Volkswagen Amarok vs LDV Terron 9
What's the difference?

Volkswagen Amarok

$55,490 - $91,900

2026 price

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LDV Terron 9

$53,674 - $58,937

2026 price

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Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Mercedes-Benz Vito

Mercedes-Benz X-Class

Volkswagen Transporter

Summary

2026 Volkswagen Amarok

2026 LDV Terron 9

By Chris Thompson

By David Morley

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Diesel Turbo V6, 3.0L

Diesel Turbo 4, 2.5L

Fuel Type

Diesel

Fuel Efficiency

8.4L/100km (combined)

7.9L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Seriously impressive handling
Tough styling
Remains very practical

Lots of kit for the price
Refined driveline
Extra stretching room in cabin and tray

Dislikes

Busy, uncomfortable ride
Standard Amarok drivetrain
Price a hard sell

Intrusive, clumsy driver aids
No cab-chassis option
Tyres won't cope off-road

2026 Volkswagen Amarok Summary

This is a very important ute if you’re Volkswagen Australia.

A lot of time and money has gone into making sure this, the 2026 VW Amarok W600 as engineered by Walkinshaw, is the ultimate driver’s ute. Not the best 4X4, but the best ute on the road. Sounds like an odd task, right?

It might be, but a couple of thousand people bought the last version of this ute, so why not try to make it better?

Over a long development period and a steady build-up, including previews at the former Holden proving ground at Lang Lang, Volkswagen has teased its ‘ultimate driver’s ute’.

Now, we get to put the production version to the test on the very roads that helped shape it during its development in Tasmania.

@carsguide.com.au VW Australia is finally launching the 2026 Volkswagen Amarok W600, with Walkinshaw’s expertise helping the Ford Ranger’s cousin take the fight to its Raptor hero. #volkswagen #amarok #ute #cartok #fyp ♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au

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2026 LDV Terron 9 Summary

Need a dual-cab ute? You’re in luck. Not only does Australia have access to a huge variety of makes and models in the dual-cab space, there is also a huge range of prices and equipment levels.

The sweet spot for Aussie buyers, though, seems to be the dual-cab layout with four-wheel drive and enough convenience and safety gear to make the vehicle a viable family car as well as a work truck when necessary. Which is precisely where the Chinese brands including GWM, BYD and LDV have targeted their current ranges.

There’s been a lot of chat about such vehicles lately, but rather than let the formula stagnate, LDV has ushered in the Terron 9, a dual-cab that, size-wise, falls roughly between the familiar makes and models and the full-sized American-made stuff. This is a crucial point, too, as the Terron 9’s extra size might be a hint on where the dual-cab market is going generally. Certainly, every other class of car and ute is creeping up in size, why not dual-cabs too?

Like the other Chinese brands, of course, the Terron 9’s appeal will largely be based on value for money, so it’s worth picking the car apart to find out how it stands in that regard. But this is 2025, so the Terron 9 is also going to have to produce the goods in terms of driving ability and safety, that modern dual-cab buyers are looking for.

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Volkswagen Amarok 2026 LDV Terron 9

Verdict

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.

Verdict

There’s no doubt that the current crop of Chinese utes are better than previous versions. Similarly, there’s little doubt that private buyers are having a big say in which way the market is headed, particularly when it comes to alternatives to the Thai-built legacy players. And that’s precisely where the Terron 9 plays its best game. The value for money is hard to argue with, and the sheer size of the thing gives it an extra dimension if that’s what you think you need in a dual-cab. While we have no quarrel with the driveline of the Terron 9, it will be nice when somebody finally adds an on-bitumen four-wheel-drive mode to one of these in this price range. Until then, the Terron 9 can’t be criticised for this omission. In the meantime, the Terron 9 exhibits quite a bit of refinement in the way both the engine and transmission work together. Our biggest complaint is the way the driver-assistance systems have been calibrated. The driver-distraction warning is almost comical (for the first five minutes, anyway) in its zeal, and the lane-keeping assistance program is bordering on scary in the wrong circumstances. Again, LDV is not alone in this regard, but as a clean-sheet design, sketched up in a driver-assisted world, perhaps we were expecting a little more from this ute.

Volkswagen Amarok vs LDV Terron 9 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Volkswagen Amarok vs LDV Terron 9
What's the difference?