Volkswagen Amarok 2024 News

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has confirmed it’s collaborating with Melbourne-based Walkinshaw Group on a new generation version of a high-performance Amarok dual cab ute.

When a Guinness World Records observer is along for the ride you know something extraordinary is on the cards and so it was as a 2025 Volkswagen Amarok V6 Style driven by a three-person crew covered Australia’s 10 gazetted deserts in, you guessed it, world record time.

Volkswagen is offering discounts on its flagship T-Roc R sports SUV and petrol-powered Amarok Aventura TSI452 until September 30.Combining a $64,990 national drive-away price and $3000 factory bonus for the MY23 T-Roc R effectively brings its ask down by $7000, to $61,990 out the door.The Amarok Aventura TSI452, meanwhile, has a $3000 factory offer applied at time-of-sale. The Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger rival remains priced at $79,990 before on-road costs.The T-Roc R uses a version of the Golf R hatch's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol powertrain outputting 221kW and 400Nm to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.It has 19-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, Nappa leather-upholstered heated front seats, digital cockpit and 9.2-inch multimedia touchscreenThe MY24 T-Roc R, which adds a Beats sound system and power tailgate, is reduced less to $66,990 drive-away with a further $1500 factory bonus on top.“The ability to deliver an even higher number of T-Roc Rs means that we are able to offer even greater value as supply increases," said Head of Product, Passenger Vehicles Michelle Rowney.Australia continues to be the biggest market globally for the T-Roc R, which could be considered an alternative to the similarly priced Golf GTI and Hyundai i30 N.As for the Amarok, the cashback applies to both MY23 and MY24 examples in Aventura TSI452 trim.The only petrol Amarok features a 222kW/452Nm 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and 10-speed automatic (yep, the same found in a Ford Mustang) and retains a 3.5-tonne towing capacity.Huge 21-inch alloy wheels are complemented by Matrix LED headlights, Aventura exterior parts and electronic roll cover, 10-way power-adjust heated 'Savona' leather-upholstered seats, leather-look dash, digital driver's display and vast 12-inch portrait touchscreen.“Although we are on target for our 10,000 annual sales allocation, Volkswagen understands that a higher numbers of customers desire the flagship Aventura", said Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles National Manager of Product and Marketing Nathan Johnson.To the end of June, Volkswagen has delivered 4924 Amaroks. The Amarok Style TDI600 diesel V6 ($73,740, before on-road costs) with 184kW and 600Nm continues to be the most popular accounting for more than half of Volkswagen's ute sales.

Volkswagen Australia has reduced the payload of its Amarok ute range.But don’t panic, it’s actually good news for a lot of would-be buyers.The change has come about as VW brings its method of calculating payload into line with the rest of the dual-cab ute industry.Volkswagen Australia Amarok Product Manager, Ben Triebels, told CarsGuide that the change involves using the kerb weight of the Amarok rather than the tare mass when calculating the payload.Simply put, this involves weighing the vehicle with a full tank of fuel, rather than the 10 litres of fuel the tare weight method involves. There are no other physical changes whatsoever.“It’s a simple as that,” Triebels said.Of course, a heavier vehicle (one with a full fuel tank) reduces payload, but rather than that being a problem for the Amarok, Triebels sees it as an advantage.“We made the move to bring our specifications into line with what everybody else in the ute market does,” he said.“But then we had a few dealers and fleet managers contact us and tell us what a great thing the payload reduction was.”Which begs the question: Why?It turns out that in the case of many Amarok variants, that slight reduction brings the official payload below 1000kg. At which point, the vehicle is suddenly eligible for a novated lease where, previously, it wasn’t.Since many high-end dual-cabs are, in fact, user-chooser decisions purchased on just such a leasing plan, this has the potential for a sales uptick for Amarok.While the Aventura model already featured a payload under 1000kg thanks to its heavier 21-inch wheels and tyres and roller-cover for the bed, the Amarok Core, Style and PanAmericana have now all fallen below the 1000kg payload threshold for novated leasing.

Volkswagen’s Amarok being twinned - underneath at least - with the Ford Ranger opens the door to another potential model for Volkswagen, but even though the brand never built an SUV cousin to the Ford Everest, VW’s design team explored the idea.