Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux were put through a string of tests to find out which is the better off-roader
Within Toyota’s global range, the Land Cruiser has earned a reputation for its off-road capabilities and midway through this year, the J300 series was introduced. The Hilux is another capable off-the-tarmac machine as the pickup truck brings in loads of practicality and it will go on sale in January 2022 in India as well.
The Hilux shares its platform with the Fortuner and Innova Crysta and both the vehicles are Toyota’s top-sellers in the domestic market and are heavily localised as well. The Land Cruiser and Hilux are capable as well as reliable but which is the better off-roader? Here we have a head-to-head comparison from Carwow giving us clear insights.
The Land Cruiser used for this comparison was the Commerical Edition and it featured bare basic equipment such as steel wheels and a manual gearbox. It derived power from a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine producing a maximum power output of 204 PS and 420 Nm of peak torque – the same GD series powertrain is offered in the India-spec Fortuner as well.
The Toyota Hilux Invincible X variant was equipped with the same 2.8-litre oil-burner in this comparison and it produced similar power but the torque output stands at 500 Nm. Amongst a series of tests was the uphill drag race and the Land Cruiser shone but on paper, the Hilux should have won this as it had a higher torque rating and quicker transmission.
On the downhill descent control test, the Hilux took the win as it had a proper hill descent mode over the Land Cruiser. The time trial navigation test saw the SUV recording 21.63 seconds while the Hilux managed to do 23.40 seconds as the former emerged on top with a two to one lead. The Hilux pulled one back with a victory in the articulation test.
This was due to its lock rear diff and longer wheelbase compared to the LC. The other two tests were rollover and breakover angles, and a straightforward climb up a steep section. The video is linked above for you to see!