it can also deliver relaxed and fuel-efficient highway travel thanks to the V8’s auto cylinder deactivation and less than 1500rpm being required to maintain a leisurely 110km/h. Engine, tyre and wind noise are negligible at these speeds.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 475kg into the load tub which combined with our crew of two equalled a total payload of 655kg that was within 60kg of its legal limit.

The rear leaf-springs only compressed abut 35mm under this loading, which left more than enough bump-stop clearance to ensure there was no bottoming out on our test route. The ZR2 performed so effortlessly with this payload it was easy to forget we even had one.

Our only criticism of the driving experience was the tri-fold tonneau cover. When hauling loads, this accessory is designed to fold forward into a flat bundle that leans against the rear of the cabin with two adjustable struts to brace it in place (see photo).

This worked fine during suburban driving up to 80km/h but was not suited to higher speeds, as the increased air pressure made it flex enough to block the rear-view mirror's camera view. So, an alternative tonneau design would be preferable for those needing to do lots of highway travel with uncovered loads.

The first and most impressive thing to mention once you’re on the move in the Amarok W600 is that, once you sling the 2.4-tonne dual cab into a corner, you can tell there’s been some rigorous engineering work undertaken here.

The cornering and handling ability of the W600 belies its dual-cab nature to some extent, as it holds relatively flat and is far more confidence inspiring even on soaked roads than any ladder-frame ute I can recall. 

Of course, the tyres help on the cornering front too, with the PS4 SUV rubber being a fairly big trade-off in terms of sacrificing off-road ruggedness for asphalt grip.

Even the exhaust is a subtle reminder that you’re in something that’s had the once-over (or several times over) from a crew of engineers who know what they’re doing.

Sure, it’s not the same burble that used to roll out of the Walkinshaw sheds back in the Holden days, but it growls gently at certain revs or under the right load.

But the ride is firm, and it’s surprising the roads in the south and east of Tassie showed that given they were the test roads used to turn the W600 into the ‘ultimate driver’s ute’.

It’s noticeable enough that you’d probably get a bit tired of it on a long trip, which is a shame as that’s something VW is pretty sure its W600 customers are looking to use it for. That’s why it can still tow 3500kg and has that near-1000kg payload.

I should note that utes with some weight in the tray often feel a little more settled at the leaf-sprung rear, but we didn't test the W600 with any load onboard.

Its big wheels and low-profile rubber probably don’t help the 2.4-tonne ute on the comfort front, but hey, they look good.

The other main issue is it doesn’t feel as ‘special’ as it could in the power and performance department. 

The engine is great for a dual-cab, plenty torquey and doesn’t feel like it needs to work hard day-to-day, but something with a bit of mongrel about it would have been better.

VW not wanting Walkinshaw to detract from its towing and payload ability might have hindered this a little, but I can’t help but wonder if the Amarok W600 could have been more lively with the four-cylinder petrol engine than the diesel V6.

In the Amarok TSI452 variants, it feels peppy enough to be interesting, and there’s probably more scope for chassis balance than the twin-turbo diesel allows.

It’s also the engine used in Ford’s Mustang EcoBoost and the wicked Focus RS of a few years ago, so not bad pedigree.

The Amarok boasts a five-star ANCAP rating and a strong list of safety features as standard, including a very impressive count of nine airbags.

A driver assistance suite includes lane-assist, pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, a surround-view parking camera, trailer and hitching assist with sway control, plus front and rear cameras with cross-traffic alert.

It’s certainly at the more impressive end of the dual-cab market considering the age of the Amarok as a whole.

Even better, the driver assist systems are unobtrusive, leaving you to enjoy the impressive on-road performance of the W600 without interruption from dings, chimes or warnings.

Now comes standard with a class benchmark five years/unlimited km manufacturer warranty, plus five years of roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/12,000km whichever occurs first, but there's no capped-price servicing. Expect a three year service bill of around $2000, which isn't outrageous for a vehicle of this type.

GMSV has an Australian network of 50-plus dealers across most states and territories and all dealerships can provide vehicle servicing.

The W600 is backed by VW’s standard five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Given most popular utes are covered by the same, that’s pretty standard, but longer warranties are creeping in.

Volkswagen says a five-year servicing plan covers the Amarok for just $3200, which averages to $640 a year. Service schedule is every 12 months or 15,000km.