Getting up close with the Volkswagen Amarok W580X

Volkswagen’s most capable off-road ute ever is only a month or so away, with first customer deliveries of the Walkinshaw-developed 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580X set to begin in June.

Before its official release in mid-2022, however, we took an up-close look at a pre-production version of the range-topping Amarok at this year’s Caravan Camping Holiday Supershow in Sydney.

A fitting farewell to the original Amarok that’s been on sale Down Under for more than a decade, the locally-engineered W580X will be limited to just 500 examples and priced from $77,390 plus on-road costs, making it more than $4000 cheaper than the road-focussed W580S.

As the last version of the first-generation Amarok before it’s replaced by an all-new Ford Ranger-based model, which is set for a global unveiling this July ahead of its local launch in early 2023, the W580X is kitted out with a host of off-road equipment to take on the Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior and Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

Standard equipment includes a redesigned front bumper with unique grille, integrated LED light bar and custom 4mm-thick bash plate, plus raised Walkinshaw-tuned suspension with MTV twin-tube dampers and forged 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion off-road tyres.

Further upping the aggression are beefy wheel-arch extensions, black wing mirrors, exterior decals and bi-xenon headlights with built-in LED daytime running lights, while a Seikel snorkel can be optioned for $1390.

Inside, the W580X adds Walkinshaw-branded Art Velour seat trim and rubber floor mats, but everything else is borrowed from the flagship Amarok variants including a 6.5-inch infotainment unit, heated front seats and steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers and dual-zone climate control.

Likewise, under the bonnet is the same 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 developing a class-leading 200kW of power on overboost (backed by 580Nm of peak torque), matched as standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission, 4MOTION four-wheel drive system and 3500kg towing capacity.

There won’t be a VW version of the circa-300kW petrol V6-powered 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor, so it’s possible Volkswagen Australia could again partner with Walkinshaw to develop a similar special-edition version of next year’s second-generation Amarok locally.

“We haven’t determined whether we’re going to continue that partnership with the new Amarok as yet,” Volkswagen Australia Commercial Vehicles chief Ryan Davies told carsales.

“But given the runaway success [of the Amarok W580S and W580X] it seems like a good idea and one we’re definitely going to continue to investigate with Walkinshaw when more information comes to light with the new-generation Amarok.”

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