In his recent drag strip showdown with a Toyota GR Land Cruiser, Qatari racing driver Nasser Al-Attiyah shows how his modded Toyota Hilux performs in a variety of conditions. Having won five Dakar rallies, including this year’s one, Al-Attiyah has no qualms about sending his ride skidding over dirt as the Land Cruiser remains on tarmac.
Both cars come powered by a 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6. The Land Cruiser gets 415 PS (409 hp / 305 kW) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque out of it. The Hilux is capped at 361 PS (356 hp / 266 kW) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque in accordance with the Dakar Rally regulations, but it has some modifications installed to compensate for that.
In fact, “some” is putting it mildly. According to Al-Attiyah, the headlights and the badge are the only OEM parts remaining. As a result, the truck tips the scales at around 2,000 kilos (4,410 pounds), while the Land Cruiser comes in at 2,630 kilos (5,800 pounds).
The video shows multiple races in different styles. There are some standard drag strip runs and some offbeat ones, like the race where the Hilux runs on dirt and the Land Cruiser on asphalt. The final test is also impressive, showing the performance of the brakes from 160 km/h (100 miles per hour) to a complete standstill.
