Why Volkswagen's new performance model is a diesel

Volkswagen's "ultimate driver's ute" may not be a high-output beast, but the German brand is confident that its newest Australian collaboration is at its best with a diesel engine.

The Amarok W600 is the second Volkswagen ute to be tuned by Australian automotive firm Walkinshaw, sporting a raft of suspension and cosmetic tweaks to improve on-road performance and tap into a handling-focused niche often overlooked in favour of off-road-ready dual-cabs.

But while its chassis tweaks have been numerous, Volkswagen opted to stick with the 'TDI600' 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 already available across most of the Amarok range; a Ford engine sourced from the platform-sharing Ranger with 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque.

That's despite having several powertrain options on the table, according to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia product manager Michael Cenci.

"We had the option to take any engine that was existing in our range originally. So at the beginning of the project three years ago, it was single-turbo, bi-turbo, petrol four-cylinder, and V6," he told CarExpert at the W600's launch.

"We did have a big choice. We thought the V6 was the standout diesel in the segment – we still think it is – and it fit the character of the car really well, especially because we want to maintain that ute capability of 3.5-tonne towing and high payload. It's really the perfect engine for the chassis."

Indeed, the W600 maintains the Amarok's 3.5-tonne towing capacity, along with a strong payload rating of 954kg. It is, however, worth noting the W600 produces less power but more torque than the W580 that came before it, which was also powered by a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6.

Walkinshaw's chassis changes for the new Amarok include new Koni suspension dampers, the addition of a 22mm rear sway bar, and new 20x10-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres. There have been no powertrain changes, and, at launch, no enhancements to the braking system.

As for other powertrain options, it's understood the 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 from the Ford Ranger Raptor was firmly off the cards.

There is only one other engine within the Amarok range that logically could have been applied: the 'TSI452' 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 222kW and 452Nm. It has more performance connections from Ford's catalogue in recent years, while also maintaining a 3500kg towing capacity and featuring the same full-time four-wheel drive system.

When asked whether customers could theoretically take an Amarok TSI452 to Walkinshaw for a W600-style conversion, Mr Cenci was clear in outlining that "it's only the 600".

"I'm sure if you wanted to go and bolt some bits on, you could, but it's not been developed with that engine, so it's actually a whole new project.

"That's the way that it's been set up. There's obviously chassis testing that's been done on certain weight balances, axle loads in the car; it wouldn't drive the same. It wouldn't have been developed with the petrol engine," he told CarExpert.

"Front-to-back balance and rotational balances were so important, as Walkinshaw mentioned, and that has been really, really fine-tuned for the weight of the V6."

Walkinshaw has applied several cosmetic enhancements to distinguish the W600, namely a new front bumper, grille, front light signature, and power-retractable side steps. It also has a dual-tip side-exit exhaust for a slightly different engine note.

In any case, Volkswagen Australia has labelled the W600 the "ultimate driver's ute" and outlined that creating such a vehicle was the overarching goal of the Walkinshaw partnership. It expects 200 examples to be produced for the 2026 model year.

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