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This won’t be like John Farnham’s last tour. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
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The off-road-focused 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580X ute is now rolling out to dealers, and will be limited to 600 examples.
As the current-generation Volkswagen Amarok – which dates back to 2011 – reaches the end of the line, there will be no opportunity for another production run.
Developed in conjunction with local engineering firm Walkinshaw Automotive – and with final assembly undertaken on a production line in Clayton – the Amarok W580X joins the W580 and W580S as locally developed special edition models of the ageing four-wheel drive ute.
The 2022 Volkswagen Amarok W580X is priced from $78,890, before on-road costs.
These Walkinshaw-developed models are seen as a last hurrah for the current generation Amarok, before it makes way for a new generation that will share underpinnings with the 2023 Ford Ranger.
1339 vehicles have so far come off the Walkinshaw production line, and Volkswagen is aiming for a total of 2600 vehicles.
This accounts for 20 per cent of total Amarok volume so far this year, while V6-powered Amaroks take up 90 per cent of total volume.
Where the Volkswagen Amarok W580 and W580S are seen as a GT version of a four-wheel drive ute, the Amarok 580X aims for improved off-road capability.
There’s a big focus on off-road protection, including bash plates for the engine, transfer case and rear differential, along with rock sliders and raised breathers for the driveline.
There’s also 18-inch forged alloy wheels and Pirelli all-terrain tyres, along with revised suspension. The dampers have a unique tune, and the front suspension gets a 40mm lift.
Based on the Volkswagen Amarok 580, all Walkinshaw-developed models get the 190kW/580Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, which can make 200kW for short periods through the ‘overboost’ function.
Power runs through an eight-speed automatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive, a locking rear differential and no low-range transfer case.
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