Volkswagen Amarok Ultimate 2019: International pricing for 200kW dual cab revealed

The UK order books have opened for a new and more powerful Volkswagen Amarok (just in time to meet the incoming Mercedes-Benz X-Class head-on), providing a possible sneak-peek at what we can expect to pay when it arrives in Australia.

As flagged earlier this year, the most powerful diesel engine in the Amarok range has been teased to produce an extra 25kW and 30Nm - now firing 190kW and 580Nm to all four tyres. It's also capable of briefly achieving a headline-stealing 200kW on overboost for spurts of between 10 and 20 seconds.

Orders for the revamped Amarok have now opened in the UK, where the 3.0-litre V6 engine is initially being offered in the range-topping Highline trim only. The more powerful engine will soon arrive in Australia, too, with VW's local executives promising a launch in September this year.

In the UK, base prices - excluding tax - have increased from around 31,415 pounds for the 165kW version, to 34,325 pounds for the 190kW engine (numbers taken from VW's own published price lists and based on a four-wheel-drive Highline). Taxes then add several thousand pounds to those totals.

That money buys you that stokning V6 engine, of course, along with climatronic air-con, 18-inch alloys, bi-xenon headlights and leather seats. On the safety front, the Highline gets front and rear parking sensors, a parking camera and an auto-braking system that will slow the car automatically after an accident. 

The new engine outputs are an incredible display of headline-stealing showmanship from VW.

In Australia, the top-of-the-range Ultimate trim (currently $68,490) will be the first to score the power boost, with pricing changes yet to be detailed. But if the UK prices are any guide, we can clearly expect a decent jump on current numbers. VW Australia won't be drawn on local pricing, with a spokesperson telling CarsGuide only that the Amarok Ultimate will be "considerably less expensive than a Raptor", with Ford's most expensive Ranger to list at $74,990.

The new engine outputs are an incredible display of headline-stealing showmanship from VW, with Mercedes just about to roll out what was set to to be the most powerful diesel V6-powered dual-cab ute - its X350d X-Class.

The Mercedes V6 engine produces 190kW and 550Nm, enough to push the X350d to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds - and to dwarf the outputs of the current V6-powered Amarok. But with VW’s new engine tweaks, it will match the Merc in regular power (190kW apiece, without counting the VW’s overboost), and give it a gentle walloping in torque (580Nm vs 550Nm).

The X-Class X350d will arrive in Australia towards the end of 2018, with pricing expected to start from around $75,000.

Amarok or X-Class - which gets you vote? Tell us in the comments below.