Pickups are more popular than ever, giving shoppers a wide range of choices. There’s a new Ford Ranger available alongside the similar Volkswagen Amarok. In Raptor and PanAmericana guise, the two faced off against the Toyota Hilux GR Sport in a series of drag races.
The Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana packs a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine under its hood. It produces 240 horsepower and 442 pound-feet (600 Newton-meters) of torque which is paired with a 10-speed automatic gearbox.
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The Toyota Hilux GR Sport suffers greatly from its 2.8 liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. It produces just 204 hp and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque with a six-speed automatic transmission between engine and all-wheel drive. It is the lightest of the three at 4,683 pounds (2,125 kilograms). The Amarok tipped the scales at 5,061 lbs (2,296 kg).
The Ranger Raptor was the heaviest in this battle at 5,410 lbs (2,454 kg), but he also had the most power to motivate his mass. Under the hood is a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged Blue Oval EcoBoost V6 engine that develops 292 hp and 362 lb-ft (491 Nm) of torque via a 10-speed automatic gearbox.
The Ranger’s strength advantage helped him win every drag race, including two roll races. Volkswagen struggled in the first race finishing in third place, but came in second, with Hilux close behind.
The Ranger Raptor completed the quarter mile in 16.0 seconds. Volkswagen needed 17.1 seconds, while Toyota needed 17.7 seconds to finish the race. The only segment the Ranger was missing was a final brake test, which Volkswagen won.
The three pickups are the latest examples of the segment’s popularity. The new VW Amarok and Ford Ranger share platforms as part of a larger deal between the two automakers, but both companies are doing a lot of work to differentiate the two trucks.
The Ford Ranger Raptor offered across the pond also doesn’t produce as much power as the American version. In the US, the Raptor debuted earlier this year with the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, but making 405 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque.
When Volkswagen revealed the second-generation Amarok last July, it also introduced the off-road-oriented PanAMericana variant, which is not a Ranger Raptor competitor and is the only available variant in the lineup that comes standard with a rear differential lock.
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Just before Ford unveils the European Ranger Raptor in February 2022, Toyota is updating the Hilux GR Sport, which the automaker has offered since 2018. This fight.
We may see more competition in this segment in the coming years. Trucks of all sizes remain popular, and mid-size is a crowd pleaser, even though the Toyota Tacoma dominates the US market. However, buyers shouldn’t expect to see the Amarok in US dealerships anytime soon as VW doesn’t plan to offer it in North America.
That doesn’t mean VW has ruled out bringing the truck to the US. One is being considered and will not have under-the-hood combustion power. A plug-in hybrid or all-electric truck is more likely, with the company to decide before the end of the year, which could spice up the segment.
