V8 VW Amarok gets dirty

When we first showed you the 4.2tdi-powered VW Amarok from German tuning haus MTM a few years ago, it was set up as more of an on-road performance car with low-profile tyres and stiffer suspension.

For the 2016 Geneva Auto Show, the company set things right with a cranked-up version of the rod that it calls Desert Passion.

Beneath that matte-orange skin lies the VW/Audi group’s sensational V8 diesel engine making a stonking 302kW of power and 930Nm of torque between 2,000 rpm and 3,000 rpm. With raised suspension and Cooper 305/50 ZR 20 under flared ’guards, the tyre choice still isn’t ideal, but at least it should offer some off-road performance.

But who cares with that snarling V8 diesel under the bonnet!