YouTubers often conduct tug of war events to compare the power of two vehicles
Here is an interesting post, which showcases a tug of war competition between a Toyota Fortuner and a Land Rover Defender. In the last few years, I have reported numerous instances of famous content creators coming up with tug of war instances to demonstrate the power of two vehicles. I must admit it might not be ideal since this takes a huge toll on the engines of the cars. Still, people seem to truly love such videos online. Let us take a look at who comes out on top this time around.
Toyota Fortuner vs Land Rover Defender Tug of War
This post stems from Crazy XYZ on YouTube. It is one of the biggest channels in India with over 34.6 million subscribers. On this occasion, the host and his team have the two iconic SUVs with them. The Defender boasts a 4×4 drivetrain, while the Fortuner comes with a 4×2 setup for this event. Initially, they try to perform this tug of war on a dirt track. However, the cars simply kept getting sunk into the ground with no real result. That is when they shifted to a concrete surface. Hence, it was certain that we would have a conclusive result.
In the first round, the two drivers accelerated hard. After a brief struggle, the Defender ended up pulling the Fortuner with vigour. For the second round, the drivers were swapped to ensure consistency in the results. Initially, the Defender’s driver let the Fortuner pull it for a short distance. However, when the Defender began accelerating, it took the Fortuner away with a mighty force. Clearly, for the Land Rover Defender, it was a relatively easy task. Towards the end of the video, the host mentioned that perhaps a tug of war between a Fortuner and a Mahindra Thar would be closer.
My View
I have always cautioned my readers against performing such tug of war events with their personal cars. While it looks cool on the internet, you must remember that it has the potential to cause long-term damage to the engine and other automotive parts, especially if done too aggressively. Even in this video, we saw the tyres, sort of, burning out and the smoke emanating from the rubber. Hence, it is great to consume such content online, but make sure to not put your cars through such torture.
Editor’s Note
Yatharth Chauhan, Managing Editor
As someone who has spent over 15 years covering the Indian automotive landscape, I can tell you that tug-of-war contests make for entertaining content but are hardly a fair benchmark of a vehicle’s real-world capability. The Defender’s 4×4 advantage over the 4×2 Fortuner already makes the outcome predictable. In India, factors like drivetrain, tyre grip and kerb weight play a far bigger role than just raw power in such duels. Enjoy these videos for fun, but remember, they don’t define which SUV is truly superior on our roads
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Also Read: Land Rover Defender vs Mahindra Thar – Tug of War
