Volkswagen Amarok V6 Vs New Toyota Hilux Drag Race Proves No One Is Invincible

In fact, its diesel engines have always been on the agricultural side, but that's OK because so were most of its customers. People didn't buy the Japanese workhorse for its refined ride, smooth engines, and fast pace. The main reasons that made the Hilux the cult classic it is today were its composure over rough terrain and the tendency to visit service centers strictly for the mandatory periodic inspections. Well, that and unforgettable appearance on Top Gear.

There have always been sexier options for those looking for a compact-sized pickup truck - the Volkswagen Amarok, particularly the V6 version, being an excellent example - but when push comes to shove, you arguably can't do much better than the Hilux. I know people who have owned a bunch of them, worked the living soul out of them, and always replaced them with a new Toyota Hilux.

If it feels like I'm setting up the Hilux for a catastrophic defeat in the race you'll see below by pointing out its strong points and minimizing the importance of a drag race, that's precisely what I'm doing. And to be fair, even for trucks this size, their performance in a straight-line acceleration is quite irrelevant.

Assuming you don't buy the pickup for its intended purpose - i.e., work - then you're probably thinking about modifying it a bit and turning it into a recreational off-road vehicle. Well, unless your idea of recreation involves racing in the Baja 1000, then acceleration will once again play a minimal role.

Besides, the premise of this race is completely unfair from the start. Not only does the Amarok have a larger engine with more cylinders and more power, but it's also derrived from one that was developed for road-going vehicles like the Touareg (an SUV, we know, but still). Yes, it differs quite significantly in the pickup, but it still feels like the VW has everything stacked in its favor in this contest.

The Hilux gets a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel (the model's top engine, admittedly) with 204 hp and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, whereas the Amarok's 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel produces 258 hp and 427 lb-ft (580 Nm) of torque. It may not seem like much of a difference, but trust me, that's not how it will appear once the races get going.

At the end of the day, though, everyone knows what they get when they buy either of these two vehicles. With the Amarok, you get the closest car-like experience, especially now that the Mercedes-Benz X-Class experiment is done. With the Hilux, on the other hand, you get the toughest pickup in its class.