Is the new Amarok a Ford Ranger?
The new Amarok is not a Ford Ranger. It is Volkswagen’s midsize pickup, developed in collaboration with Ford and built on a shared platform that also underpins the Ranger. While it borrows engineering from Ford’s model, it remains a Volkswagen product with its own styling, features, and branding.
The VW-Ford alliance, announced in the late 2010s, led to a cross-brand approach to the Ranger and Amarok. The second-generation Amarok leverages a Ranger-derived architecture to deliver comparable capability in markets around the world, but Volkswagen outfits it with VW’s interior, electronics, and tuning. In short: shared underpinnings, distinct badges and identities.
Platform and engineering
Shared elements between the Amarok and the Ranger include the underlying chassis and drivetrain approaches, while VW tailors tuning and components to its own brand requirements. Here is what is commonly shared and what remains uniquely VW.
- Platform: The Amarok uses a Ford Ranger–derived platform (T6-based architecture) as the foundation for its second-generation model.
- Powertrain options: Engine choices echo Ford’s EcoBlue diesel family in many markets, with VW-specific calibration and transmission pairing.
- Suspension and chassis: A ladder-frame design with off-road tuning that aligns with both brands’ pickup capabilities, but tuned to VW ride and handling preferences.
- Production and parts sourcing: VW coordinates assembly and suppliers around the shared platform, with Ford contributing engineering input as part of the alliance.
In short, the Amarok borrows underpinnings from the Ranger but remains a Volkswagen product with VW interior, styling and features that distinguish it from the Ford Ranger.
Design, features, and market positioning
The Amarok’s exterior design and interior are styled in VW’s language, including the cabin layout, digital instrument cluster, and infotainment ecosystem. By contrast, the Ranger emphasizes Ford’s design cues and onboard technology. Here are the key differences buyers typically notice.
- Branding and styling: VW’s grille treatment, headlights, and interior materials reflect Volkswagen’s design DNA, setting it apart from the Ranger’s Ford-inspired cues.
- Interior technology: The Amarok prioritizes VW’s infotainment system and digital cockpit, while the Ranger leans on Ford’s SYNC ecosystem and driver-assistance packages.
- Trim and equipment: Availability of features, options, and premium finishes are tailored to VW buyers, with market-specific packages to match local expectations.
- Market strategy: Both trucks aim at overlapping but distinct buyer pools, with VW’s dealer network and service offerings complementing Ford’s global footprint.
Conclusion: They share engineering, but they are distinct models designed for different brand ecosystems and consumer expectations.
What this means for buyers
For consumers weighing a midsize pickup, understanding badge, service networks, and after-sales support is as important as performance. Here’s how the Amarok compares to the Ranger in practical terms.
- Dealer network and after-sales service: VW and Ford operate different service ecosystems, which can influence maintenance scheduling, parts availability, and resale confidence depending on region.
- Pricing and trims: Pricing generally aligns with regional expectations for VW vs Ford pickups, with trim-specific features reflecting each brand’s standards.
- Capability and options: Both trucks offer strong payload and towing potential, with off-road variants and electronic aids tailored to each brand’s approach.
- Regional availability: Market-by-market availability may vary, with some regions emphasizing the Amarok as VW’s flagship midsize pickup and others prioritizing Ranger configurations.
Bottom line: The Amarok is not a Ranger, but its development story is built around a shared platform and collaboration with Ford, delivering a capable alternative within Volkswagen’s lineup.
Summary
The new Amarok embodies a unique fusion of two brands’ strengths. It is not a Ford Ranger, but it does sit on a Ranger-derived platform as part of a strategic VW-Ford alliance. Volkswagen supplies the distinctive styling, interior, and tuning, while leveraging Ford’s engineering backbone to deliver a competitive midsize pickup with global reach. For buyers, this means similar capability and modern tech, packaged under the VW banner with its own dealer support and ownership experience.
Is the VW Amarok available in the USA?
Volkswagen indeed created the second-generation Amarok midsize pickup, which is based on the newest Ranger, built in South Africa, and sold in Europe, Asia, and Africa, but formulated no plans to export it to North America.
Will the 2025 Amarok be sold in the US?
And no, before you get your hopes up, it's not coming to North America—thanks in part to the good old Chicken Tax. Unless Volkswagen decides to build it on US soil, don't expect to see this version of the Amarok on stateside roads anytime soon.
Which one is better, Nissan Navara or Ford Ranger?
Overall, the Ford Ranger is big & tough with a new design at the front end which splits the solid cross bar of old into 2. The Nissan Navara meanwhile looks pretty much the same but with nicer wheel arches & great new alloys. There's not a lot else to say here. **Tom's Winner: **Joint winners.
Is the new VW Amarok a Ford?
The second-generation Amarok was released on 7 July 2022. Designed and conceived in Germany and Australia, it is built by Ford at its South African assembly plant in Silverton, and shares the new Ford Ranger's platform as part of the 2019 Ford-VW global alliance cooperation agreement.
