The entry-level Volkswagen Amarok Core could soon receive an update that brings its safety equipment in line with the rest of the line-up.
Volkswagen Australia product and marketing manager Ben Triebels told CarExpert the company is currently investigating adding extra safety equipment such as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert to the Amarok Core as part of a model year change.
“It’s something that we’ve taken on board and we’ve looked at,” said Mr Triebels.
“We’re looking at what we’re doing for model year 2024, a model upgrade.
“We’re putting it all together and hopefully we’ll see some movement in that area.”
The Amarok Core is currently the only variant in the line-up that goes without blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
It’s worth noting all variants of the related Ford Ranger receive blind-spot monitoring and all pickup models receive rear cross-traffic alert.
Regardless of the missing safety technology on the Amarok Core it still has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, as with the related Ranger.
The Amarok scored 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for child occupant protection, 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 83 per cent for safety assist.
The adult occupant protection score for the Amarok is technically higher than what the Ranger received, with the Ford receiving a score of 84 per cent. The Amarok fared better overall in whiplash protection, too.
It’s unclear what other specification tweaks could be made to the Amarok with the 2024 model year update. Given more safety equipment is on the cards for the Core, expect a price rise.
The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok Core currently starts at $52,990 before on-road costs and is powered exclusively by a 2.0-litre single turbo-diesel engine mated with a six-speed automatic transmission, with drive sent through a part-time four-wheel drive system.
