UK: Ford Ranger Raptor fights Toyota Hilux GR Sport, VW Amarok in drag races

Pickups are more popular than ever, giving buyers a plethora of options. There's a new Ford Ranger available alongside the similar Volkswagen Amarok. In their Raptor and PanAmericana guises, the two face off against the Toyota Hilux GR Sport in a series of drag races.

The Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana packs a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine under the bonnet. It produces 240 bhp and 442 pound-feet (600 Newton-metres) of torque that pairs with a 10-speed automatic gearbox. 

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The Toyota Hilux GR Sport is significantly disadvantaged with its 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. It makes just 204 bhp and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of twist with a six-speed automatic between the engine and all-wheel-drive system. It is the lightest of the trio at 2,125 kilograms (4,683 pounds). The Amarok tips the scales at 2,296 kg (5,061 lbs).

The Ranger Raptor is the chunky one in this battle at 2,454 kg (5,410 lbs), but it also has the most power to motivate its mass. Under the bonnet is the Blue Oval's twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 engine churning out 292 bhp and 362 lb-ft (491 Nm) of torque through its 10-speed auto gearbox.

The Ranger's power advantage helped it win every drag race, including the two rolling ones. The Volkswagen struggled in the first race with a third-place finish, but it took second in the rest, with the Hilux bringing up the rear.

The Ranger Raptor completed the quarter-mile in 16.0 seconds. It took the Volkswagen 17.1 seconds, while the Toyota needed 17.7 seconds to finish the race. The only segment the Ranger lost was the brake test at the end, which the Volkswagen won.

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The three pickups are the latest examples of the segment's popularity. The new VW Amarok and Ford Ranger share a platform as part of a larger agreement between the two automakers, but both companies did a lot of work to differentiate the two trucks.

The Ford Ranger Raptor offered across the pond also doesn't make as much power as the American version. In the US, the Raptor debuted earlier this year with the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 engine, but making 405 bhp 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 isn't a Ranger Raptor competitor and is the only variant available in the lineup to come standard with a rear differential lock.

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Just before Ford revealed the European Ranger Raptor in February 2022, Toyota updated the Hilux GR Sport, which the automaker has offered since 2018. The pickup got a power bump but still pales compared to the potent Ford, which handily trounced it and the Amarok in this fight.