Photo: Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
In production since 2010, the Amarok is Volkswagen’s direct replacement for the Toyota Hilux-based Taro and Caddy pickup. Outdated in every single way, the mid-size workhorse is getting redesigned from the ground up next year as a 2023 model with a little help from the Ford Ranger.
As you’re well aware, the Wolfsburg- and Dearborn-based manufacturers are joined at the hip in terms of commercial vehicles and electric vehicles. The partnership kicked off in July 2019 with the Amarok-Ranger pairing, which features American underpinnings and brand-specific design quirks.
The first photos in the gallery reveal the visual-only differences between them, starting with the front grille and extending to the daytime running lights, headlights, and taillights. Pictured with Goodyear Wrangler Territory HT all-season tires, multi-spoke wheels finished in gloss black, and six lug nuts per hub, the prototypes captured by the carparazzi also exhibit some loose wiring and yellow warning stickers. Contrary to what some people may believe, these are combustion-only pickups instead of plug-in hybrids.
Also pictured with camouflage on the rear axle, which hides a solid axle that’s been confirmed with coil springs in the next-generation Ranger Raptor, these mules appear to be turbocharged. The see-through camouflage over the front grille offers a glimpse of the intercooler, which poses a question. Are we dealing with the 2.3L EcoBoost or 2.0L EcoBlue engine?
For the European market where light commercial vehicles rely on diesel more than gasoline, there’s no mistaking the 2.0-liter EcoBlue will be standard - or even the only choice - for the Amarok. Currently offered in single- and bi-turbo flavors, the four-cylinder mill is available with 170 and 213 horsepower plus 420 and 500 Nm (310 and 369 pound-feet) of torque.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Blue Oval is rumored to add a plug-in hybrid option and a twin-turbocharged V6 to the roster. The latter is most likely the powerplant of the Ranger Raptor, which is probably going to soldier on with the 2.0L EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel in Europe and other markets.
The first photos in the gallery reveal the visual-only differences between them, starting with the front grille and extending to the daytime running lights, headlights, and taillights. Pictured with Goodyear Wrangler Territory HT all-season tires, multi-spoke wheels finished in gloss black, and six lug nuts per hub, the prototypes captured by the carparazzi also exhibit some loose wiring and yellow warning stickers. Contrary to what some people may believe, these are combustion-only pickups instead of plug-in hybrids.
Also pictured with camouflage on the rear axle, which hides a solid axle that’s been confirmed with coil springs in the next-generation Ranger Raptor, these mules appear to be turbocharged. The see-through camouflage over the front grille offers a glimpse of the intercooler, which poses a question. Are we dealing with the 2.3L EcoBoost or 2.0L EcoBlue engine?
For the European market where light commercial vehicles rely on diesel more than gasoline, there’s no mistaking the 2.0-liter EcoBlue will be standard - or even the only choice - for the Amarok. Currently offered in single- and bi-turbo flavors, the four-cylinder mill is available with 170 and 213 horsepower plus 420 and 500 Nm (310 and 369 pound-feet) of torque.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Blue Oval is rumored to add a plug-in hybrid option and a twin-turbocharged V6 to the roster. The latter is most likely the powerplant of the Ranger Raptor, which is probably going to soldier on with the 2.0L EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel in Europe and other markets.
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