Mention of a Corolla made me think back to my old AE82 4A-GE - Toyota (Honda too) are the masters of matching lower torque and free revving engines to provide both durability and surprisingly useable acceleration over and over. This limits things like torque steer and protects the gearbox and drivetrain under full load & throttle.
Big torque isn't everything, it's a balancing act. Get the Kws right and readily usable, keep the unnecessary weight out of a just big enough vehicle, and give it enough torque to keep the engine from feeling asthmatic and she'll work a treat.
F250's are outstanding (especially with a lift and Bank's treatment).
So for that matter is the new Hilux. Offroader's though would take the old model anyday, unbreakable and better offroad, good enough on.
The new Cruiser is basically filling the traditional worktruck Hilux market because the newy has softened just enough to be a real option for so many more buyers as an RV or work ute. The new 3.0 diesel for example has more torque by far than the old and is outstanding in Prado tune, yet the old donk was better for towing. It's sort of like a 4.0 inline compared to a higher Kw 4.0 V6.
Think of the new Cruiser as being like a stock horse or even a quarter horse. While I think that way, Subaru bring back the Brumby.
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