Volkswagen Amarok V6 Highline 580 coming in September

Volkswagen Australia will be giving the top-selling Amarok V6 Highline a power bump later this year.

Due in September, the Amarok Highline 580 scores a Euro 5 version of the more powerful 190kW (200kW on overboost) and 580Nm tune for its 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel usually reserved for higher grades, up from the previous Highline TDI550’s 165kW/550Nm outputs.

Volkswagen claims the Highline 580 can dash to 100km/h from a standstill in 7.3 seconds, and tow up to 3.5 tonnes.

Pricing is still to be announced, but standard equipment will include:

• ‘Salipria’ cloth seat trim
• Discover Media navigation system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Alarm and interior monitoring
• Leather multifunction steering wheel
• Dual-zone climate control
• 18-inch ‘Rawson’ alloy wheels
• Stainless steel sports bar and side steps
• Bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reverse Camera
• Front fog lights with cornering function
• Tinted tail lights

The addition of the Amarok Highline 580 coincides with production of Volkswagen’s ute for the Australian market shifting to entirely from the brand’s Pacheco plant in Argentina.

Prior to this announcement, Amarok V6 580 models had been sourced from Germany, and were Euro 6 certified and thus equipped with AdBlue systems to reduce harmful pollutants like NOx (nitrogen oxides) being emitted from the tail pipe.

While a step backwards in terms of emissions, the less complex nature of the Euro 5 engine means owners won’t be required to have the ammonia-based AdBlue fluid topped up regularly, likely reducing maintenance requirements and service costs.

Australia remains the single largest global market for the Amarok V6, with almost 90 per cent of June’s 1229 registrations being six-cylinder models.

Our market is also the second-largest Amarok market overall when four-cylinder variants are included, second only to Argentina where the vehicle is produced.

Volkswagen says June 2020 was the third-best result for the Amarok in Australia since its launch in 2011, with the local division’s commercial sales last month (1880 units) the third highest outside of Germany, behind the UK (3028 units), and France (2029 units).

Stay tuned to CarExpert for our coverage of the Amarok Highline 580 pricing announcement in the coming months.