Ford Ranger Battles VW Amarok And Toyota Hilux In Off-Road Challenge

The Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, and Volkswagen Amarok are three of the biggest names in the European truck market. A new video from Carwow stars rugged versions of these pickups and puts them through a bunch of challenges that test their off-road ability.

All three of these trucks pack turbodiesel engines. The Ford has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 213 horsepower (159 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque. The Toyota has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 148 hp (110 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm). Lastly, the VW packs a 3.0-liter V6 producing 204 hp (152 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm).

The tests include a race up a muddy hill as a challenge of their traction and acceleration. The trucks also have to crawl over undulating terrain, and they then climb sideways up a steep slope. Next, there's a race around a narrow, U-shaped course. Finally, there's a test of the vehicles' hill descent control to see which one is the slowest going down the dirt hill.

While the Ford and Toyota have features like a low-range transfer case and locking rear differential, the Amarok gets by with just a traction control system and off-road driving mode. However, the VW tech is good to get its truck a victory in several of the challenges.

The final test involves running the trucks through a pond and seeing which one makes the biggest splash. Carwow lets its audience pick the winner, but we would give the nod to the Hilux with the Ranger in a close second.