VW reveals more details of next Amarok

AS we look forward to the full unveiling of the new-generation Volkswagen Amarok ute mid-year, the Wolfsburg-based brand’s commercial vehicle has revealed sketches of what the Ford Ranger-based newcomer’s rear-three-quarter aspect and interior architecture will look like…

Developed by teams in Australia and Europe, the latest version of the lifestyle-oriented ute will be produced alongside the next-generation Ranger – with which it will share its underpinnings and many of its components – at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa’s Silverton assembly plant. It will be available to order in some of markets by year-end and is likely to arrive in Australia in early 2023.

Compared with its predecessor, which was unveiled more than a decade ago, the new Amarok will be 100mm longer and more than 40mm wider. The sketch of the new ute (shown towing a trailer carrying a snowmobile) depicts a derivative with distinctive squared-off black wheel-arch cladding, which is much more elaborate than on the recently unveiled new Ranger.

The Amarok’s cabin will also apparently be very similar to that of the new Ranger, which offers much-improved storage spaces and a decluttered fascia, with many of the old centre stack’s hard-button functions now incorporated into the menus of the portrait-style touchscreen infotainment system. 

“The uncluttered, masculine architecture, the elements designed in a machine-like fashion, the clear, taut surfaces and a particularly high-quality cockpit emphasise the Amarok’s right to claim premium vehicle status,” said Albert-Johann Kirzinger, head of design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

The upcoming (“third-generation”) Amarok will “offer considerably more driver-assist systems and the wherewithal to impress customers when it comes to connectivity”, the company said. 

Therefore, like the new Ranger, high-end Amarok derivatives are likely to feature a digital instrument panel, factory-fitted mobile internet connectivity and a 360-degree camera; owners will also be able to lock/unlock and start their vehicles and check various functions from their smartphones via an app.

Although Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles have yet to the announce the range’s engine line-up, Lars Menge, head of product marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said “we are continuing to use highly efficient TDI diesel engines and there will be a powerful V6 TDI available in the future.”

It’s unlikely, however, that the current 190kW (200kW on overboost)/580 Nm VW Group 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel motor will be retained. Top versions of the Amarok are likely to be powered by the Ford-sourced 3.0-litre V6 Power Stroke turbo-diesel engine mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The rest of the range will probably feature single- and twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel motors, in combination with either a 10-speed and six-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission.

However, Menge added “depending on the market, the Amarok will be moving forward… as a diesel or petrol vehicle”, which suggests the VW ute may also be offered with a petrol engine at some point.