The mammoth costs associated with new car development have made the dual cab a decidedly incestuous segment with numerous manufacturers collaborating on the creation of a new model for many years.
It makes a lot of sense. While sports cars, executive sedans and luxury SUVs, for example, trade off their subtle nuances and individual distinctions, the more utilitarian a vehicle is, the less it matters to many how different it really is under a facelifted exterior.
For years, Ford’s Ranger shared almost everything mechanical with the Mazda BT-50 until nepotism finally drove the Japanese manufacturer out of the partnership, while little fuss was made when the next-generation BT- 50 got into bed with the Isuzu D-Max. .
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Before that, it was largely the same for the Nissan Navara and Mercedes X-Class pair, and again for the previous-gen Holden Colorado/Isuzu D-Max.
Customers seemed happy to look past the so-called “badge-engineered” twin similarities for a model that handled dual-cab duties efficiently and cost-effectively, regardless of which manufacturer sold it.
But now there’s a new pair of fraternal twins in town, and it seems everyone’s making a big fuss about how different they are… or not.
Ford Ranger vs Volkswagen Amarok: What’s the difference?
Before we look at how far Volkswagen went to differentiate its second-generation Amarok from the T6.2 version of the Ford Ranger, let’s start with the bits that are the same.
Unsurprisingly, the main architectural stuff is shared (read most expensive), including the box-section ladder chassis, the 3270mm wheelbase is unchanged, while a handful of body panels are carried over. Take a look around the cabin and you’ll find a gear selector, interior and exterior door handles, column stalks and a key that looks great.
The Ford and Volkswagen also have an almost identical engine and transmission, but not quite and we will return to this point later. As a general rule, almost everything you can see is different, while hidden things are common to both, but there are some exceptions.
As expected, Volkswagen dialed in its own custom suspension tune for the Amarok. The overall chassis layout is the same with multi-link and coilovers up front and a coilover rear with a Watts link to keep everything under control, but the dampers and springs are respectively different.
In addition, the Amarok offers two different tunes at the sharp end. The more off-road focused Panamericana is more similar in its calibration to the Ranger but remains unique, while the Aventura offers a third configuration that is more geared towards on-road use with its 21″ wheels. inches
interior
Inside, there is very little more than the above to relate the pair. While there’s the same portrait-oriented central touchscreen and all-digital instrument cluster as the Ford in hardware at least, it’s packed with a very different operating system that aligns with the rest of the Volkswagen family. Even the alert and notification sounds it offers are different.
The seats have a completely different look and feel thanks to the shared frames undergoing full upholstery by the VW team, which included applying the same seat foam and bolsters as their other VW models , along with C-shaped seams for some variants that was first used on the original Audi TT.
The Volkswagen-branded, ergonomic steering wheel completes the critical touchpoints that separate the Ranger from the Amarok. Interestingly, the VW steering wheel is not lifted from another existing model and had to be specifically manufactured to interface with the Ford column and electrical systems.
To ensure a seamless transformation of the Ford product into a proper VW, Volkswagen created a special design team in Australia to work alongside Ford’s local development team. This is how Volkswagen was able to create a finished vehicle so aesthetically and functionally different without spending development time and cost.
There is also a very slight difference in safety and the rating applied by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). While both Ford and VW scored identical numbers in child occupant protection (93%), vulnerable road user protection (74%) and safety assistance (83%), the Volkswagen did slightly better for adult occupant protection with scores of 86 percent versus the Ford’s 84 percent. Both have the maximum overall rating of five stars.
But back to those engines. While the middle of both lineups appear to be very similar in engine and transmission configurations, it’s at the opposite ends of each range that things look very different once again.
Engine and transmission
In the entry-level dual-cab 4×4, Ford offers a twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine with 154kW and the same ten-speed automatic transmission that’s common across its Ranger family.
Volkswagen also offers the same pairing, but may add a second, more affordable four-cylinder diesel option with a single turbo that produces 125kW and is mated to a choice of six-speed automatic or manual with the same number of gears. Ford doesn’t offer any sort of manual Ranger.
At the opposite end of the scale, Ford offers versions of the Ranger with the more prolific 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel which is also available with the Amarok. However, the Blue Oval retained the mighty 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol that powers the Ranger Raptor.
Perhaps as a sweetener (or consolation) Ford gave the Amarok an engine that does not appear in its own native line.
At the top of the Amarok stack, the Aventura is offered with either the shared V6 diesel or a unique 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that appears to be the same unit that powers the Mustang HP and Focus RS now discontinued (albeit without its Cosworth cylinder head).
With 452Nm on tap, the Aventura petrol has diesel-like torque, but its 222kW power figure makes it unique as the most powerful dual cab that can also claim the industry standard maximum towing capacity of 3500 kg. Not even the Raptor can carry that.
It’s fair to say, therefore, that the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, while identical in some ways, are more significantly different than many dual-cab machines that came before them. But does that really matter to the majority of the shopping public?
Normally I would say no, if it weren’t for a glaringly obvious example.
While both the Ranger and Amarok have enjoyed resounding popularity with Australians since their introduction, the radically different Ranger Raptor remains an unrivaled ute champion with the corresponding demand to prove it.
At launch, Ford received a whopping 4,000 orders for the hero of the Ranger lineup, nearly a quarter of total initial demand, and if you put your name down for a Raptor today, you won’t see it on the your driveway until the second quarter of 2024.
At least on the performance end, being unique in the ute market seems to make a big difference.
