Toyota Hilux vs Mercedes-Benz B-Class

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.

Every time I praise the entry-level MPVish hatchback from Mercedes around a few enthusiasts, I am greeted by looks that are partly gauging if I am drunk and partly trying to establish if I am even an auto journalist. So before we go down the same road, let us start by establishing certain facts – I live in a crowded city with traffic density equivalent or more than that in an anthill; the average speeds during daily commute are at times even lower than public transport, efficiency is important, comfort and convenience is a prerequisite and performance is a word that barely even crosses my mind.

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