2023 Volkswagen Amarok price and specs: Up to $7500 more expensive than predecessor

The new 2023 Volkswagen Amarok ute is due in Australian showrooms in April priced from $50,990 to $79,990 plus on-road costs – up to $7500 dearer than the model it replaces – and a couple of thousand dollars dearer than most Ford Ranger equivalent models.

The second-generation Amarok – a twin under the skin to the new Ford Ranger – will be available in a choice of five model grades and four Ford-designed engines, including turbo-diesel V6 and a turbocharged petrol four-cylinder option.

Pre-orders have been open since Volkswagen announced specifications in August 2022 – and are said to be in the thousands – ahead of showroom arrivals for the Style, PanAmericana and Aventura in April, followed by the base Core and Life mid-year.

The entry point into the range costs $5100 more than before – at $50,990 plus on-road costs – for a six-speed manual, single-turbo diesel four-cylinder. All models are dual-cab pick-ups.

Meanwhile, the top-selling high-grade diesel V6 models are up to $7500 more expensive to account for a raft of new features that will bring the Amarok from the back of the pack in terms of the previous model's technology, to equal top of the class with its Ford Ranger twin.

The only model that is cheaper than before in the new line-up is the Amarok Life, which costs $1000 less than the outgoing Amarok Sportline – however the new model uses a 500Nm twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder, rather than the old 550Nm turbo diesel V6.

Compared to its twin under the skin, entry-level, mid-range and top-of-the-range Volkswagen Amarok variants are generally dearer than equivalent Ford Rangers – but are better equipped, with the largest screens on most models, and LED headlights across the range.

As reported previously, the new Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok were developed alongside one another, and share much of their underpinnings, engines, transmissions, key technology, and capabilities.

However, Volkswagen has gone to great lengths to differentiate its new Amarok inside and out, including unique sheetmetal for every panel other than the roof, and a completely revamped interior which adopts a Volkswagen steering wheel, digital displays, and unique switchgear, among other changes.

The Amarok will be built in South Africa in a Ford factory, alongside Ford Rangers for Europe and Africa. However, the Ford Ranger for Australia will continue to built in Thailand.

Other unique features that distinguish the Amarok from the Ranger include 21-inch alloys and different suspension tuning on the Amarok Aventura, versus 20-inch wheels on the Ranger Platinum edition.

Five model grades are offered: Core, Life (succeeding the Sportline in the old Amarok range), Style (succeeding the Highline), off-road-oriented PanAmericana (succeeding the Canyon, last offered as a special edition in 2020), and luxury on-road Aventura.

Four engines are available: a 125kW/405Nm 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel four-cylinder, 154kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder, 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel V6, and 222kW/452Nm 2.3-litre single-turbo petrol four-cylinder.

The three diesel engines are shared with the Ford Ranger in Australia. The petrol four-cylinder (designed and built by Ford) will be available on the Ford overseas, but it is not offered on the Ranger in Australia, making it a Volkswagen exclusive here.

The 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel engine is available in the Core with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions, and in the Life with a six-speed auto as standard.

The Style offers a choice of 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel and 3.0-lite V6 diesel engines, both with 10-speed automatics – but a part-time four-wheel-drive system with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder, or full-time four-wheel-drive with the V6.

The PanAmericana is diesel V6 and 10-speed auto only, while the Aventura can be specified with the 3.0-litre V6 and 10-speed auto, or the 2.3-litre turbo petrol engine and 10-speed auto (both with full-time 4WD). All Amaroks are equipped with low-range modes as standard.

The entry-level Amarok Core single-turbo diesel auto is equipped similarly to the Ford Ranger XL, but costs $2810 more ($50,180 plus on-roads for a Ranger XL dual-cab pick-up single-turbo 4x4).

The mid-range Amarok Style V6 is better equipped than a mid-tier Ford Ranger XLT V6 – adding features such as a larger touchscreen, matrix LED headlights, larger wheels, power driver's seat, a widescreen digital instrument cluster, and a wireless phone charger.

However, at $70,990 plus on-road costs the Amarok Style V6 is $5800 dearer than a Ranger XLT V6 – and similarly priced ($200 cheaper) to the better-equipped Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 (which adds some features exclusive to dearer Amarok grades, but also lacks some items standard on the Amarok Style).

The top-of-the-range Amarok Aventura V6 diesel is not as well equipped as the top-shelf Ranger Platinum – adding 21-inch alloys, but lacking the Ranger's ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, and flexible tray rack system – but is $3000 dearer.

Most advanced safety systems are available on all Amarok models, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and traffic sign recognition.

However – unlike much of Volkswagen's passenger-car and SUV line-up, prior to parts shortages – blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are not available on the base model, and are only standard from the Life model grade and up.

This is an odd omission given even the cheapest Isuzu D-Max 'traffic controller' tray-back model from $31,990 drive-away comes with a full suite of advanced safety tech (including blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts).

Front parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, automated parking, and automatic headlights and wipers are also exclusive to higher-grade models.

All Amarok models are fitted with nine airbags, including one between the front seats, and knee airbags for both front occupants, matching the Ford Ranger – a big improvement over the old Amarok, which lacked rear airbags, and did not offer any form of advanced safety technology.

The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok is due in Australian showrooms in Style, PanAmericana and Aventura forms in April, ahead of Core and Life grades by mid-year.

Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.