Volkswagen Amarok V6 Ultimate 580 2018 Review

Volkswagen is pretty clear in its messaging for the most powerful Amarok yet, calling it “the new muscle car” and the “Big Bad Wolf”.

But at least some muscle cars were lead-tipped arrows that were all engine and no chassis. And the Big Bad Wolf? Well he had some initial success chowing down on weaker victims, but ended up getting burned by a smarter opponent.

Maybe the messaging isn’t so clear after all?

The Volkswagen Amarok V6 Ultimate 580 (take a breath) is a pretty simple concept. Take an existing model, add a bit more power, a bit more torque, a bit more equipment and a bit more price.

The existing model is the V6 Ultimate 550 dual-cab 4x4 ute, which the 580 replaces. The 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine bumps in power from 180kW to 200kW, the last 10kW available on overboost for 10 seconds. The torque peak climbs from 550Nm to 580Nm.

These new figures ensure the Amarok sits at the top of the dual-cab segment in performance terms, ahead of the January arrival of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class V6, which makes 190kW and 550Nm.

Still working in combination with an eight-speed auto and permanent all-wheel drive, VW claims the engine upgrade propels the Ultimate 580 from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds. That’s 0.6sec faster than the 550 and seconds faster than any of its rivals other than the X 350d, which gallops to 100km/h in 7.5sec.

The engine also uprates from Euro 5 to Euro 6 emissions-compliant, adding an Adblue tank (and new pistons) and droppings its official fuel consumption rating from 9.0L/100km to 8.9L/100km with the aid of idle-stop. We saw 9.8L/100km on the trip computer during our drive.

New equipment in addition to the 550 is limited to 20-inch ‘Talca’ alloy wheels (up from 19s), a unique front underbody design element and black headlining.

Existing 550 features carrying over include four-wheel disc brakes, heated Nappa leather seats with 14-way adjustment, power folding mirrors, a stainless steel sports bar, illuminated stainless steel sidesteps and a spray-on load area cover that is UV-resistant.

But, like all Amarok models, there are no airbags for rear-seat passengers and there’s no sign of autonomous emergency braking or other advanced driver assist systems.

Safety equipment you do get includes four airbags up front, parking sensors front and rear, optical parking guides and a reversing camera.

Other comfort equipment includes a leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, dual-zone climate control, sat-nav and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

Thanks to the heavier engine, wheels and new front bumper, the 580’s unladen mass climbs to 2244kg from the 550’s 2212kg. There’s also a small drop in payload from 868kg to 836kg.

Other key numbers like gross vehicle mass (3080kg), gross combined mass (6000kg) and braked towing (3500kg) remain unchanged.

The price bump is from $68,490 to $71,990, which still undercuts the Benz V6 models and the Ford Ranger Raptor.

Man-oh-man does this ute fly in a straight line! Maybe not in McLaren supercar terms, but compared to almost any other dual-cab, this thing is a jet.

I cannot imagine anyone coming away from driving the 580 and thinking ‘I need to tune that thing up!’ That doesn’t mean people won’t do it just for kicks of course.

It feels stronger than the 550, which is no shrinking violet. Considering there is more weight and not much more power and torque, that might seem a surprise. But the devil’s in the detail here.

While peak power kicks in slightly higher, you’re getting access to the full 580 Newtons from just 1250rpm and until 3250rpm. That compares to the 550’s 1400-2750rpm torque spread.

So tramp the throttle and, accompanied by a gravelly soundtrack, the Amarok heads for the hills, conquers them and along the way deals with any overtaking issues – like B-doubles or triples or quadruples – disdainfully.

Having spent plenty of time lately waiting patiently as four-cylinder diesel dual-cabs amble up to speed (Hello Toyota HiLux!), I can assure you this thing is a revelation and should make a great tow vehicle.

There are drivetrain issues though, the most obvious being the occasional hesitation at tip-in throttle to get rolling. More obvious is the way its accelerates through the lower gears.

It’s not rough, but it surges and eddies, grabbing another gear, thinking about it and then going again. The idle-stop system also stalled a couple of times when attempting to restart.

But overall, in isolation, the drivetrain gets a big thumbs-up. Now for the bigger picture, the one involving stopping and turning as well as going.

The Amarok 580 is tall, has a pronounced forward weight bias when unladen (which it was on test), long-travel suspension including leaf springs at the rear, light yet slow steering and, despite the extra performance and weight, an unchanged brake package from lesser Amarok V6s.

The one dynamic gain the 580 does make is a move from 19-inch to 20-inch Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport 255/50R20 tyres.

Considering all that the 580 actually behaves pretty darn well by class standards. Volkswagen even closed the legendary Lake Mountain Road in Victoria, the scene of many tarmac rally stages, so we could strop up and down without fear of oncoming traffic or police issues at the launch.

And it was fun, buzzing up the hill, revving the engine hard, flipping through the gears manually via the paddle shifters, or relying on the auto’s excellent sports mode to react aggressively for you.

But there’s no doubt this amount of engine in this vehicle could lead to trouble if you’re not paying attention. You simply arrive at corners quicker than you expect.

There’s lots of vertical motion and body roll and the slowness of the hydraulic-assist steering sometimes makes you take multiple bites at a corner because the 580 just does not turn-in quickly. All thrown in together it can get a bit messy.

And although the brakes never proved an issue, I was driving with some reserve so as not to hammer them.

Look, there are riders on this; the Amarok undoubtedly behaved better than a bunch of other ladder-frame 4x4 dual-cabs would in the same conditions, most of which are rear-drive only on-road and have drum rear brakes.

But if you’re going to promote a ute as a ‘muscle car’ how about paying some attention to the suspension tune as well as the engine bay?

Air springs that enable the ride height to be lowered and stiffness to be adjusted would seem like one logical solution. Another could be Multimatic spool-valve dampers which work brilliantly with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.

The 580 is otherwise familiar Amarok fare. Which means you get a well-presented cabin with a logical and user-friendly set of interfaces. The highlight are the front seats, which are fantastically supportive and comfortable.

Storage is reasonable throughout the cabin, but rear-seat space is limited for adults and there are no adjustable rear air-conditioning vents. Further back, the tray is one of the few that can fit a wider 1165mm x 1165mm pallet.

The steering wheel is reach- and rake- adjustable (one of the few in this segment), but makes a scraping sound as it moves, which is a bit off-putting.

The plastics are hard to the touch, the infotainment screen in the dash is under-sized by modern standards, there’s only one USB port and the whole thing feels in need of modernisation. That’s no shock considering the Amarok first launched in 2010.

Hard-core off-roaders might also be put off by the lack of low range, but the Amarok’s off-road mode combined with locking rear diff and a low first gear ratio in the eight-speed auto has proved very capable in the past. On this drive, gravel roads were as dirty as it got and the 580 behaved well.

But add in issues already noted like the lack of AEB and rear airbags and it’s clear the Amarok is showing its age. In fact, the new generation is not far away and Volkswagen says this Ultimate 580 is the end of the line for performance upgrades in this generation.

And that’s a good thing I reckon. The Volkswagen Amarok is a fine vehicle and there’s lots to like about the beefy new 580, but just like the Big Bad Wolf there’s a bit to be wary of too.

How much does the 2018 Volkswagen Amarok V6 Ultimate 580 cost?
Price: $71,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 200kW/580Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 234g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2016)