VW previews ‘10 Deserts Edition’ Amarok

After setting a Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing of Australia’s ten deserts in an accessorised Amarok Style TDI 600, Volkswagen Australia has announced a special edition Amarok will be released to honour that achievement.

The Amarok ‘10 Deserts Edition’ will be available from Q2, 2025, as a limited-edition, exclusive to the Australian market.

The feat that inspired the limited edition took place last year, when a three-man crew made up of German endurance driver and multiple record holder Rainer Zietlow, his compatriot Marius Biela and Australia’s Brad Howe crossed Australia’s ten deserts in an exceptional six days and 17 hours.

Leaving from Maree in South Australia, the trio drove in shifts, covering the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami, Simpson, Gibson, Little Sandy, Strzelecki, Sturt Stony, Tirari and Pedirka deserts, arriving in Alice Springs 6,421km later.

“We planned for the Amarok to cross 10 deserts in 10 days, but it managed to conquer the harshest Australian terrain in under a week,” said Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Ryan Davies.

While the new Guinness World Record was set in an Amarok Style TDI 600 with the 3.0-litre V6, the 10 Deserts Edition will be based on the Amarok Life TDI 500, which runs the 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel four-cylinder engine. VW says this makes the special edition more attainable than the premium Style, PanAmericana and Aventura grades. The bi-turbo four in the Life TDI 500 produces 154kW and 500Nm, compared to 184kW and 600Nm from the 3.0-litre V6. The engine is unchanged for the limited edition, as is the 10-speed automatic transmission, 4MOTION four-wheel drive system with low range and rear diff lock.

To the Life TDI 500 base, key changes that make the 10 Deserts Edition include a 40mm suspension lift, raising ground clearance to 275mm – more than other off-road ‘specials’ in this segment (including the Ranger Raptor), augmented by factory underbody protection.

The only paint option will be white, complemented by a black tonneau cover and sports bar, black ‘10 Deserts’ decals on the flanks.

Unique 17-inch alloy wheels in black will be fitted with Continental CrossContact A/T tyres that, according to VW Australia, retain the Amarok’s renowned sporty handling and segment leading driver focus, while further advancing its off-road pedigree. Dedicated off-road tyres will be optionally available.

Aside from a set of all-weather floor mats, the interior is unchanged from the Life TDI 500, with no additional convenience or safety tech, either.

“Our aim with the Amarok 10 Deserts Edition is to capture the elements that made our Volkswagen 4MOTION product work so well in Australia – tougher tyres, underbody protection and class-leading clearance – then deliver them in a lighter and attainable package,” Davies added.

“This is one for the off road purist, with everything you need for incredible off roading and still with all the elements that make Amarok the driver’s ute.”

Pricing for the Amarok 10 Deserts Edition will be revealed closer to local release, but is expected to be in the $60,000 to $70,000 range. That means it will slot in between the Life TDI500 and Style TDI500. Production will be limited to 300 units.