By now, most people know that the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok and the Next-Gen Ford Ranger were developed in a collaboration between Ford and Volkswagen, with Ford’s Australian engineering team taking the lead.
For many owners of the previous Amarok this wasnt what they wanted to hear, prefering the previous model’s all-German engineering and design. However, for many potentially owners, it was seen as a positive thing, because Amarok owners would be able to install a range of accessories designed for the higher-selling Next-Gen Ranger.
What Fits?
Lets get the good stuff out of the way first – As soon as we got our hands on a 2023 Amarok we noticed that the plastic tub liner and the steelwork of the side walls behind the tub liner is is identical on both vehicles.
This is great news for Amarok owners wanting to install a dual battery box with an AusMotion battery box mount, or those wanting to use one of our class-leading power and accessory panels.
This photo shows a HardKorr heavy duty battery box fitted in one of the two vehicles, but from the photo alone you cant tell if its the Volkswagen or the Ford, Installation takes about 10-15 minutes in either version and this continues to be a very popular option for people who want the flexibility to lift the power supply out of the vehicle to run camp lights of fridge in a family tent.
Behind the rear seats.
For several years, AusMotion has been a leader in dual-battery mounting solutions behind the seat in Ranger, Hilux, DMax and BT50.
We’ve seen design collaborations in previous models, such as the PX Ford Ranger and equivalent Mazda BT50 result in compatibility of behind-seat mounting products in both vehicles.
However, 2023 Amarok owners will be disappointed to learn that there is no space at all behind the seat of the Amarok. We’re not talking about a space that’s a bit smaller than Ranger, or a space that you can get a battery in if you cut some carpet off the back wall – There is about 20mm space between the seat back and the steel that forms the back wall of the cab.
Looking in the tub of an Amarok without plastic tub liner, we can see there is a noticeable recess in the steelwork that’s not there on an equivalent Ranger.
This makes the front of the tub (between the tub and body) have a bulge that Volkswagen engineers had to work around with the cab wall structure.
With time we’ll start seeing Amaroks with their tub removed, at which point we’ll be able to get a decent photo of the back of the cab wall, but for now you can imagine how the back of the cab needs an equivalent recess which, closes the gap behind the rear seat.
The other interesting difference is the two large grommets on either side of the recess in the Amarok tub.
What 's that recess for?
Currently no one but Ford and Volkswagen engineers know what the intention of that recess is – One thing for sure is they wouldn’t have re-tooled the tub and cab wall for no reason, so there must be something coming that’s going to utilise that space.
A leading vehicle battery specialist told AusMotion that it could be to accommodate a battery pack for a mild-hybrid system, like the one used on some RAM models, or perhaps it could be to house the inverter used in a hybrid or electric drive version of a future Amarok.
It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the Amarok and Ranger!