WhistlinDiesel vs. Toyota Hillux: Legendary Durability on Full Display
This Toyota Hilux torture test shows what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
To paraphrase legendary cultural critic H. L. Mencken, “nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public,” and YouTuber WhistlinDiesel is a spectacular illustration of that quip. His channel is filled with clip after clip of destruction for destruction’s — and ad revenue’s — sake, and most of the time, I happily to ignore the kind of videos he’s famous for. But when I saw that he started a new series where he’s battling the legendarily stout Toyota Hilux, I simply had to watch.
Now, to be fully transparent here, my opinion of WhistlinDiesel hasn’t changed after watching the first and second installments of this torture test. That said, my respect for the Hilux has most definitely improved. Since I’ve watched the legendary Top Gear segments more times that I can count, I honestly didn’t think that was possible, so I have to hand it to WhistlinDiesel in that regard. Even given everything I know about the Hilux’s un-killable reputation, and the bevy of existing video evidence demonstrating it, see just how exceptionally well screwed together these little Toyotas are remains shocking.
In the first installment of Toyota Hilux Durability Test, WhistlinDiesel quickly demonstrated that he has the mechanical sympathy of a hand grenade, as he wound up bending the frame of the poor little rig — after going off roading with 2500 pounds of cinder blocks in the bed. Of course, that was hardly the first thing he did to it, as there are camera drones that spend less time in air than this Hilux. Safe to say, it’s a little tough to watch as a Toyota fan, even if I can appreciate the “science” happening here.
As you might expect, he got even more sadistic for the second installment. After an intro where he slides off the road and puts the truck on its side, he proceeds to hook it up to a gooseneck trailer, and pull a whopping 30,000 pounds. For those keeping score at home, that’s roughly ten times what it’s rated for, but instead of the turning its drivetrain into a pile of shrapnel, the truck happily lugs the load — even with a flat tire. What WD has in store for the Hilux next is anyone’s guess, though my guess is this brutalized baby still has a few tricks up her sleeve.
Photos: YouTube