The Volkswagen Group has a long way to go in order to redeem itself in the eyes of turbodiesel aficionados across the globe. Once a shining beacon of clean diesel technology and power, Volkswagen has been on an apology tour after it was revealed that the automaker had been lying to both regulators and consumers about just how dirty its diesels were. But don’t expect Volkswagen to just throw in the towel on diesels.
Quite the opposite, in fact, at least in the Land Down Under and pretty much every else other than the United States. The 2017 Volkswagen Amarok has debuted with a new face and a new turbodiesel V6 that boosts its versatility, just don’t look for it in America anytime soon.
Previously available only with a handful of four-cylinder engine options, the 3.0-liter turbodiesel gives drivers 221 horsepower and 405 ft-lbs of torque to play with. Rear-wheel drive is standard, though buyers will have the option to step up to a four-wheel drive model, with both configurations being routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Volkswagen claims a payload capacity of one metric ton (2,200 pounds) and a towing capacity of 3.5 metric tons (about 5,600 pounds).
Volkswagen also made exterior tweaks that bring the Amarok’s face more in line with the rest of VW’s offerings. Volkswagen says the new look is more “athletic”, and they also updated the dashboards and seating arrangement as well. The only problem? The Amarok is not offered for sale in the U.S., despite a sudden resurgence in the midsize truck market. Of course, since the Amarok only offers diesel engines, Volkswagen couldn’t sell it here even if it wanted to, at least for the time being.
Eventually, when Volkswagen does get this whole diesel mess cleaned up, the Amarok would make a fine addition to its U.S. lineup. Americans love their pickups, after all.