SOLID ROK

THE V6 AMAROK GETS A WALKINSHAW PERFORMANCE UPGRADE.

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

LAUNCHED in 2010, the Volkswagen Amarok mid-size ute is one of the older vehicles in its class and, rather than investing in an all-new model, VW is partnering with Ford to build the next Amarok on a platform shared with the 2022 Ranger. Despite its age, the Amarok remains one of the best-driving cars in this segment, with dynamics that leave all competitors behind and the option of a powerful V6 diesel engine that does the same.

It will be a real shame to lose the Amarok, as it’s a unique vehicle in the class, but we await the Ford-derived model with interest.

Before that arrives sometime late in 2022, Volkswagen Australia has given its grunty Amarok V6 a performance upgrade by partnering with the engineering team at Walkinshaw Performance to make a good thing better. The upgrades made to create the Amarok W580 centre on the suspension and styling, while the powertrain remains the top-specification 580Nm version of the 3.0-litre V6.

The Walkinshaw-tweaked ute is available in two models: the Amarok W580 at $71,990 and the Amarok W580S at $79,990. The vehicles and accessories are covered by Volkswagen’s full warranty.

POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE

THE Amarok’s V6 engine is already the most powerful and best engine available in the one-tonne 4x4 ute class, so the team decided to leave it alone. This is the top-tune version of the engine that makes 190kW under normal operation but ups that to 200kW on over-boost, while the torque is locked in at 580Nm.