Toyota Hilux vs Tata Punch

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.

The Tata Punch is currently one of the best-selling models from the carmaker's portfolio. We believe a CNG-powered version would make its case stronger and guess what? It is coming soon. It will share its engine option with the Altroz. Likewise, it will be made available with a similar twin-cylinder kit in the boot. Our first impressions of the premium hatchback are out here, and we shall now delve into the details of the new Punch i-CNG. Before we begin, let us bring to your notice that the one displayed at the 2023 Auto Expo looked identical to the standard Punch. The only difference between the two in terms of looks was the ‘i-CNG’ badge on the boot.

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