Volkswagen Amarok V6 sets new benchmark

Volkswagen Australia has developed an unlikely Golf GTI-beater: a diesel V6-powered Amarok ute with some serious credentials to its name.

Unveiled at the World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend, the dual-cab project was the work of Volkswagen’s Amarok Apprentice Challenge, and ran as an exhibition at the event.

The Amarok was set the lofty task of besting the Golf GTI’s 1:59 lap time around the Eastern Creek Grand Prix layout – no mean feat.

To take on the challenge, a hand-picked crew of Volkswagen apprentices started with a 165kW/550Nm Amarok V6 Highline as the donor vehicle and went to work on its chassis and body – but not its engine.

The exercise was a relative anomaly at WTAC, the popular three-day event almost exclusively comprising go-fast Japanese models modified to within an inch of their life.

“Working with a team of mentors from Volkswagen and its supplier network, the team stripped the Amarok of weight, added a custom-built suspension package dubbed ‘The Big Bad Wolf’ by engineers at Bilstein; and fitted an AP Racing brake set-up in collaboration with V-Sport technicians,” Volkswagen Australia said in a release.

“When the vehicle was track-ready, it was wrapped in custom vinyl, laid by Shane’s Signs, and fitted with a set of semi-slick Michelin tyres.”

The finished product — which VW insists is not a portent to a foray in the inaugural SuperUtes category — managed an impressive 1:57.1 lap time around Eastern Creek, exceeding internal expectations.

“We’re enormously proud of our Amarok V6, which we’ve always seen as the leader of the pack in terms of power,” VW director of commercial vehicles, Carlos Santos, said.

“Thanks to this incredible team of Volkswagen apprentices, we’ve been able to show just how much power is under the hood of the Amarok – 550Nm is great for towing a boat or caravan; and now we can add smashing lap times to that list.”

Project lead Kurt McGuiness hinted at the apprentice program returning to next year’s WTAC challenge event for another crack – this time with the 213kW Golf R’s lap time to beat.

“It’s important for us at Volkswagen to offer unique learning experiences to our apprentices,” he said.

“Our Big Bad Wolf Amarok track car is not only an example of our superior engineering, it’s also a way for us as a business to support the lifeblood of our industry in Australia.”

The Amarok was humbled by the headliners at WTAC, specifically the Tim Slade-driven MCA Suspension Nissan Silvia that topped the weekend timesheets with a blistering 1:20.971 lap around the SMP layout.