Ford’s performance off-road rig is cheaper than VW’s flagship ute on home turf, so will that also happen here?

PREVIOUSLY represented here as a tuner of extra-hot petrol V8 Holden Commodores, the Walkinshaw brand is back - this time attached to a diesel VW ute with standard power and spiced up suspension and looks.

One other point of interest about what’s being sold as the Amarok Walkinshaw here is that, while pricing has yet to announced, expectation is that if the same sticker strategy applies here as in Australia, where it was conceived and is cobbled together, this derivative of the familiar V6 Amarok will land in December siting well north of the $98,490 Ford is asking for the current one-tonne sector spend pinnacle, the Ford Ranger Raptor.

If Australia’s pricing were to directly transfer to here, the Walkinshaw truck - which our neighbours know as the W600 - would come in for $115k.

That’s a solid $23k above the ask for a V6 Amarok from the factory, in South Africa.

The new derivative has been developed by Walkinshaw and will deliver from that operation’s factory, a $A116 million facility that opened in January located in the Dandenongs, in Melbourne’s south-east.

In addition to knocking out W600s, the 53,000 square metre facility also converts Chevrolet Silverados and Dodge Ram pick-ups from left- to right-hand-drive for the NZ and Australian markets. It’s also the design, engineering and preparation centre for of Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Toyota GR Supra factory Supercars team.

Comparison between the Raptor and Walkinshaw only goes so far, as whereas the Ford is off-road-focused, the W600 has been engineered primarily to improve on-road handling and driver engagement while retaining the Amarok’s full towing and payload capabilities.

That’s why the engineering team steered clear of reworking the diesel engine, which makes a solid 600Nm - so 17Nm more than the twin turbo petrol six Ford has - but falls back on power, with 184kW versus 292kW.

In explaining their logics to Australians, whose have been able to buy the variant since August, Walkinshaw’s team said that rather than chasing outright off-road performance, they determined it more prudent to focus on how most Australian ute buyers actually use their vehicles, with the majority of driving taking place on sealed roads while commuting, touring or towing.

Key mechanical upgrades include bespoke KONI dampers featuring Frequency Selective Damping technology, Walkinshaw-specific suspension tuning, a new 22mm rear anti-roll bar, 20-inch flow-formed alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres, and revised steering calibration aimed at improving body control and cornering stability.

The engine is matched to the same 10-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4MOTION all-wheel drive system as the regular V6, with no amendments.

Despite the suspension and styling changes, the Walkinshaw retains a 3500kg braked towing capacity and a payload of 954kg.

Standard equipment offered in Australia and expected here includes IQ.Light LED Matrix headlights, Savona leather upholstery, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, a Harman Kardon premium audio system, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control with Travel Assist, Trailer Assist and a suite of advanced driver assistance technologies.

Walkinshaw has also given the ute a distinctive appearance with a redesigned front fascia, integrated light bar, wider styling elements, dual side-exit exhaust outlets, electrically deploying side steps and bespoke badging.

Inside, embroidered headrests, sports pedals, illuminated puddle lights and unique floor mats differentiate the flagship from the rest of the Amarok line-up.

In Australia, buyers can option metallic paint for $A1100 and a factory electric roller cover for $A3450.