2026 Volkswagen Amarok Walkinshaw V6 performance ute revealed – mostly
The flagship VW Amarok tuned by the firm formerly behind Holden Special Vehicles has returned, promising sharper handling – but it may not be quite as quick as its predecessor.
- New Volkswagen Amarok W600 revealed, in showrooms July to September 2026
- Sharper road handling promised via new shock absorbers, rear sway bar
- Michelin tyres wrap flow-formed 20-inch wheels
- Unique front fascia with light bar and new grille still under wraps
- No more power from 184kW/600Nm turbo-diesel V6
The Walkinshaw performance version of the latest Volkswagen Amarok ute – from the brains behind Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) muscle cars – has been revealed, with the promise of sharper road handling and tougher styling.
But Volkswagen and Walkinshaw are keeping the front fascia of the tuned Amarok, badged W600, under wraps until closer to its Australian showroom arrival between July and September 2026.
The W600 differs from most other flagship utes in its category in prioritising on-road performance, rather than morphing into an off-road challenger to rival the Ford Ranger Raptor and Nissan Navara Warrior.
It succeeds the previous-generation W580 and W580S editions, with no replacement for the off-road-focused W580X for the time being.
Prices are yet to be confirmed, but given the regular Amarok Aventura V6 is currently listed at $82,990 plus on-road costs, and the old W580S was $7500 dearer than its regular counterpart, the Walkinshaw may start close to $90,000.
Walkinshaw’s involvement has seen new shock absorbers, a model-first rear sway bar, and road-focused Michelin Pilot Sport tyres added with the goal of improving road handling, in lieu of a power bump from the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6.
A new front bumper with an LED light bar and unique grille pattern set its apart on the road, with black arch flares to cover the wider 20-inch wheels, a sailplane, and Walkinshaw badges inside and out.
Power-operated side steps, a feature typically seen on full-size US pick-ups, are fitted as standard, in what’s said to be a first for the category.
Volkswagen says surveys of Amarok customers have found few take them beyond the tarmac, and that buyers of the old Amarok Walkinshaw range value performance, handling, and styling over off-road ability and value for money.
As with the previous iteration, the new ute arrives in Australia as a regular Amarok, before it is converted to W600 specification by Walkinshaw in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Dandenong.
It will have a longer life than the previous Amarok Walkinshaw – as the W600 is launching earlier in the ute’s life cycle – but the number of examples Walkinshaw can produce will be limited.
For everything you need to know about the Amarok Walkinshaw, continue reading – or click the chapters to skip ahead.
Volkswagen Amarok W600 engine and performance
Unchanged is the 3.0-litre Ford-designed turbo-diesel V6 from the regular Amarok, which retains outputs of 184kW/600Nm – thus the W600 name – compared to the W580’s 3.0-litre VW turbo-diesel V6 producing 190kW/580Nm in regular driving, rising to 200kW on overboost.
It is matched with a 10-speed automatic transmission, and four-wheel-drive with a ‘4A’ mode for powering all wheels on sealed surfaces.
Given the W600 is slated to be fractionally heavier than a regular Amarok, the new Walkinshaw is likely to mirror the Aventura’s 8.5-second as-tested 0-100km/h performance – slower than the old W580, which was timed by Drive at 7.8 seconds.
No changes have been made to the brakes or the engine and transmission’s software calibration, nor has Volkswagen added paddle shifters or a Sport mode from versions of the related Ford Ranger.
It is expected that the Amarok’s core capabilities – a payload close to one tonne, a 3.5-tonne braked tow rating, and its approach and departure angles for off-roading – will be retained, however.
Volkswagen Amarok W600 suspension, chassis, wheel upgrades
Volkswagen highlights a more comprehensive makeover of the chassis applied to the new-generation Amarok W600, compared to its predecessor.
New shock absorbers from Dutch firm Koni are fitted at the front and rear, using frequency-selective technology that allows the damper to react differently based on the size of the bump the vehicle hits.
It has been tuned for the Amarok by Walkinshaw, rather than being purchased off the shelf, and uses a more durable housing from Koni’s Raid series of off-road suspension.
A 22mm rear sway bar is fitted for the first time in a current-generation Amarok to boost handling, and includes a custom bracket that allows it to bolt onto the vehicle without drilling additional holes into the factory suspension mounts.
The dampers and rear sway bar – the latter a rare feature on a diesel ute, with the old Toyota HiLux Rogue among the only models with one – are painted in the Lapiz Blue hero colour used on the Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch.
New 20-inch flow-formed wheels are added for the W600, with a 10-inch width and 35 offset – up from a regular Amarok Style’s 18×7.5-inch wheels and 55 offset – which add 51mm of width to each side of the vehicle.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV (285/50 R20) road tyres were selected for their mix of steering, handling, ride comfort, noise suppression, and performance, Volkswagen says. The brakes are carry-over.
Other performance enhancements include dual exhaust pipes from the catalytic converter to twin side-exit outlets behind the rear-right wheel, which have not interfered with the full-size spare wheel.
Volkswagen Amarok W600 design
Styling changes focus on a new front bumper with a sportier look – speculatively illustrated (below) by Pratyush Rout, based on the profile of the camouflage wrap – plus a new W-shaped upper grille insert, and an LED light bar connecting the headlights.
Walkinshaw Group chief designer Julian Quincey – who led the styling of the last 14 years of HSV V8 sedans and utes – said the arrival of the W600 earlier in the Amarok’s life cycle helped justify additional visual changes.
“It [W580] was going to be a limited production run … and a limited number of vehicles that we were making, so we weren’t able to change the front of the vehicle as we have been able to on this vehicle,” Quincey told Australian media.
“We had a carry-over bumper. With the new program, it’s a much longer timeframe. We’re looking at larger volume, and that gives you much more opportunity to get that visual presence on the vehicle, and visual change.”
Walkinshaw says it is working to ensure the new front end – including a tweak in the position of the VW badge, which includes the parking camera – won’t affect the calibration of the Amarok’s crash-avoidance systems.
The new wheels and tyres are also similar in diameter to those of the regular Amarok, so the speedometer does not need to be recalibrated, while a similar overall vehicle height should see the W600 fit in the same car parks as an Aventura.
Power-deployable side steps are standard fitment – believed to be a first for the ‘mid-size’ ute class – which also help the rampover angle, compared to the fixed side steps on regular Amaroks.
Also new are black wheel-arch flares and wider mudflaps to suit the upgraded wheels and tyres, black Walkinshaw badges on the front wheel arches and tailgate, and black inserts for the ‘AMAROK’ tailgate lettering.
The vehicle pictured is a prototype, so it is fitted with 3D-printed badges that will be replaced with ‘shadow chrome’ versions for production, as well as a sailplane from another Amarok that has been wrapped in white to match this ute’s body.
Volkswagen Amarok W600 interior and features
Inside, additions are limited to headrests embossed with the Walkinshaw logo, new floor mats with W600 branding, Walkinshaw sill plates, and metallic sports pedals.
The Amarok W600 will arrive for conversion in a bespoke specification designed for the model, with a high level of standard equipment on par with high-grade Aventura Amaroks.
It is likely to include leather upholstery, heated seats, a 12-inch touchscreen, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, matrix LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, and a ‘sailplane’ sports bar, without the Aventura’s compass-shaped badge.
Volkswagen Amarok W600 release date in Australia
The Volkswagen Amarok W600 is due in Australian showrooms in the third quarter of 2026 (July to September), pending any delays.
In the meantime, Walkinshaw engineers will continue testing the vehicle at the former Holden proving ground in Lang Lang, Victoria, as well as on challenging country roads used in Tasmania for the Targa Tasmania road rally.
The production front-end design – which could change under the disguise, as road testing is completed – is also set to be shown prior to launch.
“Down at Lang Lang, we’ve got our durability circuit that we can run – we’ve got a series of potholes, on-road and off-road tracks, the rough track Belgian blocks, chassis twists, water troughs,” Amarok W600 chassis engineer James Ackerly told Australian media.
“What this does is it sort of simulates about 150,000 kilometres [of driving], so checking the life of the vehicle, making sure we’re happy that all the componentry [we] have added to it are fit for purpose.”
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