Fiat Ducato vs Volkswagen Amarok

What's the difference?

The latest Fiat Ducato, in MWB MR configuration with optional nine-speed auto, is a competent competitor in the 3501-8000kg GVM segment. Its class-leading two-tonne-plus payload rating would have considerable appeal for those who need to carry exceptionally heavy loads and we couldn’t find any major flaws in its design and performance. However, the warranty is short and there are niggling issues in terms of driver comfort, which if addressed would increase the Ducato’s appeal.

It’s been developed with adventurous four-wheel-drive enthusiasts in mind, but we don’t know exactly what it will cost. However, given the current ballpark estimate, the value equation will likely stack up well and things like safety and the ownership package are solid. And we know it’s tough and capable in rough going, which is the main point, after all. This package works brilliantly well.

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

The MWB MR's front-wheel drive chassis rides on a 3450mm wheelbase with 12.5-metre turning circle. It’s 5413mm long, 2050mm wide and 2539mm tall, so like numerous van rivals in this GVM class it can’t access shopping centre and underground carparks which typically have a 2.2-metre height limit.

Underpinnings are simple and rugged, combining coil-spring strut front suspension with a leaf-spring rigid-tube rear axle that’s well designed for heavy load-carrying, with compressible rubber cones between body and axle that provide a second stage of support. There’s also four-wheel disc brakes, power-assisted rack and pinion steering and ample hard-wearing black plastic protecting the most vulnerable areas of the bodywork from scrapes and dents.

A sealed steel bulkhead separates the cabin from the cargo bay, insulating driver and passengers from load area noise and doubling as a robust cargo barrier. Its sliding window is ideally positioned to allow the driver or passenger to make a quick over-shoulder glance to check that their load is secure. Leg room for the centre passenger is unusually generous, even for tall adults, which would be appreciated by a crew of three.

Interestingly, the rear barn-door windows are heated but there are no wiper/washers fitted. At first this appeared to be an oversight, but having driven the Ducato in heavy rain we were surprised at how spray-free the rear screens remained and how clean they were afterwards.

Our only gripes are that the driver’s left footrest is so short you can only rest your toes on it. It’s a shame the excellent full-length one that resides in the passenger footwell (which of course is the driver’s footwell in LHD models) can’t migrate across the cabin for RHD versions. Driver comfort would be further improved with more rake adjustment in the base cushion.

The small 5.0-inch infotainment screen also makes it difficult to see much detail in the vision provided by the reversing camera. The optional 7.0-inch screen would be an improvement here, but is only available as part of the Comfort and Tech Pack.

The Amarok is already a sleek-looking dual cab and the ‘Clear White’-only 10 Deserts Edition picks up unique black badging, a standard black tonneau cover and 17-inch satin ‘Asphalt Black’ alloy wheels shod with all-terrain rubber. More hardcore off-road tyres are a no-cost option, which is a nice touch, and there are black side steps and a ‘Asphalt Black’ mesh grille with ‘Bolder Grey’ inserts.

An ARB lift kit raises ground clearance by 40mm, from an already decent 235mm to 275mm, and ‘Genuine VW’ underbody protection is added.

The interior is cool, calm and collected in typical VW fashion with a predominantly dark grey colour palette highlighted by silver and brushed metal accents.

The 8.0-inch digital instrument display and 10.1-inch multimedia screen look contemporary without being garish, and there’s a workable mix of digital and physical controls, with climate being the former and audio the latter.

The Ducato’s 2060kg kerb weight and 4250kg GVM results in a huge 2190kg payload rating which dwarfs rivals we've tested including the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ford Transit and its Peugeot Boxer sibling. It's also rated to tow up to 2250kg of braked trailer but given that Fiat does not publish a GCM (Gross Combination Mass) number, we can’t confirm if it can tow that weight while carrying a full payload.

The cargo bay, with a competitive 11.5 cubic metres of load volume, has an unprotected load floor that’s 3120mm long and 1870mm wide with 1422mm between the wheel housings. Therefore, it can easily carry two 1165mm-square standard Aussie pallets or three 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets, held in place by eight sturdy load-anchorage points.

There’s also ample forklift access through either the rear barn-doors, which can swing open to 270 degrees with a combined 1562mm-wide opening, or the sliding side doors with their 1250mm-wide openings.

All doors and walls are lined to mid-height and the raised roof cavity allows even tall adults to stand inside without stooping. It also provides a large and very useful storage area over the driver’s cabin, which is ideal for stowing ropes, straps, load-padding etc.

There’s plenty of cabin storage too, with large-bottle holders and two levels of storage bins in each front door. The dashboard offers numerous open storage bins plus small-bottle/cup holders, a glovebox, large overhead map shelf and storage tray under the driver’s seat. The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to reveal a handy work desk on the back of it, complete with a spring-loaded clip to hold documents in place, a pen holder and two more small-bottle/cup holders.

At just over 5.3m long, a little more than 1.9m wide and close to 1.9m tall (with a 3270mm wheelbase) the Amarok lives within the same dimensional footprint as key competitors like the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.

Up front, it's easy to get in and out thanks to big door apertures and this limited edition’s slightly higher ride height. There’s plenty of breathing space and good separation from your co-pilot.

In terms of storage there are door bins with room for decent size bottles, a couple of cup/bottle holders in the centre console, a lidded storage box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), a wireless charging pad ahead of that, two glove boxes, a shallow well in the centre of the dashtop and a drop down sunglasses holder.

In the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my 183cm position, there’s plenty of head, leg and toe room.

Three full-size adults across the second row will be okay for short to medium trips and a trio of up to late teenage kids will be fine. There are bins in the doors with room for medium-size bottles, a fold-down centre armrest with a pair of cupholders and map pockets in the front seat backs.

On the not so good side, there’s no individual ventilation control for back-seaters and the only power option is a 12-volt socket with USB-A and -C ports confined to the front only. Shout out for the USB input in the mirror housing for a dash cam, though.

The roughly 1.5m long by 1.2m wide illuminated tray will accommodate a Euro pallet between the wheel arches. There are multiple tie-down rings and tailgate closing is assisted.

Maximum towing capacity for a braked trailer is 3500kg (750kg unbraked), a full-size spare is on-board and there are two towing hooks at the front.

Although it’s being cagey on exact pricing at this stage, Volkswagen says the Amarok 10 Deserts Edition will be positioned between $65 and $70K (likely closer to former than the latter).

The Amarok Life TDI500 this car is based on boasts a healthy standard equipment list including LED headlights, daytime running lights and fog lights, adaptive cruise control (with stop/go), alloy rims, a towbar, wireless charging and tailgate lift assist plus wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

There’s also six-speaker audio (with digital radio), single-zone air-con, electrically folding and heated exterior mirrors (with courtesy lamps), auto headlight and high-beam control, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearshift, and auto rain-sensing wipers.

Not a bad fit-out, even before adding the extra 10 Deserts kit (see Design) and that prospective price puts it between the existing Amarok TDI500 Life ($59,490) and Style $69,740), both before on-road costs, and a step up from Ford’s close to $57K limited-run (1500 unit) Ranger Black Edition.

The all-new drivetrain features Fiat’s latest 2.3 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with Multi-Jet 2 electronically-controlled common rail direct injection, variable-vane turbocharging, intercooler and Euro 6-emissions compliance using AdBlue. It produces 130kW at 3500rpm and (in automatic models) 450Nm of torque which peaks at 1500rpm. In case you’re wondering, the red ‘180’ body badges denote European metric horsepower.

The new ZF nine-speed torque converter automatic is a sweet-shifting transmission which Fiat claims is designed to optimise the engine’s torque delivery and fuel economy. It has a sequential manual-shift function if required, which could be useful if hauling big payloads in hilly terrain, but works most efficiently when left alone.

The record-breaking Amarok was a V6 Style, but this limited edition is based on the Amarok TDI500 Life, so a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine sits under the bonnet, sending 154kW/500Nm to the rear, or all four wheels, via a 10-speed automatic transmission.

This twin-turbo, dual-overhead cam unit is shared with the Amarok’s twin under the skin, the Ford Ranger (where it’s referred to as the ‘Bi-Turbo’), and the selectable all-wheel-drive system features three driving modes - 2H, 4H & 4L - and there’s a mechanical rear diff lock.  

Fiat does not publish a combined average consumption figure for the Ducato, but the dash display was claiming 10.2L/100km at the end of our test, which covered almost 300km of which more than a third was with a heavy payload. We also had the auto stop-start function switched off. That consumption figure was very close to our own, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, of 10.6L. So, based on our numbers you could expect a real-world driving range of around 850km from its 90-litre tank.

The TDI500’s official fuel consumption figure on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 7.2L/100km. With an 80-litre fuel tank on board, theoretical range is around 1100km.

Stop-start is standard, but we’ll have to wait for an as-tested figure, as this launch drive leant heavily into arduous off-road work.

For reference, in previous testing we’ve recorded real-world consumption closer to 10.0L/100km for this Amarok powertrain, which would deliver a driving range of around 800km.

There’s a commanding view for the driver thanks to a panoramic windscreen and clear eye-lines to the truck-sized door mirrors. There’s also reasonable but cluttered vision through the central rear-view mirror, which is partly obscured by the centre seat’s headrest.

The cabin bulkhead is effective in all but eliminating cargo bay noise and engine/wind noise volume is commendably low even on the highway. The highest audible intrusion at those speeds comes from the front tyres, which is acceptable on smooth bitumen surfaces but increases on coarser grades.

Its leather-rimmed steering wheel is nice to use and thanks to the driver’s door moulding and fold-down in-board armrest, there’s evenly balanced elbow support to relieve strain on the neck and shoulders.

The engine and nine-speed auto transmission are well matched, providing energetic performance when prodded and crisp, decisive shifting. Long-legged highway gearing allows 100km/h at 1500rpm (which is also bang on maximum torque) and less than 1700rpm at 110km/h. Ride quality when empty or lightly loaded can get bouncy on bumpy roads, which is not unexpected from suspension with a two-tonne-plus payload capacity.

Our main criticism is insufficient rake adjustment in the driver’s seat base cushion. There’s not enough angle available to stop the driver sliding forwards, requiring constant repositioning that becomes tiring after a while. More rake in the base cushion, combined with a decent-sized left footrest, would solve this issue.

Also annoying is the audible lane-departure warning, which is too loud and sounds like you’re being zapped by a ray-gun in an old sci-fi movie if you step out of line. A less confronting warning would be welcome.

The Amarok TDI500 is easy and effortless to drive on the open road. Peak power of 154kW (at 3750rpm) is adequate, but it’s the 500Nm of pulling power, delivered exactly where you want it at just 1750rpm, that sets the tone.

With 10 ratios to cycle through, the auto transmission also helps keep things in the sweet spot and while you’re aware of a certain amount of diesel thrum under acceleration, in this type of ute that’s more reassuring than annoying.

Suspension is by double wishbones and coil springs at the front with leaf springs supporting a live axle at the rear. And as is typical for a ute with this set-up (particularly unladen) bumps on a typical B-road make their presence felt, but not to an alarming degree.

We drove it on loose dirt roads and some challenging trails (which we’ll get to shortly), but overall it feels capable and pretty well planted on the road.

The steering is electrically assisted and there’s a good connection between your hands on the wheel and the tyres on the road.

Standard 17-inch alloys are shod with 225x70 Continental CrossContact ATR (all-terrain) tyres and they’re civilised on the highway. Also worth noting more aggressive off-road-focused rubber is a no-cost option, which is a nice touch.

The brakes are discs front and rear, which is notable because the entry-level Amarok Core is fitted with drums at the back.

On the open-road and in slow-going off-highway, where you’re constantly feathering the brakes during steep declines, braking remains strong with a progressive pedal feel. 

The off-road section of the launch drive was more about the nature of the terrain than ultra-steep inclines or declines.

Big boulders, cavernous ruts, bulging tree roots as well as loose gravel and sand surfaces were the flavours of the day and the Amarok did a great job.

Standard approach, departure and ramp-over angles for the Life TDI500 are pretty solid, but an extra 40mm of ground clearance makes a big difference. 

Worth noting the 10 Deserts Edition held its own with the more heavily modified V6 Style that set the Guinness record, which we also had a chance to steer.

With around 80kg less weight on the front axle, the four-cylinder feels agile and eager in the rough stuff and we saw some impressive axle articulation as the suspension and drive systems helped the Amarok pick its way through the most difficult sections.

We stepped our way through two-wheel high, four-wheel high and 4WD low modes, pulling in the diff lock only when things got hairy.

In terms of miscellaneous observations, it’s worth noting the turning circle is 12.8m. The Amarok is a sizeable vehicle and you’d expect the turning circle to be up there, but just be prepared for a reasonably wide arc when you’re parking or making three-point turns. 

And the front seats are a stand-out. They’re pretty much sports editions - grippy and comfortable even after a full day behind the wheel on- and off-road. And their lateral support keeps you nicely located in the corners.   

The Amarok was given a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in 2022 and active (crash-avoidance) tech includes AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring), lane keeping assist and lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go function), rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, hill-descent control, tyre-pressure monitoring, driver fatigue alert, roll-over mitigation and trailer sway control.

There’s also ‘Swerve Steer Assist’, road and speed sign recognition, front and rear parking distance controls, and a reversing camera. That’s an impressive suite for the category.

If a crash is unavoidable, there are nine airbags onboard - dual front and front side, dual front knee, full-length side curtain and a front-centre bag to help reduce the chance of head clash injuries in a side-on crash. Again, above average.

The Amarok scores well with ANCAP for vulnerable road user protection, multi-collision braking minimises the chances of secondary collisions following an initial impact and there’s an auto emergency call-out function able to sense if the driver is incapacitated following an airbag deployment.

Important to note there are top tethers and ISOFIX anchors for baby capsules and/or child seats on the outer rear seat positions only.

Three years/200,000km warranty looks undercooked compared to the five years/unlimited km offered by some rivals. Scheduled servicing, though, is excellent for hard-working vans at 48,000km/12 months whichever occurs first. Five years of Fiat Professional servicing, based on a total distance of 240,000km, equals $6756.99 or an average of $1351.40 per year.

Volkswagen covers the Amarok with a five-year/unlimited-km warranty, which is expected in the mainstream market.

Service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km, which is pretty handy, and the price averages $360 for the first five years, which is competitive for the class and price point.

Fixed price three- or five-year plans are also offered, which brings a modest discount and locks in the pricing. Twelve months of roadside assistance is complementary, renewed for another year each time you service the car at an authorised VW dealer.