# Daily Drive Brief: Walkinshaw’s Wild Amarok, Long-Wheelbase iX3, and a Truck Seat You Pump by Hand > Daily Drive Brief: Walkinshaw’s Wild Amarok, Long-Wheelbase iX3, and a Truck Seat You Pump by Hand Some days the inbox feels like a swap meet. Today’s haul: the Volkswagen Amarok W600 wearing Walkinshaw’s best boots, a limo-length BMW iX3 built... > Published 2026-01-22 by Thomas Nismenth. 8 min read (1649 words). > Blog: News at AutoWin (https://www.autowin.com). ## Details - Canonical URL: https://www.autowin.com/en/blogs/news/volkswagen-amarok-w600-by-walkinshaw-unveiled-for-2026-daily-car-news-2026-01-22 - Author: Thomas Nismenth - Published: 2026-01-22 - Updated: 2026-01-23 - Reading time: 8 minutes - Word count: 1649 - Topics: Amarok, Automotive, BMW, C5 Hybrid, Car News, Chery, Daily, Fiat, iX3, Mitsubishi, News, Outlander, Volkswagen, Walkinshaw - Featured image: https://www.a1win.pl/cdn/shop/articles/daily-car-news-2026-01-22.webp?v=1769063596&width=1200 ## Summary Daily Drive Brief: Walkinshaw’s Wild Amarok, Long-Wheelbase iX3, and a Truck Seat You Pump by HandSome days the inbox feels like a swap meet. Today’s haul: the Volkswagen Amarok W600 wearing Walkinshaw’s best boots, a limo-length BMW iX3 built for the back seat, a stealthy Mitsubishi, a returning Fiat van, and a Toyota truck seat you inflate by hand—yes, like those trainers we all lied about dunking in. Let’s rummage. Headline Market The Gist Volkswagen Amarok W600 by Walkinshaw Australia Factory-backed, locally tuned flagship ute for 2026; gr... ## Full Article Daily Drive Brief: Walkinshaw’s Wild Amarok, Long-Wheelbase iX3, and a Truck Seat You Pump by HandSome days the inbox feels like a swap meet. Today’s haul: the Volkswagen Amarok W600 wearing Walkinshaw’s best boots, a limo-length BMW iX3 built for the back seat, a stealthy Mitsubishi, a returning Fiat van, and a Toyota truck seat you inflate by hand—yes, like those trainers we all lied about dunking in. Let’s rummage. Headline Market The Gist Volkswagen Amarok W600 by Walkinshaw Australia Factory-backed, locally tuned flagship ute for 2026; grip, stance, and swagger BMW iX3 Long Wheelbase Asia Stretched electric SUV teased; back-seat serenity takes the lead Mitsubishi Outlander Black Edition Global (incl. AU) Popular family SUV goes full blackout for 2026—style over soldering Chery C5 Hybrid Australia New value-focused hybrid to square up to Jolion and Kona Fiat Scudo returns Australia Mid-size van comeback aims at HiAce loyalists Toyota shock-absorbing truck seat US Isodynamic seat tech you tune with a good old hand pump Automakers skip Super Bowl LX US Fewer blockbuster ads as budgets chase ROI elsewhere Corvette Z06 deals emerge US Markup madness cools; real-world pricing returns Hyundai Staria camper concept Global Sleep, cook, stash gear—still a concept, annoyingly Big Down Under: Volkswagen Amarok W600 by Walkinshaw, plus Fiat’s Scudo Returns2026 Volkswagen Amarok W600: Walkinshaw gets its hands dirtyI ran a W580 as a camera mule a couple of years back—tripods, Pelican cases, the odd dirt bike—and the thing felt like it’d been tuned on the same gnarly backroads we were shooting. That’s the promise again with the Volkswagen Amarok W600: factory blessing, local brains, and hardware that doesn’t wilt when the smooth stuff ends. What I’m expecting: tidier body control, chunkier tyres, a broader stance, and the sort of steering honesty that keeps you relaxed at 110 km/h with a trailer. Who it suits: Monday-to-Friday commuters who tow on Fridays, surf at sunrise on Saturdays, and chase fire trails on Sundays. Why it matters: Amarok’s bones are good; Walkinshaw usually frees up that last 10% of confidence and composure.Last winter I pushed a current Amarok V6 across washboard B-roads and it felt capable but just a bit reserved—like it was saving face for the school run. Walkinshaw tends to spend that reserve wisely: bump absorption without the dental clatter, and grip where corrugations usually make utes go light. If the Volkswagen Amarok W600 lands like the spec suggests, it’ll be the one people quietly recommend at the campsite… after pointing out your tyre pressures. Did you know? The “W” badge is a Walkinshaw calling card. The Amarok W580s sold fast in Australia because they weren’t tuned for a mythical “global road”—they were tuned for ours.Volkswagen Amarok W600 vs Ranger Raptor: which flavour of tough ute?Forget the spec-sheet arm-wrestle for a minute. The Volkswagen Amarok W600 will likely be the tidy all-rounder with a talent for towing and long-haul civility; the Ranger Raptor is your sand-slinging show-off that loves a whoop section. Both brilliant. Just different weekends. Ute Core Character Likely Strengths Potential Watch-outs Volkswagen Amarok W600 (2026) Walkinshaw-tuned all-rounder Composure on broken bitumen, towing poise, quieter cabin Sticker shock; tall, portrait infotainment can be fiddly on the move Ford Ranger Raptor High-speed off-road specialist Long-travel suspension, personality for days, proper off-road kit Thirst, and payload/tow compromises versus work-focused trims Toyota HiLux GR Sport Durable and tough Bulletproof rep, nationwide dealer web, rugged tune Cabin noise on coarse-chip, infotainment lags rivals Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior Locally enhanced value play Lifted stance, all-terrain bits, sharp pricing Older platform bones show in refinement and tech Is the Volkswagen Amarok W600 worth waiting for?Short version: yes, if you want your ute sorted from day one. The factory backing matters for warranty and resale, and Walkinshaw’s calibrations usually land in that sweet spot between “weekend weapon” and “don’t hate the commute.” A couple of owners I chatted with about earlier Walkinshaw Amaroks raved about stability with a dual-axle trailer and the way the steering stays trustworthy over lumpy corners. That’s the stuff you feel at hour four of a road trip.2026 Fiat Scudo: van life, Monday editionThe Scudo returns to a part of the market that doesn’t do sentiment. It does cupholders, sliding doors, tie-downs and service intervals. I did a week-long house move in a rival van last year; a supportive seat and a reachable coffee made me more loyal than any chrome badge ever could. Rivals: Toyota HiAce, Hyundai Staria Load, Ford Transit Custom. What tradies clock: door apertures, load length, tie-down points, cabin stowage, downtime between services. Early read: if the pricing is neat and dealer coverage is decent, the hardware should pull its weight.EVs and Hybrids: BMW iX3 LWB pampers the rear, Chery C5 Hybrid chases valueBMW iX3 Long Wheelbase: built for the back seatBMW’s stretched iX3 targets markets where the boss often sits behind the B-pillar. I’ve done the LWB shuffle through Shanghai traffic enough times to know: another fistful of wheelbase turns gridlock into “emails and espresso.” Ride gets calmer, voices drop a register, and you stop counting the lights. What’s new: more wheelbase, more rear legroom, likely softer damping and quieter tyres. Who it suits: families, executive shuttles, anyone who treats the second row like a mobile office. Open question: how the extra length impacts battery packaging and range—BMW’s still coy.Chery C5 Hybrid: Jolion and Kona, meet your thrifty rivalThe C5 Hybrid nudges Chery squarely into the small-hybrid-SUV aisle. Think Haval Jolion Hybrid, Hyundai Kona Hybrid, Corolla Cross Hybrid—same brief: urban-friendly footprint, low fuel bills, decent kit. Cross-shop: Jolion Hybrid, Kona Hybrid, Corolla Cross Hybrid. What I’ll try first: low-speed EV creep smoothness and stop–start polish. That’s where cheap-feeling hybrids fall apart. Dealer whisper: aggressive drive-away pricing and long warranties turn maybes into yeses.Style File: Mitsubishi Outlander Black Edition keeps the stealth trend rollingThe blackout trend refuses to sleep. The Outlander Black Edition is the kind of show-floor sizzle that makes a family SUV look a trim level richer than it is—dark wheels, de-chromed trim, maybe a contrast roof. No oily bits fiddled, warranty angels unbothered. Expect: black wheels and badges, shadowed interior accents, minor trim tweaks. Why it works: visual payoff for modest cash. Minor gripe: dark cabins hide mess until they suddenly don’t—keep some wipes in the door.Tech & Toys: a hand-pumped Toyota seat and a Hyundai camper we still can’t buyToyota’s shock-absorbing truck seat… with an old-school hand pumpToyota’s isodynamic seat wants to save your spine when the track gets knobbly. The twist is charmingly analog: you set it up with a hand pump. Sounds faffy, but if you’ve ever dialed in air-sprung MTB kit, you know two PSI can be the difference between comfy and cranky. Upside: less fatigue on corrugations and whoops; tweak it to suit load and terrain. Quirk: setup curve—some quick-reference markings would turn guesswork into science. Best use: long gravel hauls, towing across patchy bitumen, post-storm fire roads.Hyundai Staria camper concept: sleep, cook, grinThe Staria camper concept is the van that makes you text the group chat about a last-minute coast run. Fold-flat bed, comp... ## Related Store Context - [AutoWin Blog & News](https://www.autowin.com/blogs/news): Automotive news and fitment guides - [AutoWin Store Index](https://www.autowin.com/llms.txt): Full product catalog for AI agents - [Agent Instructions](https://www.autowin.com/agents.md): Commerce protocol and Shop skill - Reviews verified on [AutiVex](https://autivex.com/business/autowin-com): AutoWin customer ratings