I took Top Gear’s iconic Toyota Hilux off road

If you were a fan of Top Gear back in the mid-2000s, you’ll instantly recognise the truck I’m driving today. This is the Toyota Hilux which Arctic Trucks built to take Clarkson and May to the North Pole in 2007.

It’s a really special bit of kit – with a special ultra-low range gearbox, pneumatic locking differentials and massive 38-inch snow tyres. This Hilux is also still sporting the “bumper dumper” toilet seat mod on the tow bar, as well as the gun rack.

But how does it fare off road compared to the latest Arctic Trucks Hilux? Well to find out, I put it up against the Toyota Hilux AT37, which has 37-inch all-terrain tyres, upgraded front and rear differentials and adjustable high-travel suspension.

I subjected both of these trucks to a series of tough challenges to test their performance, grip, ground clearance and chassis articulation. The winner of each test gets two points, the loser gets one and if either doesn’t complete a challenge then it’s no points.

In an unplanned turn of events, YouTuber Colin Furze happened to be in the same quarry as us while we were setting up. I asked if he fancied being in the video, and he immediately whipped out his iconic shirt and tie and took the wheel of the Top Gear Hilux. Racing driver Sam was driving the new car.

The uphill drag race

I always like to start with a good old-fashioned drag race – this is Carwow after all. It was a muddy, uphill race to test both performance and grip, and I had a feeling we were starting on the back foot here.

Mine and Colin’s 2007 Hilux has a 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with 171hp and 360Nm of torque, whereas Sam’s AT37 has a 200hp 2.8-litre engine. It’s also on better tyres for this terrain, so my hopes weren’t high going in.

And they weren’t high at the end either, because we lost to the new car. It was close on the second run, but ultimately it was two points to Sam, and one to us.

The handling test

Next up, we hammered these trucks around a tight wooded area to see how manoeuvrable they are. Maybe Colin and I could claw some points back here.

Sam laid down the gauntlet at 23.58 seconds, and then we set off. It was all going so well until we got to the hairpin, which you have to do a three-pint turn to get around. Colin threw the Hilux into park instead of reverse, costing us a couple of precious seconds.

We completed the run in 25.03 seconds, handing another two points to Sam and the AT37. The score now stands at four points to Sam, and two to me and Colin.

The downhill crawl

Next up was a race to see who’s the slowest. It’s all about poise and control down a steep slope – simply let off the brakes at the top, and don’t touch them on the way down. The car which crosses the finish line last is the winner.

Sam’s truck had hill descent control, and ours didn’t. We do have the special low-range gearbox though, and we engaged the locking differentials for added drag.

This wasn’t enough in the end though. Even with some light cheating using the handbrake, the Top Gear Hilux reached the bottom first. We had to award Sam another two points, leaving the score at six-three in the AT37’s favour.

The chassis articulation test

This next test is all about the suspension. We drove up a rutted slope and back down the other side, and the winner was the car which does it in the smoothest fashion, not the fastest. We were judged by off-road expert Graham, who I spent the last few minutes before the challenge buttering up by complementing his rather dashing new haircut.

Colin and I also had the advantage here, because our massive tyres give us more ground clearance. We should also have better chassis articulation, which will allow the wheels to spend more time in contact with the ground and improve traction.

In truth, both of these cars walked this test. Graham had a hard time picking a winner, but in the end he landed on the Top Gear Hilux based on style. I think my sweet talking before the race may have had something to do with it as well.

Sam may have been displeased with this blatant favouritism, giving us some rude hand gestures as the points were awarded, but I didn’t really care about that because it’s now seven-five to Sam and the AT37. Colin and I had started closing the gap.

The side slope test

Our jacked-up suspension may play against us in this next test, because it’s all about stability and seeing how well these trucks can traverse muddy banks. Not something you come across in the North Pole.

Well both cars did very well, with minimal slip and plenty of grip to get up the bank. I think Graham has a bit of a soft spot for the Top Gear Hilux, or maybe it’s a soft spot for me, but either way he gave me and Colin the win.

That means the score now stands at eight-seven to the AT37. Sam was getting a bit hot under the collar, and a tad annoyed by my usual bending of the rules, but a win is a win.

Hill climb number one

Now it’s time for a hill climb up a really rocky slope. The aim here is to make it look as effortless as possible.

Sam made it look easy in the AT37, and it was going really well in the old Hilux as well. That was until a momentary hesitation from Colin got us stuck halfway up the hill. It’s nice having someone else to blame when these things go wrong, and it had nothing to do at all with my instructions. Promise.

That leaves the score at 10 to Sam and eight to us as we go into the final challenge.

The final ascent

The best we could hope for here was a draw, or that was at least until I moved the goalposts. I decided that the winner of this test takes all, and Sam reluctantly agreed on the condition that we go first.

This is the steepest and rockiest slope in the entire quarry, and the winner is the one which handles it the best according to Graham’s metrics.

And Graham decided that it was a dead heat between these two cars. Not even my best eyelash fluttering could get him to change his mind, which means we now have our final result.

Top Gear Polar Hilux vs new Toyota Hilux AT37 – the results

And it’s a draw between these two extreme off-roaders – proving that the iconic Top Gear Hilux can still cut the mustard in 2025 against the latest mud pluggers.

All that was left to do now was for me and Sam to take Colin on a tour of the quarry, with his vantage point being the bumper dumper. There was no way he was going to leave without having a go on it.

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