Toyota Hilux vs Fiat Abarth 595

I'm smitten by pickup trucks and their versatility. So, there's no second guessing what I chose when the Toyota Hilux made it to the line-up of the fourth edition of CarWale's annual off-road day. In fact, it was the only massive pickup amongst SUVs here. To cope with the bulk, it has a 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine producing 200bhp and 500Nm of torque. All this power is routed through a six-speed torque converter automatic to the four-wheel-drive system. The latter gets High (H4) and Low (L4) range paired with electronic 2WD/4WD control. Despite the length, it has good approach (29.22degree) and departure (26.36degree) angles and runs on stock Bridgestone tyres (265/60 R18). Let's see how it performed.

A turbocharged petrol engine, paddle shifts, performance genes and a car built by the Italians - What more could I ask for my first outing on the Buddh International Circuit – India’s first and only Formula One spec race-track. I went out there, testing the Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione – the latest offering from the Fiat-Chrysler conglomerate – to find out if it manages to tingle the taste buds of the rich performance enthusiasts of the country.

To celebrate what we have left, we gather a bunch of true-blue 4x4s every year and give them hell!