Beefy bakkie! ABT extracts 225 kW from Volkswagen Amarok V6…

By: CAR magazine

While South African bakkie enthusiasts wait for the 190 kW/580 N.m version of the Volkswagen Amarok V6 to arrive on local shores, the folks over at ABT Sportsline in Germany have extracted even more power from the high-output model’s oil-burner.

Thanks to the tuner’s in-house-developed engine control unit, the European-spec Amarok V6’s 3,0-litre turbodiesel mill has been uprated to produce a whopping 225 kW and 630 N.m of torque, which is again sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

ABT says the tuned double-cab bakkie now reaches the 60 mph (96,6 km/h) mark in 7,8 seconds, slicing two-tenths off the standard model’s claimed time. Top speed has improved, too, with the firm claiming a figure of 211 km/h.

According to the Kempten-based company, the increased performance is most apparent when the pick-up is fully loaded or towing a heavy trailer.

In addition, ABT offers upgrades for the 3,0-litre V6 derivative that produces 165 kW and 550 N.m (or 180 kW and 580 N.m with the overboost function) in standard guise, as well as for the 2,0 BiTDI four-cylinder variants (which churn out 132 kW and 420 N.m in stock form). Although torque is unchanged, an additional 30 kW can be extracted from this six-cylinder engine, resulting in a new peak output of 195 kW. The four-banger, on the other hand, can be tuned to develop 147 kW.

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