BASE JUMPERS

VOLKSWAGEN EXPANDS ITS AMAROK RANGE WITH THE LAUNCH OF TWO BASE-MODEL VARIANTS, THE CORE AND THE LIFE

VOLKSWAGEN Australia has put V the two base models of its 2023 Amarok range on sale priced from $52,990. Called the Core and the Life, they are powered exclusively by the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine and priced at $52,990 and $56,990 respectively.

The major difference between the two variants is that the engine in the Amarok Core is the single turbo 125kW/405Nm TDI405 version of the Ford-manufactured four-cylinder mill backed by a six-speed automatic transmission, while the engine in the Life is the dual-turbocharged 154kW/500Nm TDI500 mated to the same 10-speed automatic transmission also used in the V6 Amarok models. There is a six-speed manual gearbox available for the Amarok Core but one wasn't available for testing on this day.

Both the Amarok Core and Life models have a part-time, dual-range 4x4 system and are not offered with the all-wheel drive system available in the higher grades. All 4x4 Amaroks get the driver-activated rear differential lock.

Entry level 4x4 utes priced upwards of $50K might be a bit rich for some, but the Amaroks don't feel like base model vehicles. Yes, the Amarok Core comes with vinyl floor covering and manual airconditioning, but both variants get 17-inch alloy wheels, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), LED headlights and relatively large 10-inch A/V screens.

The Amarok Life adds carpeted floors, LED front fog lights, eight-way adjustable driver and passenger seats - the passenger seat in the Core has no height adjustment - and a leather-covered steering wheel and gear e-shifter.

Mechanically, the Life also gets disc brakes on the rear axle instead of drums, and the park brake is electronically operated. Both the Amarok Core and Life use the standard suspension calibration for the double wishbone front-end and live-axle leaf-spring rear-end, without the 'Dynamic' suspension tune as found under the upper-spec PanAmericana and Adventura models.