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Off-road upgrades are coming to a new VW Amarok special edition next year, created to commemorate a world record.
A new special-edition 2025 Volkswagen Amarok has been designed to commemorate Volkswagen’s Guinness World Record in which a specially-prepared example crossed Australia’s 10 deserts in less than a week.
Available from the second quarter of 2025 (April to June inclusive), the Amarok 10 Deserts Edition builds upon the four-cylinder Life TDI500 grade as a base, and slots below the Style TDI500 in the Volkswagen line-up.
While it adds off-road upgrades in the same vein as the defunct Walkinshaw W580X edition, it is not intended as a replacement for that vehicle, with plans for Walkinshaw variants of the new Amarok to be shared at a later date.
Prices for the special edition have not been confirmed, though the brand says it will carry an RRP between the $59,490 Amarok Life TDI500 and $69,740 Amarok Style TDI500, both before on-road costs.
Tangible upgrades have been introduced to the Amarok 10 Deserts Edition, including a suspension lift kit that raises ground clearance to 275mm – 40mm higher than the Amarok Life TDI500.
It gains a set of unique 17-inch black alloy wheels wrapped in Continental CrossContact all-terrain tyres.
The special edition equips genuine Volkswagen underbody protection, special ’10 Deserts’ badging and sticker pack, a black tonneau cover, and a black-and-white colour scheme.
There are no changes inside the cabin aside from the fitment of all-weather floor mats.
Power is supplied by the familiar 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, which continues to output 154kW and 500Nm through a selectable four-wheel-drive system and 10-speed automatic transmission.
Volkswagen said it aims to introduce a no-cost option of more aggressive mud-terrain tyres before the car goes on sale.
The brand said these enhancements are inspired by the modifications made to the car that completed a tour of Australia’s 10 deserts at the hands of Rainer Zietlow, Brad Howes, and Marius Biela.
Starting in Maree, South Australia and finishing in Alice Springs, the group travelled 6241km behind the wheel of an Amarok Style V6 ute that was equipped with an ARB bull bar, roof racks, off-road wheels and tyres, driving lights, and a snorkel.
Their feat was completed in six days and 17 hours, well ahead of initial plans to cross all deserts in 10 days.
“Our aim with the Amarok 10 Deserts Edition is to capture the elements that made our Volkswagen 4Motion product work so well in Australia – tougher tyres, underbody protection and class-leading clearance – then deliver them in a lighter and attainable package,” VW commercial vehicles director Ryan Davies said in a media statement.
The Melbourne-designed special edition coincides with a significant milestone for the Amarok in Australia, as the local arm ticks over 100,000 total Amarok sales.
Introduced in 2010 and now in its second generation 14 years later, Australia has now become the main market for the Volkswagen Amarok globally.
Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.
