The Ford Ranger Raptor has proven immeasurable success for the Blue Oval in South Africa. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Raptor range is a bit more conclusive but there might be some competition after the hint of a performance orientated Toyota Tundra in the near future.
Performance orientated off-roaders combine the ability to go anywhere while instilling a smile on the drivers face with speed and agility. Toyota are no stranger to creating capable, practical and utilitarian bakkies. The better known one in the USA is the Toyota Tundra, which is a chief Ford F-150 rival. The model is rumoured to receive some performance treatment to be able to go up against the F-150 Raptor which employs the same recipe as the Ranger Raptor here in South Africa.
The model which is currently in testing is stated to be very similar to the TRD Desert Chase model which was shown at last year’s SEMA. It was a design study to show what a performance orientated Toyota Tundra could be like and the platform it would likely be built on. Decision makers at the Japanese automaker have displayed serious interest in bringing the model to life in the near future.
In similar fashion to Raptor models, the performance orientated Toyota Tundra would employ higher speed off-roading capabilities with 37-inch tyres and improved suspension which most notably increases suspension travel when converging over jumps and dunes. The concept TRD Desert Chase made use of a 321 kW and 790 N.m from its hybrid powertrain with a production model potentially pushing out even greater performance numbers.
Toyota don’t sell the Tundra in our market but if the hot version of the model goes ahead in America, it is likely the brand may seriously consider giving the same treatment to the Hilux over here; providing the Ranger Raptor with a worthy performance adversary.