The team at Walkinshaw have turned their attention from hot Holdens to vigorous Volkswagens, but does a revised suspension tune and a tougher look keep the Amarok relevant in 2022?
- Wider stance gives the W580 a much tougher look
- V6 engine still a winner
- Feels at home being driven – excellent grip from all-terrain Pirellis
- A decade-old platform now and feeling it in terms of technology
- Big asking price
- Still missing those rear curtain airbags
Introduction
The 2H-series Volkswagen Amarok has reached the eleventh hour of its life. This year should see an all-new ute come to fruition, and so the car which has placed the VW badge in the hard-working and hard-playing lifestyle category will be retired, some twelve years after introduction.
So why not go out with a bit of a bang?
This seems to have been the brief given to Walkinshaw Performance who have turned their engineering eyes to the venerable Volkswagen pickup and created the 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S. It’s wider, tougher and sticker-ier than a regular ‘Rok, but is tuning enough to keep the car relevant in our current market?
After all, the 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel is unchanged, still offering a class-leading 190kW (with 200kW on over-boost) and 580Nm. There’s still no additional technology, not even a DAB digital radio tuner, and the overall format of the car is the same as vehicles much lower in the range.
Priced from $81,490 before options and on-road costs, the W580S is a hefty $18,000 more than an Amarok V6 Highline ($63,490) and even $7500 more than the up-spec V6 Aventura ($73,990).
You do get a tough-looking truck for your money though.
The W580S is 65mm wider (2019mm to 1954mm) thanks to a wider track and 9-inch wide 20-inch wheels with Pirelli Scorpion ATR tyres. There is a sailplane spoiler, blackout trim elements, twin side-exit exhausts, decals along the bonnet and side of the car, plus a tinted bonnet protector.
Our car is Indium Grey ($710 option) which is one of five choices (black, blue, grey, silver and white).
And yes, there is another version on the way, with Walkinshaw set to release an off-road centric W580X in April 2022.
| Key details | 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S |
| Price (MSRP) | $81,490 |
| Colour of test car | Indium Grey |
| Options | Metallic paint ($710) |
| Price as tested | $82,200 |
| Rivals | Isuzu D-Max | Mazda BT-50 | Ford Ranger | a regular Amarok |
Inside
The VW Amarok has always offered a wide and comfortable interior, but there are elements that are feeling particularly dated now.
On the good side, the heated and power-adjustable Vienna-leather seats are supportive and work well on a long trip. Materials and touchpoints around the cabin feel high quality and overall the Amarok is well constructed.
Plus, the Walkinshaw modifications add some embroidered headrests for a bit of extra flair.
On the downside, the 6.3-inch media system looks tiny in the dashboard, and there are no modern niceties like push-button start or even keyless entry.
Those fold-out cup holders in the rear passenger floor are flimsy, and there’s not a huge amount of legroom either. Plus the lack of rear airbags has been a sticking point for us for years now, with all other utes in the segment stepping forward to offer the potentially life-saving device for both rows.
| 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S | |
| Seats | Five |
| Length | 5254mm |
| Width | 2019mm |
| Height | 1882mm |
| Wheelbase | 3095mm |
| Payload | 848kg |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Yeah… that 6.3-inch system is pretty old.
Yes, you do get integrated navigation plus support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but there’s no digital radio, no personalisation and minimal other functions on offer. At least you can still play your CDs though.
Everything works well enough, and the buttons and interactions are well-built, but given the pace with which technology moves forward, this feels very dated. There are six speakers in the W580S, which is the same as you get in the $50,890 V6 Core. Just saying.
Safety & Technology
Another big area where the rest of the world has moved on from the Amarok is in terms of safety and driver assistance.
We recently wrote about the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 enhancing their driver assistance functionality for 2022. The Amarok has none of these systems to speak of, let alone enhance.
There is no adaptive cruise control, no lane-keeping aid, not even a blind-spot detection system. As we noted earlier there are no rear passenger airbags let alone a new front-central airbag.
That said, the Amarok still carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating from when it was first tested in 2011. Another reason why checking the year a rating was awarded is almost more important than the rating itself.
What the Amarok does have though, is permanent four-wheel drive, which means the car will constantly adapt and adjust torque delivery to the front wheels as it is needed, regardless of the surface you are on or the setting you are in. Prevention better than cure and all that…
| 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2011) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
Value for Money
Make no mistake, the W580S is a cool looking machine, but in our opinion, it’s not $18k cooler than a Highline.
Walkinshaw has sold 1000 of them though, which shows that ‘cool’ is still a pretty strong currency.
| At a glance | 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
| Servicing costs | $2136 (3 years), $3620 (5 years) |
Servicing costs will run you $2136 for three years and $3620 for five. For context, an Isuzu D-Max costs $1467 (3 years), $2315 (5 years) and a Ford Ranger $897 (3 years) and $1495 (5 years).
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 9.5L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 10.2L/100km |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 80L |
Driving
The big change made to the W580S is a revised suspension tune and all-new twin-tube shock absorbers.
This gives the big VW far more well-behaved handling on choppy surfaces and impressive grip on tarmac.
In fact, we found there was so much lateral grip, we needed to check the tyres were actually all-terrain rubber and not performance-focused highway rollers.
Pair these improvements with that delicious V6, and it is easy to see the long-tail appeal of the Amarok, and also why even subtle improvements can extend the car’s dynamic relevance.
Off the line, the 580Nm torque band peaks between 1400 and 3000rpm, and the car will pull strongly to meet traffic. In-gear performance is more refined, with the engine’s response more akin to an SUV than what we’ve become accustomed to with utes.
The eight-speed automatic manages changes well, and you very quickly find the Amarok feels at home in all environments, with automatic selection well-matched to speed and traffic flow.
Out on the open road, the V6 delivers enough oomph to hold touring speed, but it’s the wider stance and improved dynamics that really shine here.
The car feels sure-footed and sporty, particularly in slicker conditions where you’d find a rear-drive ute wagging the tail or triggering traction control systems. Four-wheel disc brakes keep things in check if you get a little too eager.
Despite its age, the Amarok continues to be a fun and enjoyable car to drive.
| Key details | 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S |
| Engine | 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel |
| Power | 190kW @ 4500rpm (200kW on overboost) |
| Torque | 580Nm @ 1400-3000rpm |
| Drive type | Permanent four-wheel drive |
| Transmission | 8-speed torque convertor automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 83.2kW/t |
| Weight | 2284kg (tare) |
| Tow rating | 3500kg braked |
| Turning circle | 12.45m |
Conclusion
The clock has ticked on the 2H-series Amarok, and while we can point and murmur about the lack of convenience or safety technology, the car has held up exceptionally well in a dynamic sense, to show that VW’s design and engineering was solid even 12-years ago.
The Walkinshaw improvements make the 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580S look tougher and perform better, but you are paying for it.
We’d suggest a Highline V6 as a much better value offering, but recommend a drive of the Walkinshaw-tuned car as the improvements in handling and street appeal may outweigh any sensible financial decisions you’re in the mood to make.
Remember too, a more hard-core W580X is also on the way.
Plus, given the final work is done here, you’re actually more likely to secure a Walkinshaw car than a fresh Highline from VW, with the supply chain still in a slow state.
Regardless, it’s still great to see local engineering able to turn a spanner and a sticker to an already impressive global model and make it even better.
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