Volkswagen South Africa has confirmed that it plans to add a manual derivative to its Amarok V6 range in 2018, with the newcomer finally bringing low-range to the line-up.
Although VW SA told CARmag.co.za back in July that adding a V6 manual derivative to the range was “very unlikely”, the local arm of the Wolfsburg automaker has seemingly done an about-turn, now confirming that it is tentatively targeting a launch of this variant in the second quarter of 2018.
Currently, the 3,0-litre V6-powered Amarok (with the full-fat 165 kW/550 N.m output) is available locally exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4Motion four-wheel drive, in Highline, Highline Plus and Extreme specification.
It remains to be seen what sort of specification level the new six-speed manual version will feature, with VW SA telling us that it was “still working out all the different options”.
The output of the stick-shift V6 model proposed for South Africa is likewise not clear, although a 150 kW/500 N.m version was earlier this week launched in the United Kingdom.
This UK-spec model employs selectable all-wheel drive, with a system that features standard rear-wheel drive that, when required, engages the front axle. And, thanks to this manual ‘box, an additional “off-road gear reduction function permits extreme crawling pace”.
The 150 kW version of the V6 makes its peak torque between 1 250 and 2 750 r/min, sprinting from standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 8,4 seconds with a top speed of 192 km/h. Claimed fuel consumption, meanwhile, comes in at 8,7 L/100 km, while braked towing capacity is 3 000 kg (and payload capacity at 1 050 kg).
