2023 VW Amarok V6: Cheaper 6-cylinder Amarok could appear

It could soon be more affordable to buy a new Volkswagen Amarok with V6 power.

Currently, the cheapest V6 version of the new, second-generation Amarok – which is now on sale in Australia – is the mid-spec Style variant meaning you’ll need at least $70,990 before on-road costs to get the 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel.

But VW Australia’s director of commercial vehicles, Ryan Davies, has told Wheels it’s possible that the bigger capacity diesel could be fitted to less expensive trim levels, perhaps as soon as early next year.

May 12: New Amarok driven in Australia!

Get the full story at the link below.

Story continues...

When asked if VW could offer more affordable Amarok V6 models, Davies replied:

“That’s a good question and one that we have considered. And once we get over the hump of this launch period we will definitely be going back to the factory to see if there’s any opportunity to expand that engine into the Life range for example.”

The Amarok line-up currently consists of five trim levels – Core, Life, Style, Panamericana and Aventura – with prices starting at $52,990 before on-roads for a 2.0-litre diesel Core and topping out at $79,990 for a flagship Aventura V6, again before on-road costs.

6

Fitting the 3.0-litre V6 to the Amarok Life could see the price of entry for the V6 engine drop by as much as $10,000.

Volkswagen currently charges a $4000 premium for the 3.0L V6 in the Style variant, so applying the same logic to the Amarok Life, which currently costs $56,990 with a 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel, would see a Life V6 start at around $61,000.

As for when a more affordable V6 could join the Amarok line-up, Davies ruled it out for 2023 and indicated the first half of 2024 is more likely, at the earliest.

“We don’t know how complicated it will be and what the timeline of that [adding the V6 to the Amarok Life] will be but it’s certainly not in the next I would say 8-12 months,” he said, “but it’s definitely something that’s on our radar and we want to look at.”

6

VW has a history of adding V6 power to more affordable Amarok models.

Back in 2018, VW added the Amarok Core V6, which dropped the price of entry for the V6 by around $6000 and had a lower level of standard equipment.

It’d be a similar result this time around. The second-gen Amarok Life lacks some of the desirable equipment fitted as standard to the Amarok Style, such as Matrix LED headlights, a larger 12.0-inch central touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital driver display, rear air vents, electric front seats and 18-inch alloy wheels.

But Davies is confident there are customers looking for V6 power at a sharper price point that are happy with a lower level of standard equipment.

6

“We’ve got a lot of fleet customers that we sit in the pocket for in terms of pricing with the four-cylinder but some of those customers do want V6 power,” Davies said.

“So we’re definitely going to consider it but the timeline is something we’ve got to iron out with the factory.”

Another engine that could make its way into a more affordable trim level is the Amarok’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol. Like the rest of the new Amarok’s engine line-up, the 2.3-litre petrol is sourced from Ford where it’s used in a host of models, including some Mustang variants.

The 2.3-litre petrol makes 222kW/452Nm in the Amarok and is a unique proposition in the diesel-heavy dual-cab market, giving Volkswagen a clear point of difference to its rivals.

6

From launch, the 2.3 turbo four is only available in the flagship Aventura for $79,990 before on-roads, but Davies says that could change if there’s high demand for that engine.

“We haven’t assessed that yet because we wanted to launch with the petrol and see how it goes,” Davies said. “Given its total power output and generally where that engine sits in our range, we thought it best to launch with it in Aventura.

“There’s nothing to say we can’t adapt that moving forward but we still don’t quite know what the take up of that engine is going to be so we’ll probably assess that over the first three months and make a call on it.

"The interest has been solid but we only planned around three to five percent of our mix on that engine but we can ramp that up if we find we’re getting stronger interest.”