New Volkswagen Amarok: Australian range confirmed with petrol, diesel, manual, auto choices

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It may share platforms and engines with the latest Ford Ranger, but the incoming second-generation Volkswagen Amarok does not share the Blue Oval’s approach to product planning.

Volkswagen will sell its version of the T6.2-chassis ute in Australia with a broader range of engines than Ford has opted to do with the Ranger, while a manual gearbox will remain in the Amarok lineup – though only when paired to the most modest diesel four-cylinder engine and not with a V6.

Set to be released in Australia in early in the first quarter of next year – likely January or February 2023 – the Amarok will be available in five trim grades.

Local pricing has not yet been released for the new Amarok, which was largely designed and developed in Australia – but the new Ranger line-up spans from $35,930 to $85,490 before on-road costs. Our team has considered how much the Amarok could cost in Australia in a previous article.

These five grades begin with the simply-named Amarok base grade, the second-tier Life and the mid-spec Style. From there, the new Amarok line diverges with a double-headed flagship strategy: a more rugged, off-road focussed Pan-Americana model, and a street-style Aventura model.

On arrival, the Amarok will compete with not only the new Ranger, but other capable dual-cab 4×4 utes like the Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and GWM Ute.

Volkswagen Amarok Australian line-up: key points

• Five trim grades confirmed: base, Life, Style, Pan-Americana, Aventura
• Three engines available in Australia in four configurations
• Turbo petrol four-cylinder to be optional on Amarok, unavailable on Ranger
• Base grade retains the option of a manual-4×4 configuration

V6 diesel, diesel four-cylinder and surprise turbo-petrol four

Volkswagen had already confirmed it would continue to offer a V6 engine with the new Amarok, and the diesel six-cylinder will be available across three of the five grades: Style, Pan-Americana, and Aventura.

While there was initially debate about which manufacturer would supply the Amarok’s engine, it has been clear since the reveal of the Amarok Mk II that the 3.0-litre engine would be the Ford-PSA Lion six-cylinder that makes 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque – the same as in the new Ranger.

In a twist, the Aventura will be optionally available with a petrol engine: not the Ranger Raptor’s twin-turbo petrol V6, but instead a 2.3-litre single-turbo petrol four-cylinder that makes 222kW/452Nm.

The turbo-petrol four, which is only available in the Amarok Aventura, also does service in Ford’s Mustang coupe and convertible and was used in the previous-generation Focus RS in a higher state of tune.

Ford’s 2.0-litre diesel four-cylinder is fitted to the base Amarok (in single-turbo 125kW/405Nm guide) and the Life (in twin-turbo 154kW/500Nm configuration). The twin-turbo diesel ‘four is the base engine in the Amarok Style, though that trim allows buyers to option the 3.0-litre diesel V6.

The turbo petrol, twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder and diesel V6 versions of the Amarok use a 10-speed torque converter automatic – but the single-turbo diesel gives entry-level buyers a choice of a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. Ford does not offer a new manual Ranger in Australia.

All grades are four-wheel drive as standard, though the 4×4 systems do differ across the range. With the V6 and turbo petrol engines, it is a permanent 4WD-Auto system (with selectable low range), while in the diesel four-cylinder it is a selectable 4WD system that runs in 2WD mode (rear-wheel drive) on the road.

Standard features in Australia for Amarok by trim grade

Volkswagen says the incoming Amarok grades essentially line up with the outgoing first-gen VW ute, with the base model replacing the old Core, the Life replacing the Sportline, the Style replacing the Highline, the Pan-Americana replacing the Canyon, and the Aventura continuing.

There’s no news yet of a continuation of the Amarok Walkinshaw line that saw first-gen ‘Roks sub-assembled in Melbourne into Australia-specific trim grades, though Volkswagen has repeatedly claimed it’s hopeful the partnership will continue with the new vehicle.

The ‘Amarok’ base grade includes:

• LED headlights
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Unpainted bumpers, mirrors and door handles
• Front and rear mudflaps
• Manually-lockable tailgate
• Tray lighting
• Vinyl flooring
• Plastic steering wheel
• Plastic gear shifter
• Fabric seat upholstery
• Manually-adjustable front seats; six-way (driver), four-way (passenger)
• 10-inch vertical touchscreen
• Four-speaker stereo
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Wireless smartphone charging
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Mechanically-locking centre differential
• Mechanical parking brake
• Speed sign recognition
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane-keep assist
• Reversing camera, rear parking sensors
• Knee, centre and side curtain airbags

The level-two Amarok Life grade adds:

• Painted body-coloured bumpers, mirrors and door handles
• Twin front tow hooks
• LED fog lights
• Privacy glass
• Electrically-folding, heated side mirrors with puddle lights
• Locking wheel nuts
• Power-locking tailgate
• Leather steering wheel
• Leather gear shifter
• Carpet floor
• Front and rear floor mats
• Embossed fabric seat upholstery
• Manually-adjustable front seats, eight-way (both)
• Six-speaker stereo
• Electronic parking brake
• Front parking sensors
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror

The mid-specification Amarok Style adds:

• Matrix ‘IQ light’ LED headlights
• Larger 18-inch alloy wheels
• Chrome rear bumper and side steps
• Stainless steel tray sports bar
• Tray liner
• Keyless entry and start
• Art Velour seat upholstery
• Electrically-adjustable driver’s seat; ten-way
• Manually-adjustable front passenger’s seat; eight-way
• Heated front seats
• Larger 12-inch vertical touchscreen
• 12-inch digital instrument cluster
• Dual-zone automatic air conditioning
• Ambient interior lighting
• 360-degree camera
• Automated parking
• Alarm

From there, the Amarok range diverges to twin high-spec variants.

The rugged Amarok Pan-Americana grade adds:

• LED taillights
• 18-inch alloy wheels in black
• All-terrain tyres
• Black front bumper with ‘X’ visual motif
• Black-painted mirrors, bumpers, door handles and side steps
• Black-painted tray sports bar
• Soft tonneau cover
• Roof rails
• Unique Pan-Americana decals
• ‘Cricket’ leather seat upholstery
• Leather dashboard
• Leather door inserts
• Eight-speaker premium stereo
• Electrically-adjusted front passenger’s seat; 10-way
• Black headliner

The street-focussed Amarok Aventura caps the lineup with:

• 21-inch alloy wheels
• Chrome front bumper with ‘X’ visual motif
• Chrome side mirrors, door handles, rear bumper, and side steps
• Chrome tray sail plane
• Electronic tray roll cover
• ‘Savona’ leather seat upholstery

Eight colours will be available for the Amarok, with one unique to Volkswagen. The paint range consists of:

• Moroccan blue metallic (unique to the Amarok, unavailable on Ranger)
• Diffused silver metallic
• Moondust silver metallic
• Lucid red metallic
• Carbonised grey metallic
• Blue lightning metallic
• Agate black metallic
• Frozen white solid

Further details on the new Amarok, including pricing for Australia, is expected to be released ahead of the ute’s early 2023 local release.