Volkswagen Amarok V6 Sportline: Big power, new entry price
A third model has joined the Volkswagen Amarok V6 range, with the new Sportline variant dropping the price of entry for the bigger engine to $55,490 before on-road costs.
Before now, hopping into an Amarok V6 would see you start at $59,990 before on-roads for the Highline, with the top-shelf Ultimate way out at $67,990, again before costs.
Launching the Sportline – a badge curiously borrowed from the Volkswagen brand’s stablemate Skoda, where it represents a top-shelf offering – gives the ‘TDI550’ V6 line a new entry point below big-end rivals like the 130kW/450Nm Ranger XLT and 147kW/470Nm HiLux SR5.
For equivalent models in those ranges, with tubs on the back and an automatic transmission, you’ll start at $55,690 and $57,390 respectively.
The Amarok V6 Sportline is powered by Volkswagen’s 3.0-litre turbo diesel six, producing the same 165kW (180kW on overboost) and 550Nm of torque that it offers in the Highline and Ultimate.
An eight-speed auto is again the only option, although Volkswagen has confirmed it will add a six-speed manual Sportline to the local range next year.
Permanent all-wheel drive is also standard. Volkswagen claims combined fuel consumption figures of 9.0L/100km, and a 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds.
Standard kit with the Sportline includes four-wheel disc brakes, 18-inch ‘Manaus’ alloy wheels, a mechanical diff lock, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, dual-zone climate control, a 6.3-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four 12V USB ports, and tinted rear windows.
Volkswagen also notes that feedback from buyers has moved the company to stop including an AdBlue system with the Amarok, although all variants – four-cylinder and V6 – maintain compliance with Euro 5 emissions regulations.
The Amarok remains the only vehicle in its segment to go without rear curtain airbags – an omission the company has promised to rectify with the next generation – but the ute has won fans in the trade by being the only tubbed ute that can take a full-size Australian pallet.
The Mercedes-Benz X-Class will break the Amarok’s streak, however, offering room enough in its widened tub for an Aussie pallet.
NOTE: Images of the Sportline model have not yet been released.
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