A recent YouTube video pits five recently released pickups up against each other in a series of elimination races meant to reduce the impact of their structural and performance differences on the outcomes.
The first race is held between a Ford Maverick and a Hyundai Santa Cruz, two similarly sized, built and equipped models. In their top trims, the Maverick produces 254 PS (250 hp / 186 kW) and the Santa Cruz 275 PS (271 hp / 202 kW). Both are turbocharged, but while the Maverick defaults to a traditional automatic gearbox, the Santa Cruz uses a DCT. In the end, the Korean truck barely wins by a body length or so.
Another race sees it oppose a facelifted Nissan Frontier, the only contender with a naturally aspirated engine. The 3.8-liter V6 hits a nine-speed A/T with 314 PS (310 hp / 231 kW). The Santa Cruz had a fumbled start this time around, giving the Frontier driver some headway, but was able to catch up with it midway and win with a bigger gap than the first time.
The third race was against a Toyota Tundra powered by a 3.5-liter turbocharged six-cylinder with 394 PS (389 hp / 290 kW). The Tundra used its eight-speed automatic transmission to win this battle. It then challenged the Ford F-150 Raptor with 457 PS (451 hp / 336 kW) and barely managed to squeeze a win despite its lack of horsepower.