A couple of weeks ago, we talked about a salt-flat drag race between two South African-spec pickup trucks. It was the Toyota Hilux Legend vs the Ford Ranger Thunder. These are the equivalent of the Hilux Conquest 4x4 and the Ranger Wildtrak Bi-turbo 4x4.
It's a six way drag race between South African-spec pickup trucks [Photo source: Cars.co.za]
This time around though, those mad guys at Cars.co.za have arranged a six-way race between six South African-spec utes. Included are the aforementioned models from Ford and Toyota, as well as the Isuzu-based Mazda BT-50, the new Nissan Navara, the Volkswagen Amarok, and Great Wall Motors P-series.
For the tale of the tape, the Ranger makes 210 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque. The Hilux is pretty close with 201 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque. It is then followed by the Mazda BT-50 and the Nissan Navara packing 187 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. The weakest in terms of engine output is the Chinese-made P-Series truck making 160 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque.
Six Bakkie Drag Race! Hilux vs Ranger vs Amarok vs P-Series vs BT-50 vs Navara (all 4x4) [Video source: Cars.co.za]
All of the aforementioned trucks use a 4x4 drivetrain and a turbocharged inline-4 diesel mill. The Ford Ranger of course stands out as it has two turbochargers. But ironically enough, the most powerful truck in this race is also the oldest. We’re talking about the Volkswagen Amarok which is also the odd one out as it is the only one of them that uses a V6. At most, it can make a beefy 254 horsepower and 580 Nm of torque.
So what happened during the race? Predictably, the Amarok won both races due to its superior horsepower and torque output. But surprisingly enough, the BT-50 managed to secure second place in both runs. The Navara was consistently the last, while the Ranger and Toyota Hilux took turns securing the third position. The P-Series managed to beat the Nissan model in both races for fifth place.
It came as no surprise that the V6-powered Amarok dominated the race [Photo source: Cars.co.za]
While many thought that this race was somewhat pointless, it was indeed fun to watch. So if you want to catch similar stories like mad drag races between brands, keep reading here on Philkotse.