Still tossing up between a 2023 Ford Ranger or Volkswagen Amarok? The differences that might make you pick one dual-cab ute over the other

The mammoth costs associated with the development of new cars has made the dual-cab ute a decidedly incestuous segment with numerous manufacturers collaborating on the creation of a new model for many years.

It makes a lot of sense. While sports cars, executive sedans and luxo SUVs for example, trade on their subtle nuances and individual distinctions, the more utilitarian a vehicle gets, the less it matters for many on how different it really is under a reskinned exterior.

For years, Ford's Ranger shared almost everything mechanical with the Mazda BT-50 until nepotism eventually drove the Japanese manufacturer out of the partnership, while little fuss was made when the next generation of the BT-50 hopped into bed with the Isuzu D-Max.

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Before that, it was largely the same for the Nissan Navara and Mercedes X-Class pairing, and again for the Holden Colorado/Isuzu D-Max in the previous generation.

Customers, it seemed, were happy to look past the so-called 'badge engineered' twin similarities for a model that took care of dual-cab duties efficiently and cost effectively regardless of the manufacturer that sold it.

But now there's a new pair of fraternal twins in town and everyone seems to be making a lot of fuss about just how different they are… or not.

Ford Ranger vs Volkswagen Amarok - what's the difference?

Before we look at the lengths to which Volkswagen went to differentiate its second-generation Amarok from the T6.2 version of the Ford Ranger, let's begin with the chunks that are the same.

Unsurprisingly, the major architectural stuff (read most expensive) is shared, including the box-section ladder chassis, the 3270mm wheelbase is unchanged, while a handful of body panels are carried over. Glance around the cabin and you'll find a gear selector, interior and exterior door handles, column stalks, and a key that bare distinct resemblances.

The Ford and Volkswagen also have almost identical engine and transmission line-ups, but not quite.

The Ford and Volkswagen also have almost identical engine and transmission line-ups, but not quite and we'll come back to that point later. As a general rule, almost everything you can see is different, while hidden things are common to both, there are a few exceptions however.

As you might expect, Volkswagen dialled in its own bespoke suspension tune for the Amarok. The general chassis layout is the same with multi-link and coils at the front and a leaf spring rear end with Watts link to keep everything in check, but the dampers and springs are respectively different, however.

Furthermore, the Amarok offers two different tunes at the pointy end. The more off-road focused Panamericana is most similar in its calibration to the Ranger but still unique, while the Aventura offers a third set-up that's more geared to on-road use with its 21-inch wheels.

Interior

Inside, there's very little other than the above to relate the pair. While there's the same portrait oriented central touchscreen and fully digital instrument cluster as the Ford in hardware at least, it's filled with a very different operating system that aligns with the rest of the Volkswagen family. Even the alert and notification sounds it delivers are different.

The seats are completely different in appearance and feel thanks to the shared frames undergoing a complete reupholster by the VW team, which included applying the same grade seat foam and support bolsters as its other VW models, along with C-shaped stitching for some variants that was first used on the original Audi TT.

The distinctly Volkswagen and ergonomic steering wheel completes the critical touchpoints that seperate the Ranger from the Amarok. Interestingly, the VW steering wheel is not lifted from another existing model and had to be specifically manufactured to tie in with the Ford column and electrical systems.

The distinctly Volkswagen and ergonomic steering wheel completes the critical touchpoints that seperate the Ranger from the Amarok. (Amarok Adventura variant pictured)

To ensure a seamless transformation from the Ford product into a proper VW, Volkswagen created a special design team in Australia to work alongside the Ford local development team. That's how Volkswagen was able to create such an aesthetically and functionally different finished vehicle without blowing out development time and cost.

There's also a very slight difference in safety and the rating applied by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). While both the Ford and VW scored identical numbers in child occupant protection (93%), vulnerable road user protection (74%) and safety assist (83%), the Volkswagen did a little better when it came to adult occupant protection with scores of 86 per cent versus the Ford's 84 per cent. Both have the maximum five-star overall rating.

But back to those engines. While the middle of both line-ups appear to be very similar in engine and transmission configurations, it's at the opposite ends of each range that things look very different once again.

While there’s the same portrait oriented central touchscreen and fully digital instrument cluster as the Ford in hardware at least, it’s filled with a very different operating system that aligns with the rest of the Volkswagen family. (image: Mark Oastler)

Engine and transmission

At the 4x4 dual-cab entry level, Ford offers a four-cylinder diesel engine with two turbos, 154kW and the same ten-speed automatic transmission that's common to its entire Ranger family.

Volkswagen also offers the same pairing but can add a second more affordable four-cylinder diesel option with a single turbo that produces 125kW and is bolted to a choice of six-speed automatic or a manual with the same number of gears. Ford does not offer a manual Ranger of any kind.

At the opposite end of the scale Ford offers versions of the Ranger with the most prolific 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre diesel V6 that's also available with the Amarok. However, the Blue Oval kept the mighty 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol that powers the Ranger Raptor all for itself.

At the top the Amarok pile, the Aventura is on offer with the shared V6 diesel or a unique 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

Perhaps as a sweetener (or consolation) Ford donated an engine to the Amarok that is not featured in its own native line-up.

At the top the Amarok pile, the Aventura is on offer with the shared V6 diesel or a unique 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that is ostensibly the same unit that powers the Mustang HP and the now discontinued Focus RS (albeit without its Cosworth cylinder head).

With 452Nm on tap, the Aventura petrol has diesel-like torque but its power figure of 222kW makes it unique as the most powerful dual-cab that can also claim the industry standard maximum towing capacity of 3500kg. Not even the Raptor can haul that.

It's fair to say therefore, that the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, while identical in some respects, are more significantly different than many dual-cab pairings that came before them. But does that really matter to a majority of the shopping public?

If you put your name down for a Raptor today, you won’t see it on your driveway until the second quarter of 2024.

Ordinarily I'd say not, if it weren't for one glaringly obvious example.

While both the Ranger and Amarok have enjoyed resounding popularity from Australians since their introduction, the radically different Ranger Raptor continues to be an unmatched ute champion with corresponding demand to prove it.

At launch, Ford received a whopping 4000 orders for the hero of the Ranger line-up - almost a quarter of the total initial demand - and, if you put your name down for a Raptor today, you won't see it on your driveway until the second quarter of 2024.

At the pointy end of performance at least, it appears being unique in the ute market does make a big difference.