German tuning company ABT loves to increase the performance of Volkswagen Group products, and the Amarok pickup is the latest to benefit.
The upmarket commercial vehicle has proved to be a hit for Volkswagen, with more than 81,000 examples sold globally during 2018.
Last year also saw the introduction of a more powerful 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine for the Amarok, producing 258hp and 428lb-ft of torque.
Ready to rock out
However, this was not enough for ABT, and the company immediately got to work on extracting more from the range-topping Amarok.
Following several months of development, ABT has now released their new plug-in tuning Electronic Control Unit. The result is an impressive output of 306hp and 465lb-ft of torque from the turbocharged diesel.
Both the increased power and torque are produced in the same rev range as the standard model, meaning no change in driveability for the extra output.
Between a rock and a hard place
The tuned Amarok also benefits from increased outright performance, with the 0-62mph time falling from 8.0 seconds to 7.8 seconds. Top speed also rises slightly from 128mph to 131.1mph as well.
With many Amaroks having to work for a living, ABT is also keen to stress that the extra power and torque make a noticeable difference when the pickup is towing, or carrying weight.
We imagine Volkswagen fans will be keen to note that the boosted V6 TDI Amarok comfortably outguns the Ford Ranger Raptor in the horsepower stakes.
Ford’s new product uses a twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel engine, producing just 213hp and 369lb-ft of torque. Although the impressive off-road ability of the Ranger Raptor means it could well have the measure of the Volkswagen in the rough stuff.
ABT has also recently unveiled a modified version of the Lamborghini Urus SUV, taking peak power output to 710hp.
