2023 Volkswagen Amarok Reviews

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.

The original VW Amarok changed the ute, pushing out refinement and drivability boundaries. The new version is based on the Australian designed and engineered Ford Ranger, and shares its underpinnings, most powertrains, safety systems and structure. But the VW features its own look inside and out, as well as unique driving tunes and specification, to create an unexpectedly different experience.

More than a decade after Volkswagen launched its Amarok ute, the second-generation version is just months from an Australian showroom debut. But before it hits local shores, we test the new Aussie-developed pick-up in the country it will be built in - South Africa - to see whether it’s a worthy successor to the impressive original.