LAST OF AN ERA

THE SUN SETS ON THE CURRENT-GEN AMAROK, WITH VW SENDING IT OFF WITH THE WALKINSHAW-FETTLED W580X

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

IN A last hurrah for the existing Volkswagen Amarok, the company has launched its W580X model. Created in collaboration with Walkinshaw Performance, this is the second model in the partnership following 2021's more road-focused W580S. The $78,890 W580X will be limited to just 600 units and be the last run of the current Amarok mid-size ute.

Volkswagen will retire what was its own designed and developed ute at the end of 2022, when it will be replaced with an all-new Amarok that will ride on a new platform shared with the 2022 Ford Ranger. It's a shame really, as the VW Amarok was always one of the best-driving utes in the category, even after being on the market for more than a decade.

Walkinshaw knows a thing or two about improving production vehicles after decades of producing hot Holdens via the HSV brand, and the Melbourne team has waved its tuning wand over the ageing VW ute. The improvements come in both trim and suspension additions, to create a ute that has improved off-road control without compromising its stellar on-road dynamics.

The W580X is based on the double-cab, high-specification 580Nm version of the V6 diesel-powered Amarok - and it is not lost on us that this is the only V6 diesel-powered mid-size ute currently available, and that it's about to be replaced by the new Ford-based Amarok which will introduce a Ford V6 diesel engine.

The W580X engine doesn't get any power enhancements, with the only mechanical updates being extended breathers for the drivetrain components to place them up high. This means it's the same 190kW and 580Nm engine as found elsewhere in the Amarok range and it remains the most powerful mid-size ute on the market. It's backed by a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and a single-speed, full-time four-wheel-drive transfer case.