Small spec details revealed as Volkswagen continues teasing new Amarok

With physical teasers remaining an apparent no-no despite ongoing prototype testing, Volkswagen released yet another series of sketches depicting all-new Amarok.

The first to be released this month following the second interior depiction last month, the trio of drawings showcase not only the front, but for the first time a clear representation of the side profile and rear facia.

Confirming the Amarok will measure 5.35 m in overall length, an increase of 10 cm over the current model, Wolfsburg also stated that the newcomer, which will ride on the same T6.2 platform as the new Ford Ranger and incoming Everest, will feature “numerous driver assistance systems that are new to this segment”.

Heading for production alongside the Ranger and Everest at the Blue Oval’s Silverton Plant outside Pretoria from the end of this year instead of the General Pacheco plant in Argentina, the teased interior will differ considerably from the Ranger with Volkswagen touting it as “raising the benchmark for pick-ups in the global one-ton B-segment to a whole new level”.

The exterior meanwhile appears unchanged from the initial teaser Volkswagen released in March 2020, with the front being near identical without any visible changes or modifications.

While the same goes for the side profile, which continues without door handles, the rear facia appears slightly different from the Ranger in the design of the taillights and removal of the curved U-pattern underscored by the Ranger name on the tailgate.

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In yet another reaffirmation of comments made last year that the Amarok won’t simply be a rebadged Ranger, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle’s Head of Design, Albert-Johann Kirzinger, said, “We emphasise the different, expressive front designs of our pick-up with a charismatic Amarok signature that is also found with very large letters on the cargo box at the rear”.

What will be shared though, apart from the platform, are the choice of engines with the reported dropping of the Volkswagen-made single-and-bi-turbo 2.0 TDI engines, as well as the 190kW/580Nm 3.0 TDI V6, in favour of the Ford made four-cylinder Panther units of the same seize and turbo allocation, plus the 3.0-lite turbodiesel formerly offered in the F-150 in the United States under the Powerstroke moniker.

All three units will be manufactured at Ford’s Straundale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth as per Dearborn’s additional investment of R600-million into facility at the end of last year.

With the planned unveiling next week Tuesady (22 February) of the all-new Ranger Raptor, speculation has continued to mount that a Amarok equivalent, rumoured to be called the Amarok R, will debut at some stage despite approval being a no-no at present.

In spite of an official date for the Amarok’s reveal still being unknown, expect this, together with likely more teasers, over the coming weeks and months.