Volkswagen has outlined specifications for the new Amarok – model-by-model – ahead of showroom arrivals in early 2023.
Specifications for the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok have been released for Australia ahead of local showroom arrivals early next year.
Volkswagen dealers have today received detailed specification charts to help customers place reservations for the new Amarok well ahead of launch.
Customer orders placed today for a 2023 Volkswagen Amarok in Australia will be "pending price and test drive", which means buyers can back out of the deal if needed.
“Since the Amarok was globally revealed four weeks ago, Volkswagen dealers have been beset by inquiries and customers intent on placing deposits,” Volkswagen Australia Commercial Vehicles Director Ryan Davies said in a media statement.
Many Ford Ranger customers are also considering the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok – given both vehicles are twins under the skin and share the same mechanicals and capability, but have different designs and certain unique features.
The second-generation Volkswagen Amarok was jointly developed with Ford – and is built on the Ford Ranger production line in South Africa. Australia-bound Ford Rangers are sourced from Thailand.
Given the lengthy delays already being reported for the new-generation Ford Ranger, some customers in the queue are weighing up making the switch to a new Volkswagen Amarok.
Information shared with Volkswagen dealers in Australia today – and confirmed by the company as being accurate – show there will initially be five model grades.
The new models are listed as Amarok, Life, Style, PanAmerica, and Aventura.
There are four engine options: single-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel (125kW/405Nm), a twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel (154kW/500Nm), a single-turbo 3.0-litre V6 diesel (184kW/600Nm), and a single-turbo 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol (222kW/452Nm).
The single-turbo 2.0-litre diesel is available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
The twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel and single-turbo 3.0-litre V6 diesel are available with 10-speed automatic transmissions, however the four-cylinder has part-time four-wheel-drive hardware, whereas the V6 has full-time four-wheel-drive hardware.
The single-turbo 2.3-litre petrol is backed by a 10-speed automatic and permanent four-wheel-drive hardware.
All transmission options now have low-range modes, which was absent on the original Volkswagen Amarok.
There are six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Slippery, Snow/Sand, Mud/Rut, Tow/Haul.
One manual transmission variant will be available on the base Amarok grade, while the Ford Ranger line-up is now automatic only.
The four-cylinder diesel engines are available on the three base grades (Amarok, Life and Style), while the V6 diesel is available on the three highest grades (Style, PanAmerica, and Aventura).
The single-turbo 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is available only on the flagship Aventura.
Most variants of the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok range come with a full suite of safety systems – including a centre airbag and crash avoidance systems – marking a pole vault leap in technology compared to the original Volkswagen Amarok.
However, conspicuous by its absence: blind zone waring and rear cross-traffic alert are not available on the cheapest Volkswagen Amarok – even though this tech is standard on even the cheapest Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger utes.
And in the information shared so far, rear cross-traffic alert is not listed. We will update this story once we can clarify which models – if any – will have this helpful technology.
The absence of key safety tech on even the most basic Amarok is an unusual oversight given Volkswagen appears to be taking a premium position compared to the latest Ford Ranger; for example all models have LED headlights, whereas Ford perseveres with halogen lamps on its workhorse variants.
Australian prices for the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok are expected to be announced later this year – ahead of showroom arrivals early next year – but the details listed here will help customers place orders and compare features across rivals, including the new-generation Ford Ranger.
Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.
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