Volkswagen Amarok unveiled: HiLux rival has powerful engine, new technology

The previous model was one of the best utes to drive but had fallen off the pace in terms of technology and safety. The new version is a big leap forward.

Volkswagen has taken the covers off its much-anticipated new Amarok. Picture: Supplied.

Volkswagen has finally taken the wraps off its long-awaited second-generation Amarok ute ahead of its local launch early next year.

The new Amarok shares its underpinnings with the Australian designed and engineered Ford Ranger that goes on sale locally next month, but it won’t have the Ford’s potent 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 petrol engine, which makes 292kW and 583Nm.

Four engines are likely to be offered here, three diesels and a petrol. The petrol version is a 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol making 222kW, while at the top of the range there’s a 3.0-litre V6 diesel putting out 184kW and 600Nm. That’s slightly less power but more torque than the current 190kW/580Nm V6, which makes up 90 per cent of local sales.

The new Volkswagen Amarok will offer a range one petrol and three diesel engines. Picture: Supplied.

An entry level 2.0-litre turbo diesel will make 125kW, while the 2.0-litre twin turbo four (154kW and 500Nm) from the current Ranger will also be offered.

The Amarok was designed and engineered alongside the Ford Ranger in Victoria and for the past three years, German designers and stylists have been based at Ford’s design and engineering headquarters in Melbourne.

The Ford and Volkswagen teams have been deliberately kept apart to maximise the differentiation between the two models.

Volkswagen designers were based in Australia to help differentiate the Amarok from its twin-under-the-skin the Ford Ranger. Picture: Supplied.

The new Amarok is 96mm longer than the previous model, while the distance between the front and rear wheels has grown by 173mm. That will allow for a more spacious rear passenger area – the previous one was a little cramped.

The Amarok will have a 1.16-tonne payload and can tow up to 3500kg. It can take a pallet between the wheelarches, while water fording depth is up from 500mm to 800mm.

The roof has been rated to carry 350kg for setting up a tent, while there will be an option to fit a hard roof over the tray, turning it into a wagon.

The Amarok’s roof can support a tent for camping. Picture: Supplied.

At this stage there will be no dedicated passenger wagon based on the Ford Everest.

It will be available in five models: Amarok, Life, Style, an off-road focused “PanAmericana” and a bitumen-biased “Aventura”.

Buyers will be able to choose between rear-wheel drive and permanent or on-demand all-wheel drive. Drivers of 4WD models can select from several multi-terrain drive modes, while a smart full-time all-wheel-drive system adapts to prevailing conditions.

The new Amarok will be a huge change from the current model, which has fallen behind the competition in recent years.

Customers can choose between rear-drive and four-wheel drive models. Picture: Supplied.

The Amarok has always been among the best utes to drive, but inside the cockpit was dated and safety was second-rate. In particular, the lack of rear airbags limited its appeal to families.

The new model will share the Ford’s digital driver display, large tablet-style centre touchscreen and high-end audio system. But it will also feature physical buttons and knobs for major controls, which are easier to operate when driving on rough surfaces. The audio system has been developed by Harman Kardon.

Albert-Johann Kirzinger, head of design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, says the new Amarok has “clear Volkswagen DNA, inside and out”.

There will be off-road and bitumen-focused versions of the ute. Picture: Supplied.

The German brand says the Amarok will have 20 new driver assistance features. They are likely to include auto emergency braking, lane-keep and blind-spot assist, radar cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert.

The ute will also have lighting for the rear tray, as well as zone lighting, which illuminates the area around the ute for night work.

A folding tailgate can be raised and lowered with just one hand and it doubles as a work bench, with built-in clamps to secure materials to the bench.

Local management is keen to continue its partnership with Walkinshaw Automotive, which currently employs 25 staff to produce special edition W580 Amarok models at its Clayton factory. More than 1000 W580s have been sold.

Volkswagen is keen to produce a Walkinshaw-fettled version of the Amarok. Picture: Supplied.

The W580 models have a range of styling, suspension and equipment updates, all tweaked by the firm that used to make hot Holden Commodores.

Ryan Davies, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Australian brand director, confirmed that the company was keen to extend the partnership which had been “incredibly successful”.

“We’ve got to have a competitive edge with what we’ve got with the new Amarok and partnering with Walkinshaw or someone like that will give us something unique … We are certainly looking at its successor.”

A Walkinshaw model is likely to appear later in the model cycle, though.

The Amarok is vital to the success of the Volkswagen brand in Australia, which has been severely hampered by stock shortages. Sales are down by more than a third this year.

The Amarok is vital to Volkswagen’s success in Australia. Picture: Supplied.

The ute is the biggest selling vehicle in the Volkswagen range, accounting for one in five sales. Australia is the number one market in the world for the Amarok V6.

The new Amarok will be built in South Africa, which means supply is unlikely to be constrained by the same factors affecting its European factories.

The Ranger platform has been designed to accommodate future hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions and Volkswagen is likely to adopt any tech that is available.

Deliveries of the new Amarok are scheduled to arrive early next year, giving Ford’s Ranger a six-month head start.