Volkswagen Amarok vs Mitsubishi Express

What's the difference?

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Volkswagen Amarok
Volkswagen Amarok

$55,490 - $82,990

2025 price

Mitsubishi Express
Mitsubishi Express

$12,000 - $38,988

2020 price

Summary

2025 Volkswagen Amarok
2020 Mitsubishi Express
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Bi Turbo Diesel 4, 2.0L

Diesel Twin Turbo 4, 1.6L
Fuel Type
Diesel

Diesel
Fuel Efficiency
7.2L/100km (combined)

6.2L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

3
Dislikes
  • No adjustable rear ventilation
  • No back seat USBs
  • Firm suspension

  • No advanced safety tech
  • Manual models miss out on reversing camera
  • Old-school media system
2025 Volkswagen Amarok Summary

I couldn’t say I’m familiar with Australia’s inland deserts. I thought there were two or three - the Simpson, Gibson, maybe the Great Sandy. 

But did you know there are 10? And Volkswagen knows each intimately thanks to a recent Guinness world record verified crossing of them all… in one go.

It took a tweaked-up Amarok six days and 17 hours if you must know, and to celebrate VW has created a limited build (300 unit) version of the dual cab ute called, you guessed it… the 10 Deserts Edition.

And we were invited to steer it on-road and over a variety of challenging (public) off-road trails around Mt Macedon and Cobaw, about an hour’s drive north-west of Melbourne.

Not quite the Strzelecki Track, but tough enough to see if this special VeeDub has what it takes to drive your off-highway ambitions. So, stay with us!

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2020 Mitsubishi Express Summary

It has been a while since we’ve seen a Mitsubishi Express van on sale in Australia, and the one that has just launched here is a very different offering to its predecessor.

That’s because you could cover the tri-diamond badges on the grille or back door of the new 2020 Mitsubishi Express and be fooled into thinking that you’re looking at a Renault Trafic. Because you are.

The Express is a direct bi-product of the Alliance between Renault and Mitsubishi, and just like the Trafic, it’s made in France, at Renault’s Sandouville plant. 

This isn’t a comparison - the headline isn’t Mitsubishi Express vs Renault Trafic - but the question is: why would you choose one over the other?

You’d be correct in assessing this as an exercise in badge engineering - Mitsubishi calls it “branded product” - but it could well be that you’d choose an Express because Mitsubishi has a broader network of dealers (186 at the time of writing, versus Renault’s 56), not to mention the potential for major fleet discounts and an upstream ute alternative in the Triton that helps the brand “offer the complete LCV solution”. Renault, you could counter, has a smaller and larger van for its own “LCV solution”. 

There’s more to consider, including ownership, safety and value for money - read on for all the details.

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Deep dive comparison

2025 Volkswagen Amarok 2020 Mitsubishi Express

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