Here Is Why You Should Not Drive Like James Bond With A Toyota Hilux

The Swedish car safety inspectors at Teknikens Värld love to conduct a “moose test” on cars in order to ascertain its balance and reaction when doing evasive maneuvers at cruising speed. And in Sweden, drivers have to deal with that, that is dodging a moose at cruising speed. Auto manufacturers hate it because it puts a very visually unsettling strain on their vehicles. 

Back in 2007, TV tested the Hilux at 57 km/h and got catastrophic results. Almost a decade later, the new version of the same truck still looks scary-close to flipping over in the same test at close to the same speed. This was compared to other Pickups like the Ram 1500, Nissan Navara, Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max (Chevy Colorado) and Mitsubishi Triton and the results were significantly less dramatic.

TV reports that its tests are conducted “with the pickup trucks’ maximum load according to the specifications provided by the manufacturers.” This Hilux is rated to carry 2,209 pounds, but was only carrying 1,830 because the testers apparently ran out of weights. TV says that should rule out excessive weight being a problem.

“If (an overloaded truck) would be the case the suspension should have bottomed out but it didn’t. Instead I think the problem lies in the absence of anti-rollover systems and the grip of the tires,” says TV’s tester Ruben Börjesson.

Watch for yourself below;