Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana 2025 Review
Volkswagen’s Amarok is arguably the best all-round dual-cab money can buy, but it’s pricier than an equivalent Ford Ranger on which it’s based. Here’s why.Though it wears the badge of a quintessentially German manufacturer, the Volkswagen Amarok is about as Australian as any new car gets this side of a Bolwell. It shares most of its mechanicals with the Ford Ranger which was extensively developed in Victoria and, for the bits that had to look and feel different, Volkswagen assembled a local development team. However, the Amarok has a price premium over the Ranger and that places it at the pointiest end of all ute prices. If you can stretch to it though, the extra cash is worth it, especially in the case of the TDI600 PanAmericana.
How much does the Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana cost?
If you were quick, you could have grabbed a drive-away bargain at the end of last financial year when Volkswagen reduced the price of some variants including this one which got the biggest saving of up to $9000 in NSW. Now though, the standard prices have returned and a PanAmericana will cost you $78,990 before on-road costs.
For comparison, the similarly positioned Ford Ranger Wildtrak costs about $75,000 but the respective ranges are deliberately specced so that there’s no direct comparison at any point in the line-ups.
Either way, the Amarok in PanAmericana trim is a pricey truck but it gets a lot included. Unlike other variants which offer a choice of four-cylinder diesel and even a turbo-petrol, the PanAmericana is a V6 diesel only – regarded as the pick of the engines in either Ford or VW family – mustering 184kW and 600Nm.
There’s also a 10-speed automatic transmission hanging off it, a proper low-range four-wheel drive system, 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres, while the interior is well appointed with electrically adjustable and heated front seats, leather upholstery and a selection of excellent quality materials.
There are simpler, cheaper variants such as the Style which is available with the lovely V6, or more road- focused versions including the Aventura, but the PanAmericana is pointed firmly at the path less trodden and provides a good basis for anyone wanting to customise, but still retains a good standard of all-terrain ability if not.
Both Android and Apple device mirroring is supported wirelessly with one spot for wireless charging, while the portrait-oriented central touch-screen measures 12 inches but its proportions make it appear more impressive. It’s complemented by a digital instrument cluster of about the same size.
Safety is equally well represented with nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning and assistance, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition and blind spot monitoring along with a 360-degree camera and parking assistance.
Premium paint colours, including this Reed Green, are an extra $1100 but worth every cent as it looks just sensational.
The Volkswagen Amarok is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with scheduled servicing required every 12 months or 15,000km and a five-year capped price care plan offered for $1900.
What’s good about the Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana?
We’ll start with the elephant in the room and that, to get the versatility that a load-lugging and high-riding dual-cab ute offers, there are compromises to be made regardless of the brand and model. But the 2025 Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana strikes just about the best balance of everything.
It can tow up to 3500kg (braked), has a large load area of 1544mm by 1224mm and a payload of 956kg, and yet it has very good on-road manners.
The ‘Lion’ 3.0-litre V6 single turbo-diesel is not the newest, most efficient or sophisticated engine and has essentially been kicking around since 2004. But it’s precisely the fact that it has done so many laps of the sun that makes it such a good pairing.
It’s smooth, quiet, stoic and has two decades of development and updates under its belt for durability and reliability that few newer engines can brag.
What is more modern, however, is the 10-speed automatic bolted to it. While the slick unit has a bit of a tendency to hunt around the gears, the most recent updates have made it less neurotic and it makes a better use of the diesel engine’s 600Nm with a willingness to hold onto gears for longer when necessary.
Out on the road it’s a lovely match, swapping between cogs smoothly and helping to increase efficiency, while boosting the positive driving experience.
The ride and comfort are also a standout. Sure, the Amarok has the unmistakable feel of a ladder-chassis off-roader but elements such as local suspension tuning, a unique rear damper arrangement and good cabin insulation combine for about as relaxing as ute rides get.
It’s also fun to drive with a surprising ability to hold on in corners, very good steering feel and feedback, and a brake pedal that requires a bit of shove but has an uncommon progressiveness in this segment.
Another area the Amarok stands out from the crowd is with its range of Australian-developed accessories. While some aftermarket options appear more economically viable, things like the original equipment power-operated roller tray cover seals tightly against dust and moisture, while the sport/roo bars fit as if they were there from the factory.
There are a couple of practical anomalies where the VW doesn’t do quite as well as the Ranger but beyond that the Amarok has easily the most premium of any dual-cab interior – although, the BYD Shark 6 is also impressive.
The seats and material choices make the Amarok immediately feel like a Volkswagen despite the vehicle’s size with the beautifully ergonomic steering wheel covered in excellent quality leather a particular highlight.
While it’s clear the design team was limited in the number of components they were able to customise, the effect is quite transformative.
We love the coarse-textured ‘cricket’ (we’re not sure if that refers to the sport or the insect) material on some touch points with its contrasting stitching, along with the generally dark-themed interior that feels cosy and sporty without being claustrophobic.
The general quality feels great and even the rear seats offer reasonable levels of comfort – a common area of compromise in ute cabins.
Overall, the Amarok PanAmericana is a well-engineered and hardworking ute that weaves in an uncommon level of sophistication with premium feeling features throughout.
What’s not so good about the Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana?
Officially, the 2025 Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana uses 7.2L/100km of diesel in average use but our time with the Amarok, which consisted of mostly suburban duty and a little freeway returned a figure of about 9.0L/100km. That’s still passable for a 2.4-tonne workhorse but might put off an owner looking to use the Amarok as the daily drive of the family.
If you do intend on ferrying more recent family members, the Amarok accommodates two ISOFIX seats in the second row. However, the folding backrest is not split side-to-side so accessing the top-tethers might be tricky if one seat is already installed.
While the general practicality offering has been very well considered, there are a couple of neat tricks the Amarok misses out on when compared with the Ranger such as the clever tray access step, pop-in clamp points for a spot of spontaneous tailgate carpentry and an interior that isn’t quite as well laid out for cup-holder positioning and outright space/storage in some cases.
Large overall dimensions certainly help boost the Amarok’s practicality, but it can feel its size in some tight suburban spots including a 12.8-meter turning circle which needs to be remembered when negotiating city streets and other challenges. VW’s technological suite including a 360-degree camera certainly alleviates the problems but it’s a big car at the end of the day and there’s no other way around that.
With all on-roads in, the Amarok PanAmericana ends up about the $80,000 mark depending on the state or territory, which is a lot of cash and will be prohibitively expensive for many shoppers looking at alternatives – as they should.
Should I buy a Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana?
The 2025 Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana takes Australia’s best ute as its basis and adds a significant dose of refinement and class with an associated increase in the price. The Ford Ranger is by no means the cheapest ute money can buy, so the resulting Volkswagen is a vehicle that’s impressively complete but sits at the top of the scale when it comes to cost.
That’s not to say it’s poor value, however. The PanAmericana offers about the best drivetrain you’ll find in any ute, safety and space in abundance, and the most car-like cabin (for all the right reasons) without having to cop the compromises of a challenger brand model.
If you’re thinking of making a dual-cab ute your next family car – as many Australians are – then the Amarok PanAmericana makes a lot of sense. There are a lot of cheaper options and their shortcomings won’t necessarily manifest themselves during the odd weekend away or trip to a worksite. But if your daily routine is spent at the wheel of a dual cab, there are fewer places more pleasant than the cabin of the Amarok.
2025 Volkswagen Amarok TDI600 PanAmericana at a glance:
Price: $78,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 184kW/600Nm
Transmission: Ten-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km
CO2: 222g/km
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP 2023
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Related: VW Amarok PHEV now looking unlikely
- Sophisticated and ergonomic cabin design
- Class-leading powertrain
- Excellent manners on and off the road
- Small premium over equivalent Ford Ranger
- Misses out on some cool practical tricks
- Fuel consumption difficult to get close to claimed economy
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