When you think of a drag race, your mind wouldn’t usually jump directly to the likes of the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok. Carwow, however, had other ideas.

The Hilux and Amarok aren’t newcomers to a race track, but are usually found in a support capacity, so Carwow decided to give these patrons of the pit lane their moment in the racing spotlight, and put them head to head down the quarter-mile.

Getting the two together was rather tricky though, as the Volkswagen Amarok disappeared from sale some time ago. Carwow called on Professional Pickup & 4×4 to help and we got a suitable pickup supplied by Vindis Volkswagen in Huntingdon.

These two popular pickups come equipped with very different engines. The new Toyota Hilux with its 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine provides 204hp and 500Nm of torque. The Volkswagen Amarok has a more powerful 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, with 258hp and 580Nm.

On paper, the Amarok has a marked power advantage. However the Hilux has Sport and Power modes not available to the Volkswagen – was that enough to make the difference?

Sadly for Toyota, it wasn’t. The Volkswagen makes great use of its power advantage, streaking ahead of the Toyota throughout every run. Not only is the Amarok quicker off the mark in the drag race than the Hilux, it’s also quicker to a stop during a braking challenge. You can see the results in our video above, or on Carwow’s rather more polished video below. Check out Carwow’s YouTube channel for similar races and reviews.

While the Hilux, recently updated with a fresh exterior and the option of that powerful 2.8-litre engine, was outpaced by its more powerful if somewhat ageing rival, it put up a valiant fight. If the rumoured high-performance GR Hilux model makes it to the UK, with its expected 3.3-litre 305hp motor, we might just have to arrange to run the race again.

Phil Huff
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