Volkswagen Amarok 2020 review: V6 Sportline 580

As utes go, the Amarok is definitely one of the better looking ones, with a commanding profile that has stood the test of time. The large exterior dials down the rugged muscular look, as trademarked by other utes, in favour of a more balanced design. It looks equally ready to tackle the suburban streets or the outback dirt.

The Ravenna Blue body paint (a $700 option), black sports bar and gloss black Talca 20-inch wheels really help this ute stand out from the crowd, especially on back-country roads.

In addition to the sports bar and black wheels, the 580 version of the Highline also comes with gloss-black bumpers front and rear, a slightly redesigned front grille, black interior headlining and black side bars.

The cabin fit out is high quality, with premium materials used throughout. In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd just stepped inside a well-priced SUV, with a leather-covered steering wheel and Vienna leather (a $2790 option) seating. The switch gear and driver instrumentation are the same excellent units  you'd find on other VW passenger cars.

It's not all premium-SUV creature comforts, though, with plenty of hard-wearing plastics used where it counts; across the doors and dash.

All up, the Amarok made for an incredibly pleasant and comfortable place to spend the 2.5 hours it took to reach our farm stay.

The cabin fit out is high quality, with premium materials used throughout. (image: Dan Pugh)

There's good leg and headroom up front, with ample space in the rear for my kids. It was a little more snug when I sat back there, with only a narrow gap in front of my knees when sitting behind my driver's seat (I'm 180cm). The Amarok's width provides for a decent-sized middle seat, though.

The tray comes fitted with four tie-down points and can swallow a standard 1165mm-square Aussie pallet. Over the course of the week the tray was used for nothing more than carrying our luggage for the farm stay.

For those with heavy-duty loads in mind, the Highline 580 has a max payload of 911kg for a GVM of 3080kg, and a max towing capacity of 3500kg braked/750kg unbraked for a GCM of 6000kg.

Those in need of extra carrying space can make use of the 60/40-split rear seat base cushion, which swings up to secure in a vertical position.

Aside from its space, the Amarok brings its fair share of practicality, with plenty of storage on offer including a sizeable centre console up front, a large glove box, under front seat storage and a huge oddment tray set into the dash. Added to this are two cupholders up front and two in the rear, in addition to bottle holders in the front and rear door pockets.

There are enough 12-volt power outlets to power all the family's gear, with two available upfront, one in the rear and another located in the tray.

There are two cupholders up front and two in the rear, in addition to bottle holders in the front and rear door pockets. (image: Dan Pugh)

The Amarok may be large but it's easy to parallel park and navigate within local shopping centre car parks, thanks to front and rear sensors, a reversing camera and good visibility from the driver's seat.

Over the week we covered 610km of motorway, country-road and suburban driving, with the trip computer displaying a fuel consumption reading of 10.4 litres per 100km. Higher than the claimed 8.9 litres/100km VW makes, but with nearly a quarter of the 80-litre tank still remaining at week's end, it's a figure I can live with.

It's here the Amarok comes a little unstuck as a family hauler. While the four-cylinder diesel version of the Amarok earned the maximum five-star ANCAP rating back in 2011, the V6 version we tested is yet to be rated.

Standard safety kit includes driver and front passenger airbags and side airbags, but this model forgoes curtain airbag protection for rear-seat passengers. Not having AEB is a big miss here, too.

For parents with young kids there are three top-tether child-seat anchorage points, plus two ISOFIX fittings.

The Amarok is well kitted out and features bi-Xenon headlights. (image: Dan Pugh)

Priced at $64,990, the Highline 580 sits around $8,000 cheaper than the Ultimate 580 variant. Our test car came with $3,490 of optional extras, pushing the total figure to $68,480.

The Amarok is well kitted out and features bi-Xenon headlights, heated and powered front seats, dual-zone climate control, tilt and reach adjustable steering, rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, and more.

Interestingly, the Highline 580 represents the cheapest way to experience the 580 engine, which also powers the likes of far  more premium SUVs like the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.

The Highline 580, with its bonkers engine, practicality and SUV-like creature comforts, presents a compelling case as a family hauler. (image: Dan Pugh)