It’s easy to compare performance vehicles. Line them up and let them race, and the quickest car wins. However, judging off-road vehicles is more involved than running a drag race. Carwow does a lot of drag race videos, but its latest highlights two off-road-oriented vehicles – the Toyota Land Cruiser and the mighty Mercedes-AMG G63. Both have superior off-road chops, but that doesn’t mean they are equals in the dirt.
The video puts the two SUVs through a series of challenges designed to test their off-road capability. There is a massive price gap between the two models, and that’s evident under the hood. The Toyota has a 2.8-liter turbodiesel that makes 204 horsepower (152 kilowatts) and 309 pound-feet (420 Newton-meters) of torque. The Toyota has a manual, too. The AMG G63 packs the brand’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 585 hp (436 kW) and 626 lb-ft (850 Nm) of twist.
Gallery: 2021 Mercedes-AMG G63: Off-Road Feature
The challenges are designed to test the full capability of the vehicles, starting with a simple, uphill drag race that the Toyota wins. The second challenge has the two navigating down a slope to see which can reach the bottom last to determine their decent control. The rest of the challenges test the vehicles’ maneuverability, suspension travel, ground clearance, and department and approach angles.
The Mercedes struggles with its larger footprint and street tires, but its taller ride height makes it easy to navigate the uneven terrain. The Mercedes is far more expensive, luxurious, and powerful than the Toyota, but the Toyota ekes out a win over the G63 by one point. Even the Mercedes’ street-oriented setup still impressed on the off-road course. The G63 might not be every off-roader’s go-to vehicle, but it’s still plenty capable if you don’t worry too much about the expensive paint and chrome exhaust tips.
