Volkswagen Amarok W600S shapes up

The new 2023 Volkswagen Amarok arrives here from February next year, but already the German brand is looking at Australian-developed tough truck designs to cap off the range – and a pumped-up ute with loads of swagger from local partner Walkinshaw is all but confirmed.

This latest render of the second-generation 2023 Volkswagen Amarok provides us with an early preview of how a muscle-bound Walkinshaw workover for the hotly-anticipated new V6 ute could look.

Set to bear the W600S moniker, by virtue of its brawnier 600Nm Ford-sourced 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, the Walkinshaw-tuned ute is expected to launch in 2025 and will reprise many of the elements that made the current-generation Volkswagen Amarok W600S model a sell-out success, such as street-tuned suspension and wider tyres.

It might not get the lowered ride height of this latest render by Nikita Chuicko, who goes by the handle ‘kelsonik’ on Instagram, but the rear sailplane and oversized wheels are expected to be present on the next-gen 2025 Volkswagen Amarok W600S.

Following the success of Walkinshaw’s bespoke Amarok models, including the W580, W580X and W580S in Australia, company executives confirmed they are planning to deliver a range of flagship tough trucks for the new-generation Amarok ute, which is based on the all-new Ford Ranger.

“We think there’s room in the market for a Walkinshaw-type vehicle for the new Amarok generation and we’re definitely going to try and capitalise on that,” Volkswagen Australia commercial vehicles director, Ryan Davies, told carsales earlier this year.

He said the regular Amarok would need time to establish itself and that research and development on a new Walkinshaw-tuned hero truck would take time, indicating a mid-decade launch for a model like the Amarok W600S.

“Having something in that [tough truck] space is definitely on our radar, and Walkinshaw are the best people to partner with going forward with something like that,” he said.

The current-generation Volkswagen Amarok W580S was distinguished by its road-tuned suspension, including new Monroe shock absorbers, along with 20-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli Scorpion ATR tyres (275/50R20).

A wider track and wheel-arch extensions are in there, along with a tuned exhaust system with twin side outlets and a redesigned front-end, among a variety of other changes.

The new-generation W-Series Amarok will be powered by the same ‘Lion’ 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel V6 as the Ford Ranger, which currently tops out at 184kW and 600Nm, driving through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The current Amarok pumps out more power (190kW) but less torque (580Nm).

It remains to be seen if Volkswagen – or Walkinshaw – will provide a more powerful 200kW version of the Ford engine to give the new model bragging rights.

One thing is for sure – Ford will not be donating to Volkswagen the 292kW turbo-petrol V6 from the new Ford Ranger Raptor. It’s off limits.

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