How is the VW Amarok performance?
The all-new, second-generation Volkswagen Amarok is looking to pick up where the first-generation has left off, providing users with a comfortable, high-quality light commercial solution to their needs. Several engines do duty under the bonnets of the new Volkswagen Amarok and we compare them to see how they perform.
Sales of the new, second-generation Volkswagen Amarok have opened, despite the vehicle only being launched internationally and at the time of writing, not yet locally. We have prices and many of the specs but initial driving impressions are still lacking. This makes it hard to gauge how well the new Volkswagen Amarok performs on the road and off of it.
Related: Everything you need to know about the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok
As things stand, we only have pricing on the double cab variants but from this, we've managed to glean sufficient information to know that we will have no fewer than 4 turbodiesel engines available in the range. Here's how these different power units perform, according to Volkswagen themselves. Oddly enough, no acceleration times have been published, either locally or internationally.
Volkswagen Amarok 2.0TDI 110 kW
First of the three 4-cylinder TDI units is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel powerplant that produces, as the nomenclature suggests, 110 kW. This yields an output of 350 Nm and features in the entry-level Amarok double cab. It is paired with a 5-speed manual sending drive to the rear wheel and has a top speed of 170 km/h. Claimed fuel consumption on the combined cycle is 6.9 l/100km.
Volkswagen Amarok 2.0TDI 125 kW
This unit, as found in the Amarok and Amarok Life versions, is a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel unit that produces 125 kW and 405 Nm torque. It is paired primarily with a 5-speed manual gearbox but a 6-speed automatic option is also made available in the 4MOTION Life variant. 4x2 versions are claimed to return a combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.9 l/100km whereas the 4MOTION (AWD) versions with a manual gearbox return figures of 7.1 l/100km. The automatic 4MOTION Life version using this power unit returns figures of 7.7 l/100km. All 125 kW versions are limited to a top speed of 180 km/h.
Volkswagen Amarok 2.0BiTDI
The last of the 4-cylinder offerings, the 2.0BiTDI is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel that employs two turbochargers for improved performance, efficiency and smoother power delivery. This power unit produces 154 kW with an impressive 500 Nm torque. This unit can be found in the Life, Style and PanAmericana trim levels and are all mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox and send power to all four wheels through the 4MOTION AWD system. Claimed fuel consumption is 7.5 l/100km for this unit with a limited top speed of 180 km/h.
Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 V6 TDI
The range-topping version is the 3.0 V6 TDI that, as suggested, uses a 3.0-litre six-cylinder arranged in a Vee formation. This unit benefits from a single turbocharger to get it to produce 184 kW which is down on the outgoing 3.0 V6 but up on torque with an output of 600 Nm. Volkswagen claims a combined cycle fuel consumption of 8.4 l/100km with a limited top speed of 180 km/h.
