2026 Volkswagen Amarok W600 will be a "driver’s ute"

Rather than follow in the tyre prints of other factory-tuned utes by applying a suspension lift, chunky all-terrains and a suspension honed for rock-hopping, the upcoming Volkswagen Amarok W600 will instead be tuned for conquering the blacktop – and Walkinshaw will once again help hone it.

Produced in close collaboration with Walkinshaw, Volkswagen’s Amarok will soon have a new halo model in the form of the W600 – and the company wants its hot ute to be a corner-carver, not a mud-plugger.

Broadly based upon an Amarok Aventura TDI600, which retails at $82,990 plus on-road costs, the Amarok W600 retains the standard 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, with outputs staying out at 184kW/600Nm despite the addition of a dual-exit exhaust; the only powertrain change.

As such, don’t expect much improvement over a standard Amarok TDI600’s pace in a straight line, but once the road starts getting bendy the W600 should feel more profoundly different.

Wider wheelarch flares frame a set of 20-inch alloys which sit 51mm further out than standard Amarok hoops. Wearing fat 285/50R20 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres, these rollers are significantly sportier than what you’d typically find on a ladder-frame ute.

The W600’s predecessor, the W580 series, was also equipped with 20-inch wheels, however the tyre choice for that model was Pirelli’s Scorpion ATR, rubber that was still very much gravel and rock-friendly. The selection of the Pilot Sport 4 SUV for the W600 is a clear sign that VW doesn’t expect owners will stray too far from sealed surfaces.

Deeper in the wheel wells are Koni dampers paired with standard Amarok springs, and while ride height hasn’t changed, the dampers are tuned to provide tauter, more carlike handling on the blacktop, with frequency-selective tech helping to keep body movements in check without compromising comfort over rough ground.

On the rear axle, Walkinshaw has grafted on a 22mm-thick anti-roll bar to tighten up the chassis and introduce more playful handling – while the company experimented with a thicker front sway bar, the standard hardware was deemed a better pairing with the new rear unit.

Cosmetically, the W600’s wider stance and bigger wheels combine with the unique front bumper – which features an integrated full-width LED light bar to echo VW’s passenger car range – and Aventura-spec sports bar for a more athletic look.

There are also electrically-retracting side steps that tuck neatly under the sills and deploy automatically when the doors open.

Interior revisions are more modest, limited to Walkinshaw embroidery on the headrests, and alloy sports pedals in the driver’s footwell.

Pricing and full specifications are yet to be confirmed, and the restyled front end remains under camouflage for now, though expect the camo to be officially peeled off sometime in April.

Deliveries aren’t slated to start until some time in the third quarter of 2026.

Walkinshaw is still in the process of honing the W600’s suspension settings, with on-road validation occurring in Tasmania at the time of publish.

Will Walkinshaw be able to turn VW’s chunky dual-cab into a sporty apex attacker? We should have our first taste of it sometime in the second quarter of this year.

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