Toyota Hilux Raider X loses race against Ford Ranger single turbo

The Toyota Hilux Raider X’s 2.4-litre turbodiesel GD-6 engine has been around for a while.

But before the introduction of the Raider X this year, The Citizen Motoring has struggled to get its hands on one to test. The simple reason being manufacturers’ standard practice of having mostly flagship or top spec models in media fleets. With Toyota being no exception, every Hilux and Fortuner we have tested were powered by 2.8-litre GD-6 powertrains.

With the Toyota Hilux Raider X only offered in 2.4 guise, we finally got the chance to pit this mill against the clock at Gerotek. Why put a diesel bakkie through a high-performance test you may ask? Well, like Road Test Editor Mark Jones says, we live in bakkie country and anything bakkie-wise should be regarded as relevant.

ALSO READ: Ford Ranger destroys Toyota Hilux Legend, closes in on GR-S

Good in Toyota Hilux terms

Straight off the bat, the Raider X, recorded a time of 13.21 seconds in going from 0 to 100 km/h. It’s not looking all that great compared to the latest reiteration of the Ford Ranger, but once you put it into context, it’s actually very good.

Toyota Hilux Raider X proved to be faster than the 2.8-litre GD-6 before it received a power bump. In its previous state of tune, the 130 kW/ 450 Nm 2.8 Hilux Raider could only manage a time of 13.42.

ALSO READ: New Ford Ranger gives Toyota Hilux workhorses food for thought

The new version of the 2.8-litre mill, which produces 150 kW/500 Nm, managed to get the Legend RS from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.38 seconds. Only 0.97 seconds faster than the Raider X.

Its most direct rival in the Blue Oval’s stable, Ford Ranger XLT 4×4 double cab single turbo, ran a time of 11.74 seconds. But, the Ranger’s 2.0-litre single turbo produces 125 kW of power and 405 Nm of torque compared to the Raider X’s 110 kW/400 Nm.

And crucially, the Ranger is a six-speed auto, while the Hilux we tested was a six-speed manual. Whether we like to hear it or not, machine can shift more effectively than man.

ALSO READ: Ford Ranger single turbo drills Toyota Hilux and Nissan Navara

2.2 Ford Ranger no match

Compared to the previous generation Ford Ranger 2.2-litre, the Toyota Hilux Raider X is a Ferrari. This 118 kW/385 Nm 2.2-litre we tested in XL Sport 4×4 double cab guise could only clock a sprint time of 15.79 seconds. And it was automatic nogal!

The only data we have on record for the third member of South Africa’s big three bakkie club comes in the form of the Isuzu KB300 LX 4×4 AT double cab. It was powered by a 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine that made 130 kW/380 Nm, similar to the mill carried over to the sixth generation D-Max.

By running a time of 13.38 seconds, the Isuzu was also slower than the Toyota Hilux Raider X.

Raider X test results