W600 crowns consolidated Amarok range

VOLKSWAGEN has priced its locally developed Amarok W600 from $91,990 plus on-road costs, completing a substantially consolidated MY26 range that abandons the mainstream workhorse end of the market and pushes the German brand further into premium, road-focused territory.

Developed with Walkinshaw Automotive Group, the W600 becomes the most expensive regular Amarok yet and sits $9000 above the former range-topping Aventura TDI600, priced from $82,990 + ORC.

It also arrives as Volkswagen restructures the broader Amarok portfolio around what it believes customers increasingly want from the model – V6 diesel power, generous equipment, premium presentation, and strong on-road dynamics.

For MY26, the mainstream retail range loses the previous Core and Life grades as well as the twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder TDI500 diesel, making the better-equipped Style the new entry point.

A fleet-focused Core TDI405 remains available to selected large-volume customers, but no four-cylinder diesel is offered to ordinary retail buyers.

The Amarok Style now opens proceedings at $73,740 + ORC with either the familiar 184kW/600Nm turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel or Ford-sourced turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol, the latter relocated from the former Aventura TSI452.

Both use a 10-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4Motion all-wheel drive.

From there, the range moves through the limited-run Dark Label TDI600 at $77,990 + ORC, PanAmericana TDI600 at $78,990 + ORC, and Aventura TDI600 at $82,990 + ORC, before taking a sizeable jump to the Walkinshaw W600 at $91,990 + ORC.

Current MY26 Style, PanAmericana and Aventura pricing is independently listed at $73,740, $78,990 and $82,990 respectively (plus on-road costs).

The Dark Label, limited to 200 units, effectively sits alongside the core range as a Style-based appearance special, adding matte-black 20-inch Bendigo wheels, darkened exterior trim, IQ.Light Matrix LED headlights and a more distinctive interior treatment.

Volkswagen is currently advertising it from $76,990 driveaway.

But it is the W600 that most clearly illustrates where Volkswagen now wants Amarok to play…

Where the previous range attempted to cover everything from relatively affordable trade-centric derivatives through to premium V6 models, the reshaped line-up effectively leaves the price-sensitive (and largely four-cylinder diesel) end of the market to rivals such as Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, and Isuzu D-Max.

Speaking with GoAuto previously, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles head of product and marketing Michelle Rowney said the change followed a reassessment of what Amarok buyers actually value.

“We re-looked at our strategy for Amarok, and we really leant into what we do well, which is V6,” she said.

“We are that premium ute. Our customers buy us because of the technology, because of the style, because of how it feels to drive – the comfort inside it.”

That philosophy reaches its fullest expression in the newly released W600.

Although retaining the same turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel as other TDI600 grades – producing an unchanged 184kW and 600Nm – the flagship grade receives a substantial locally developed chassis package intended to turn Amarok into what Volkswagen calls the “ultimate driver’s ute”.

Rather than pursuing the increasingly popular high-performance off-road formula, Walkinshaw has focused largely on sealed-road behaviour.

Its changes include bespoke Koni dampers combining Frequency Selective Damping technology with heavy-duty RAID construction, Walkinshaw-specific valving, a newly engineered 22mm rear anti-roll bar, and bespoke 20-inch flow-formed alloy wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV road tyres.

The combination is intended to sharpen steering response, reduce body movement, and increase cornering stability without substantially compromising ride comfort or the inherent capability of the donor Amarok.

The rear anti-roll bar is especially significant because the regular Amarok does not use one, prompting Walkinshaw to engineer new mounting hardware and integrate the component around the existing rear axle, suspension, brake, and exhaust architecture.

Volkswagen says the extensive chassis changes do not affect the W600’s 3500kg braked towing capacity or 954kg payload.

The familiar permanent 4Motion system also remains, meaning that despite its road-biased Michelin rubber and GT-style chassis tuning, the W600 retains the low-range and four-wheel drive functionality expected of Amarok.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand director Nathan Johnson told GoAuto previously that the W600 was intended to be more than an appearance package.

“The Amarok V6 W600 is about much more than appearance. It’s a vehicle that has been engineered from the ground up to elevate the driving experience while retaining all the capability, practicality and refinement that customers expect from Amarok,” he said.

“When you consider the breadth of the package, from the bespoke Walkinshaw-developed suspension and chassis calibration to the premium interior and distinctive exterior enhancements, the W600 offers customers a uniquely engineered performance ute unlike anything else in the segment.”

Walkinshaw has also extensively altered the Amarok’s appearance, trusting the variant’s refurb’ to legendary Chief Designer Julian Quincey (think HSV SportsCat, W1, and W427 among others).

A unique front bumper and grille, full-width signature lighting treatment, electrically deployable side steps, side-exit dual exhaust, and bespoke alloy wheels distinguish the flagship externally, with Walkinshaw badging, embroidered head restraints, sports pedals, sill plates, floor mats, and shield-logo puddle lights carrying the theme inside.

The base specification is correspondingly high, incorporating Savona leather upholstery, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, harman/kardon audio, IQ.Light Matrix LED headlights, 360-degree camera system, Adaptive Cruise Control with Travel Assist and Volkswagen’s suite of towing assistance technologies.

Metallic paint adds $1100, while a factory electric roller cover is available for $3450.

At $91,990 + ORC, the W600 also moves Amarok into rarefied territory.

It is $300 more expensive than the $91,690 Ford Ranger Raptor despite sharing neither the Ford’s 292kW twin-turbocharged V6 petrol nor its extreme off-road brief.

Instead, Volkswagen is pitching the W600 as a fundamentally different proposition – a Grand-Touring dual-cab intended to be at its best on bitumen rather than dirt.

That distinction is deliberate.

Volkswagen says its customer research shows ute owners spend overwhelmingly more time on urban roads and highways than they do tackling demanding off-road terrain, giving the company confidence to pursue road performance while competitors continue to add lift kits, all-terrain tyres, and specialised off-road suspension.

The rationalised MY26 range supports the same thinking.

Removing Core and Life from normal retail sale, dropping the turbocharged four-cylinder diesel and repositioning the petrol engine into Style means Amarok now begins at a considerably higher specification and price point than before, with four- of its five ongoing mainstream derivatives powered by the 600Nm diesel V6.

The temporary Dark Label grade makes six variants while its 200-unit allocation lasts.

Volkswagen’s own Australian website continues to advertise remaining MY25 Core, Life and four-cylinder diesel stock alongside the newer MY26 range, but its MY26 offers already reflect the shift toward Style, PanAmericana, and Aventura as the permanent foundations of the range.

In effect, Volkswagen has stopped trying to make Amarok all things to all ute buyers.

For 2026 it is betting more heavily on the attributes that differentiate it – V6 diesel power, premium equipment and road manners – with the Australian-engineered W600 sitting at the very top as the clearest expression yet of that strategy.

Visit GoAuto again soon for our local launch review of the Volkswagen Amarok W600.

2026 Volkswagen Amarok pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.