2017 Volkswagen Amarok gets big boost V6

Hot on the heels of Mercedes-Benz’s announcement of its new luxury X-Class twin-cab ute, Volkswagen has responded with news that its new Amarok V6 twin-cab will come with a turbo over-boost function on its 3.0-litre diesel engine.

While Mercedes is yet to confirm power and torque figures for either the six-cylinder or twin-turbo 2.3-litre Renault four that will power X-Class models (due in late-2017), Volkswagen is upping the power ante on its popular workhorse, which is currently the most powerful vehicle in its class.

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Over-boost kicks in at 70 percent of full throttle in third and fourth gears from 50km/h for 10 seconds, and the extra turbo puff pumps up power from 165 to 180kW and torque from 550 to 580Nm.

The good thing is that after five-seconds, over-boost is available again under your right foot and Volkswagen is claiming a 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds and 80-120km/h overtaking time of 5.5sec.

Long regarded as the most ‘car-like’ twin-cab commercial – the four-cylinder Amarok won Wheels recent dual-cab 4x4 ute comparison– Volkswagen (perhaps mindful of how luxurious the Mercedes-Benz X-Class will be) has also turned its attention to the styling and interior fit-out of the new V6 Amarok.

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Headlining VW’s luxo push will be the limited-edition Volkswagen Amarok V6 Aventura, which will come in above a V6 Highline-spec model. Currently, two out of every five Amarok sales are the more upmarket four-pot Highline models, so there are buyers willing to shell out for more refinement and mod-cons to go with load-carrying ability.

As part of a mid-life makeover, the Aventura will get 20-inch alloys, bigger front disc brakes and rear discs for the first time on an Amarok. Inside, delicate tradie derrieres will welcome the addition of snugly-bolstered Volkswagen Passat seats with 14-way adjustment.

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Volkswagen is bullish about its new twin-cab 4x4’s prospects.

“The Amarok V6 is not an over-hyped concept or a badge engineering exercise,” said Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Director, Carlos Santos. “It’s real, it’s almost here, and it brings the world’s best V6 turbo diesel, the same unit used by Porsche and Audi in luxury SUVs.”

The Amarok V6 will be on sale from November 24 and Volkswagen claims it has already received more than 6000 inquiries from interested customers.