1st Comparison Test Amarok v Hilux DC 4x4s

[Sharkie]

I received the latest South African Car magazine (www.carmag.co.za (http://www.carmag.co.za)) over the weekend and it has a full comparison test in it.

Car magazine SA has been in business for over 70 years and is considered the bible of automotive magazines in South Africa, I grew up with it and I still consider it to be 1 of the best publications anywhere .... it certainly is better than the Motor & Wheels here in Oz.

So, the test .... (now don't ask to put copies up as I'm not going to expose myself to copyright issues)

Design & packaging ... a win for the Amarok, they like the shape overall and the size of the load bed, a concern is the gap between load bed floor and the closed tailgate which apparently will let dust in whilst closed.

Comfort & features ... a win for the Amarok, it is as we know in a different league compared to any other DC out there. Features & options as well as perceived build quality are standouts. Rear seat space if another winner. Slight question mark on durability of some items.

Performance ... a win for the Hilux (surprisingly). Near identical 0-100times etc, but overall impressions go the Hilux way. Gearbox and slickness thereof was not as good as the Hilux, power drops off dramatically over 4000rmin whereas the Hilux still has some left at that point. Vibrations through the drivedrain another question mark. Overall impression is that the Hilux is more driveable through the rev range especially off-road.

Ride, handling & brakes ... a win for the Amarok. On road performance by far superior, off-road not even close to the Hilux apparently. Comfort in all conditions goes to the Amarok, but the loss of feel off-road means its hard to determine what its doing and can land you in trouble.

Fuel Consumption ... a win for the Amarok, by 1.12l/100km over the course of the test.

Value for money ... a dead heat.

The Verdict ... a very narrow win for the Amarok, with the provisio that if you intend to spend your time on-road, its the 1 to have and if you spend any lenghty amount of time off bitumen, to buy the Hilux. They have some concernc about the vaibility and longetivity of the 2.0BTDI and the Amarok's ability overall to handle any rough stuff.

To quote ..." So its Hilux for the tough stuff and expeditions, Amarok for everything else."

[Guy_H]

Maybe the 3.0TDI would be a better engine for it :)

[gavs]

Maybe the 3.0TDI would be a better engine for it :)

Maybe, but we still reckon the 2.0TDI is better than the hilux 3ltr :)

By the way, congrats on another good showing in the Hot Tuner challenge Guy :)

[Guy_H]

:bigok: Cheers Gavs

[Transporter]

Maybe, but we still reckon the 2.0TDI is better than the hilux 3ltr :)

Credit to Toyota for good fuel economy, though. One would expect greater difference in fuel consummation between 2.0L and 3.0L engine.

[disco2300]

Thanks Sharkie
As an owner of a 2010 Hilux SR5 diesel auto I would agree with the engine comment. I have owned a euro dieselk and the Toyota is way better from an acceleration point of view, no lag at all through the rev range. My X5 had turbo lag, the Hilux has none no matter when you put the foot down. This said I am still very interested in the Amarok once it comes out in auto.

[gldgti]

Thanks Sharkie
As an owner of a 2010 Hilux SR5 diesel auto I would agree with the engine comment. I have owned a euro dieselk and the Toyota is way better from an acceleration point of view, no lag at all through the rev range. My X5 had turbo lag, the Hilux has none no matter when you put the foot down.

what about in manual? The auto can make up for any lag by giving you extra torque due to slip in the turque converter while the tiny turbo takes its short little while to spool...and it revs up a bit which helps the spool aswell. On the other hand, as soon as you ask for torque with a manual, you have to wait for the turbo. just wondering if you have had a manual one or not? :-)

[disco2300]

what about in manual? The auto can make up for any lag by giving you extra torque due to slip in the turque converter while the tiny turbo takes its short little while to spool...and it revs up a bit which helps the spool aswell. On the other hand, as soon as you ask for torque with a manual, you have to wait for the turbo. just wondering if you have had a manual one or not? :-)

Hi no I haven't had a manual. I test drove a Triton as well and it just stood out to me when I drove the Toyota. With the X5 i had you mainly noticed it when you approached a red light or a corner and then had to accelerate again without coming to a complete stop. With the Toyota it doesn't matter how you drive it there is no lag.

[hitoriko]

pretty much what i would expect for VW

They will never beable to build a 4WD that will be good enough to 4WD. The plus for VW is that the Amarok is the best looking ute out at the moment alot of tradies will buy this. I have no doubt that this will be a great seller for VW

Look out for Amaroks on 22" wheel in a street/road/freeway near you...............

[Seano]

No surprise. But then true off road is probably not what VW is targeting. Just the perception that it is 'possible'...

After all how many DC utes in Oz actually get regularly taken onto a unmaintained bush or rural track for a serious bit of trail bashing? Bugger all is the answer. Even those DC utes that live away from the cities rarely go on anything more serious than a poorly maintained gravel road.

South Africa on the other hand....has a very different market and therefore different needs.

Of course, perception is more important than reality in the Australian DC market - most of the people that buy them dream of doing 'something' with them....and very rarely do.

Even the current Hilux is nowhere near as capable in a true rough off road situation as its much lauded live axle predecessor of the late 80's and early 90's. But it is a far far far nicer thing to drive as an all round experience. Call it the price of progress.....

[flyingfridge]

Of course, perception is more important than reality in the Australian DC market - most of the people that buy them dream of doing 'something' with them....and very rarely do.


Never a truer word has been spoken. Not just dual cabs either, everything.

[Sharkie]

This is the telling factor as far as useable power goes ....

Hilux Power band
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/11/HiluxPower-2.jpg

Changing at max power almost always gets you back in the torque band.

Amarok Power band

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/11/AmarokPower-2.jpg

Very small spread of max torque (500r/mins in fact) and changing gears at max power has you outside the torque band every time.

Anybody wishing to buy an Amarok and talking its power "advantages" up, needs to study these bands very closely......

[flyingfridge]

Don't pay too much attention to those Sharkie, those graphs are written to make the Hilux's engine look better when in fact it isn't. The Amarok's peak torque band is indeed narrower, however the Amarok peaks much higher and holds more torque across the rev range than the Hilux. Remember performance is about the curve, not just where and how much the peak is.

For instance, based on your graphs, where the Amarok drops back to 2000-3000 rpm between shifts (after a 4000rpm shift which is very, very high for a diesel), it is still producing between 380-350Nm of torque which is still more than the Hilux's peak production of 343Nm.

This is the 132 Transporter power/torque curve. As you see peak power is achieved very low but torque production is still very consistent across the rev range. The 120 Amarok engine is the same unit, just with a slightly different map.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1864/t5gppowercurve.jpg

[gavs]

Sam, having driven both and listened to other peoples experiences testing both back to back, what you have said is exactly right. 800kgs in the back of both, 30-40 degree incline, amarok in 6th and still pulling, hilux in 4th, reving it's tits off, if you put it in 5th, you start going backwards.

Don't forget people though, we are comparing the higher spec twin turbo unit, don't be surprised if the singe turbo motor doesn't outperform the competition.

On a side note, Nissan will very soon be claiming bragging rights with a turbocharged v6 diesel about to be fitted into the D40 Navara and Pathfinder!

[Sharkie]

Don't pay too much attention to those Sharkie, those graphs are written to make the Hilux's engine look better when in fact it isn't. The Amarok's peak torque band is indeed narrower, however the Amarok peaks much higher and holds more torque across the rev range than the Hilux. Remember performance is about the curve, not just where and how much the peak is.

For instance, based on your graphs, where the Amarok drops back to 2000-3000 rpm between shifts (after a 4000rpm shift which is very, very high for a diesel), it is still producing between 380-350Nm of torque which is still more than the Hilux's peak production of 343Nm.

This is the 132 Transporter power/torque curve. As you see peak power is achieved very low but torque production is still very consistent across the rev range. The 120 Amarok engine is the same unit, just with a slightly different map.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/

I actually have the torque graphs for both the Hilux and Amarok .... at 3500rmin they have identical torque and at 4000rmin the Hilux have about 40NM more than the Amarok. It has a gentler slope curving down whilst the Amarok has quite a steep drop, and it gets much worse from 4000rmin onwards.