Ford Ranger Drag Races Toyota Hilux In Battle of Off-Roaders
This drag race pits two of the world's most popular mid-size pickups against each other.
Different Sort of Race
Drag racing generally takes place on a paved, oftentimes prepped surface. However, that isn't the case with this battle of mid-size pickups recently conducted by the folks from Car. Rather, when it came time to line up two legendary trucks - the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hilux - they chose to do it on a bit of a ragged surface, because why not? After all, this pair of pickups are both known for their off-road prowess, and it makes for a more interesting take on an ages-old competition.
Global Ranger
The Ranger in this interesting battle is a SiT 4x4 XLT FX4 model sold in South Africa, which shares many similarities with the U.S.-based Ranger, though also a handful of differences. One of those is in the powertrain department - while America's Ranger is powered exclusively by Ford's 2.3-liter EcoBoost I-4, this has a 2.0-liter turbodiesel that generates 177 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.
>>Join the conversation about the Ranger vs Hilux drag race right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Power Disadvantage
On the flip side, we have the Hilux, which is a model not sold in America, though we do get the similar Tacoma. The Hilux is powered by.a 2.4-liter turbodiesel that produces 148 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which puts it at a bit of a disadvantage on paper compared to the Ranger. But as most already know, sometimes, that doesn't matter when the rubber hits the pavement, er, dirt.
>>Join the conversation about the Ranger vs Hilux drag race right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Hitting the Sweet Spot
Regardless, both of these mid-size pickups leave the line at roughly the same time, and the Tacoma even appears to pull slightly ahead for just a second early on. But that neck-and-neck start fades quickly as the Ranger's turbodiesel hits the sweet spot in the powerband.
>>Join the conversation about the Ranger vs Hilux drag race right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Raw Power
Suddenly, the Ranger just starts to walk away from the Tacoma, leaving it in its proverbial wake. The driver gives some credit to the truck's quick-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission, which has a few more cogs than the Hilux's old-fashioned six-speed gearbox. But the Ranger's raw power advantage is on display here as well.
>>Join the conversation about the Ranger vs Hilux drag race right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Useful Acceleration
The Ranger wins this race by a couple of truck lengths, putting on an impressive display in the process. Sure, it's unlikely that anyone who owns either of these two pickups ever races them, but it's nice to be able to accelerate up to highway speeds and pass other vehicles on the road safely. And if that's important to you, it's clear the Ranger is the better choice here.
>>Join the conversation about the Ranger vs Hilux drag race right here in Ford-trucks.com.
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