The second-generation Volkswagen Amarok is co-developed alongside the Ford Ranger, but the South African lineup has thus far been missing one thing available elsewhere in the world: the 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. That will soon be changing as a Volkswagen executive has confirmed the arrival of the 222kW, 452Nm, 2.3-litre engine for the domestic market.
At present, there are only diesel engine options for the Amarok, with top-spec derivatives taking the form of a 3.0-litre diesel V6 with 184kW and 600Nm. While the petrol engine – a derivative of the same EcoBoost four-cylinder from the Ford Mustang – is down on torque, it’s up on power by a good margin. On WLTP fuel economy tests, the petrol motor is also better than the 3.0 diesel (9.9l/100km vs 10.1l/100km).
Speaking to CARmag, product marketing specialist for Volkswagen, Ryan Gillingham told the publication, “We are still negotiating price positioning, but the earliest introduction will be in the second half of the year. Performance and image are key drivers for Double Cab buyers. The Double Cab category is showing a growing appeal for high-performance bakkies because of the premiumisation of the product offering. We are exploring this as part of our business case.”
Expect the price to be north of R1 million. The current range-topper costs R1 184 200 in Aventura spec (pictured), and with more power, the 2.3T Amarok will likely be positioned above it. The Ford Ranger Raptor is priced similarly despite having a 3.0-liter turbo-petrol V6 with 292kW and 583Nm, meaning a VW with a lesser Ford engine may become SA’s most expensive bakkie by a big margin.
When it arrives, it will be saddled with a 10-speed automatic transmission and 4MOTION four-wheel drive system.