Some people barbeque on weekends, others drive to the grocery shop to stock up on veggies, healthy snacks, and whatnot, but some people prefer to race a 2023 Toyota Land Cruiser GR-Sport against a Dakar-winning Toyota Hilux in Dubai. The words 'to each their own' have rarely rung so true as in this case.
You better buckle up for this one, for this isn't at all your typical 1/4-mile drag race. But until we get down and dirty, let's first meet our lucky or unlucky (depending on how you look at it) contestants.
The 10-speed automatic 4WD 2023 Land Cruiser GR-Sport model is the challenger, and it's sporting a 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbo engine that makes this not-so-small-puppy run with 409 hp (415 ps) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. It's more than a bit on the heavy side, weighing in at 5,798 lbs. or 2,630 kg. As a random comparison, that makes it 408 lbs. (185 kg) lighter than the 1,020 hp Model X Plaid.
The current price for this Land Cruiser is 108,610 AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham), which would mean almost 109,000 U.S. dollars. The key term here is 'would,' because try as you might, you won't find a new Land Cruiser on American soil, given that Toyota thought the Lexus LX600 would better suit your needs.
As for the 2023 Dakar champions, Nasser Al-Attiyah (5-time Dakar winner) and co-driver Mathieu Baumel, they brought their GR DKR Hilux T1+. This 4-wheeled dune warrior is using the same 3.5-liter V6, but this one's been detuned due to regulations to only output 366 hp (361 ps) with 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. But while it has less power, it's lighter than the Land Cruiser. The scale needle stops at exactly 4,409 lbs. or 2,000 kg.
After a bit of an underwhelming exhaust sound check, they were off to the races! As you pretty well imagined by now, during the first one, the Dakar Hilux obliterated the Land Cruiser GT-Sport like it was a walk in the park. Seeing as there wasn't any reason to redo it, the second time around, the Hilux started from the sand near the drag strip, while the Land Cruser stayed on the tarmac. It was full-on off-road vs.... well... road.
Two of these attempts followed, and during both tries, the Land Cruiser won with no problems, finishing in 14.7 seconds, with the Dakar vehicle just one second later, in 15.7 seconds. Sadly, the latter couldn't shave off that extra second.
But then they decided to go for a fourth and final try, both from the tarmac, and wouldn't you know it... the Dakar won again by a landslide, finishing in 13.8 seconds, with the other Toyota crossing the line in 14.7 seconds.
Mat from the 'carwow' YouTube channel was behind the Land Cruiser's wheel, and while he did have some good ideas to switch things up some more with a couple of roll races and a break test, nothing actually changed, and the GR DKR Hilux T1+ destroyed its competitor in each event.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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