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VW Amarok 580 TDV6 now in more models, no more AdBlue

The high output 580Nm TDV6 is set to be introduced across more models in the VW Amarok range, and the requirement for AdBlue is about to axed.


The Volkswagen Amarok line-up is poised to get a power boost, with the biggest selling variant in the range getting the 580Nm TDV6 previously reserved for the most expensive models.

And with the changes, the requirement for AdBlue will be dropped from newly introduced 580 models, as Volkswagen Australia switches to source all variants of the Amarok from Argentina rather than Germany. 

Previously, the Volkswagen Amarok was sourced from both Argentina and Germany, depending on the engine variant.

The first shipments of the updated models are due in local showrooms in September.

The Volkswagen Amarok gained the option of a 3.0-litre TDV6 matched to an eight-speed auto and permanent all-wheel-drive – a drivetrain borrowed from the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 – in November 2016, initially with an output of (165kW/550Nm).

In November 2018, the top of the range VW Amarok models gained a higher output version of the same engine (190kW/580Nm), while the regular TDV6 (165kW/550Nm) eventually made its way to the more affordable variants.

The 190kW/580Nm TDV6 delivered a decent improvement. However, vehicles equipped with the 580Nm engine required AdBlue, an ammonia-based fluid sprayed into the exhaust, turning harmful emissions into steam.

The 580Nm versions of the VW Amarok were rated to stricter EU6 emissions standards as they were sourced from Germany. The 550Nm variants sourced from Argentina do not require AdBlue because they are rated to EU5 emissions standards.

However, with the switch to sourcing all variants from South America, Volkswagen has developed a 190kW/580Nm version of the TDV6 for the Amarok that meets EU5 emissions standards and, therefore, will not require AdBlue, typically topped up every 10,000km or so after the car displays a warning symbol.

While the four-cylinder variants of the Amarok remain on sale in Australia, the new TDV6 line-up looks like this: Core manual (165kW/500Nm), Core auto (165kW/550Nm), Sportline auto (165kW/550Nm), Highline auto (190kW/580Nm), Highline Black auto (190kW/580Nm), Ultimate auto (190kW/580Nm).

Australia is the biggest market in the world for the Volkswagen Amarok TDV6 – and the second biggest market (behind Argentina) when four-cylinder and TDV6 variants are combined.

To help keep the current VW Amarok fresh while development work commences on its joint venture ute based on the new generation Ford Ranger – due in 2022 or 2023 – the company has added the 190kW/580Nm TDV6 to the middle-of-the-range Highline variant, which also happens to be the most popular model in the line-up. 

Volkswagen Australia says almost 90 per cent of the 1200 Amaroks sold in Australia in June were TDV6s. Despite the age of the Volkswagen Amarok, the June tally was the nameplate’s third biggest sales month since the vehicle was introduced in 2011.

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Joshua Dowling

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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