2023 Volkswagen Amarok to use Ford engines – report

The next-generation 2023 Volkswagen Amarok ute appears set to share engines with its Ford Ranger sibling as anticipated, according to new information sourced by Drive.

Publicly-available information from a Ford supplier unearthed by Drive reveals the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel set for use in the new Ford Ranger ute and Ford Everest SUV – known internally as the ‘Panther’ – will be used in the new Volkswagen Amarok, due to be unveiled some time before the end of August.

No mention is made of the Amarok’s confirmed turbo-diesel V6 (TDV6) option, and whether it will be supplied by Ford or Volkswagen – however the confirmation that four-cylinder Amaroks will employ Ford power strongly suggests the higher-end V6 variants will follow suit, adopting Ford’s 3.0-litre ‘Lion’ V6.

While the information seen by Drive all but confirms the Ranger’s 2.0-litre diesel engine will be offered in the Amarok, it’s not clear whether the Volkswagen ute will offer the more potent twin-turbo version of the engine, or one of the two single-turbo engine tunes (or a mix of all three options).

Power and torque for the new 2.0-litre Ranger and/or Amarok variants are yet to be confirmed, however in other Ford vehicles already fitted with the Panther engine, single-turbo versions develop 125kW/390Nm or 136kW/405Nm, while the twin-turbo variant currently has an output of 157kW/500Nm.

Buyers of the current-generation Volkswagen Amarok ute in Australia are offered a choice of VW’s 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder developing 132kW/400-420Nm, or the German brand’s 3.0-litre TDV6 in 165kW/500Nm, 165kW/550Nm or 190kW/580Nm states of tune.

The information sourced by Drive indicates the exhaust systems of the new Ranger, Everest, and Amarok will share components – suggesting the Volkswagen will match the engine tunes fitted to its Ford ute and SUV siblings, given the key role an exhaust system plays in defining the outputs and emissions of an engine.

Expect the Ranger’s transmissions to carry over to the Amarok as well – meaning a 10-speed automatic with the twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder and/or single-turbo 3.0-litre V6, or a six-speed automatic (and possibly a six-speed manual) with the single-turbo four-cylinder (should it be offered).

As for the next-generation Amarok V6, should the Ford ‘Lion’ diesel engine be adopted, expect its outputs to match those of the new Ford Ranger – which are likely to draw close to the 186kW/597Nm formerly offered by the same engine in the larger US-market Ford F-150 pick-up.

Petrol power will also be available for certain overseas markets such as the US – likely the 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine confirmed for the new Ford Ranger.

Slated for unveiling between March and May this year – ahead of Australian showroom arrivals in the first three months of 2023 – the new Volkswagen Amarok represents one half of a partnership between Ford and Volkswagen.

While the two vehicles have been developed side-by-side in Germany, Australia and the US – and will share much of their underpinnings – the Volkswagen Amarok will wear unique exterior styling compared to its Ford Ranger sibling, with a unique interior design.

Ford Ranger chief platform engineer Ian Foston told global media last year the Amarok would be “what we call a fully-differentiated sibling product, so everything you see and touch will be certainly something that will be uniquely Volkswagen.”

The second-generation Volkswagen Amarok will retain the owner-favourite features of the original, including a potent V6 diesel engine, permanent all-wheel drive, four-wheel disc brakes on more than one variant, and a tray wide enough to house a pallet between the wheel arches.

However, Ford maintains these attributes – which are all shared with the new Ranger – were locked in before Volkswagen joined the project, and aligned with the Amarok by coincidence.

Other highlights of the new Volkswagen Amarok will include a large infotainment touchscreen (possibly a portrait display, as per the Ranger), a digital instrument cluster, and Volkswagen-designed steering wheel and seats. It’ll be 10cm longer and 4cm wider than the model it replaces.

The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok will be unveiled in the northern summer of 2022 (June to August), ahead of an Australian launch due in the first quarter of 2023 (January to March).

Production of the new Amarok will occur in South Africa, alongside European-market versions of the Ford Ranger – rather than the Pacheco, Argentina factory that builds all 2022 Volkswagen Amaroks, following the cessation of production in Hannover, Germany in 2020.