Volkswagen Amarok payload slashed

Ute weight ratings and the issue of overloading are hot topics in the automotive world, especially when ute manufacturers don’t always quote comparable figures, and now Volkswagen has thrown another spanner in the works by changing the way it calculates payload for its VW Amarok dual-cab ute.

Volkswagen recently changed from calculating the Amarok’s payload as GVM minus tare weight (the vehicle with 10 litres of fuel), as is the norm in the heavy vehicle truck industry, to GVM less kerb weight (the vehicle with full tank of fuel), to bring it into line with the rest of the ute segment.

“We haven’t changed anything mechanically or engineering on the vehicle, we’ve just basically aligned ourselves with the rest of the segment so that we’re comparing apples for apples,” explained Volkswagen Australia’s Amarok product manager Ben Triebels.

On paper, that now gives popular variants like the Amarok Life TDI500 a payload of 929kg (reduced from 988kg), while the V6 Style Amarok’s payload is now pegged at 972kg.

Those new payload figures compare favourably with the Ford Ranger Wildtrak (966kg), Toyota HiLux Rogue (794kg), Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain (925kg) and Mazda BT-50 (892kg), if not the Nissan Navara Pro-4X (1013kg).

Triebels said the revised payloads also don’t affect the Amarok’s generous load-hauling capabilities, which include a 3500kg braked towing maximum and above-average gross combined mass (GCM) – up to 6350kg for four-cylinder Amaroks and 6400kg for top-spec V6 variants (as per the Ranger Wildtrak V6).

“Most other utes in the segment are capped at 6000kg, so [the Amarok] has that additional capacity there with the gross combined mass,” he said.

Triebels explained that the upside is that, unlike most rival utes (except the Wildtrak), you can tow a 3500kg caravan with the Amarok V6 while carrying passengers and gear up to a combined weight of around 350kg in the tow vehicle, before overloading the rig.

Meanwhile, after feedback from customers and fleet buyers, Volkswagen is offering more value for money across the Amarok range with the latest MY24 update, adding blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert to the entry-level Amarok Core 4x4 dual-cab ute.

All MY24 Amarok variants now also come standard with a fully integrated electric brake controller for towing (previously a $1180 option), to go with the standard tow ball.

Volkswagen has also slashed drive-away pricing as part of a current end-of-financial-year nationwide offer, which also includes a five-year service plan normally worth around $1900.

For example, the Amarok V6 Style dual-cab 4x4 ute is currently available for $75,740 drive-away (RRP $73,740), with the Amarok Life TDI500’s drive-away pricing has also been reduced to $61,490 (RRP $59,490).

Tribels said the new drive-away deals make the MY24 Amarok range a “very, very competitive” package compared to its rivals.

The Amarok is the German brand’s best-selling model in Australia, which is also the world’s biggest Amarok market.

Volkswagen Australia is on track to sell in excess of 10,000 Amaroks in 2024, after averaging 854 sales per month between October 2023 and March 2024.

However, despite a significant rise in Amarok sales since the release of the second-generation ute line-up in mid-2023, local Amarok sales average only around one for every seven of its Ranger twin-under-the-skin.

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