Despite the TRD badges, there’s nothing Toyota Racing Development has done to the thing under the bonnet. So it retains its 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine with 130kW of power (at 3400rpm) and 450Nm of torque (at 2400rpm), and nothing has been changed to the six-speed auto apart from the TRD gear-knob.

That’s still a shortfall to the Ranger, with its turbo-diesel five-cylinder engine churning out 147kW at 3000rpm and 470Nm of torque at 2500rpm, with a six-speed automatic taking care of swapping between cogs.

The HiLux’s grunt disadvantage is noticeable on the road, but it’s not as marked as you might think. Sure, the Ford feels more effortless in the mid-range, but that vehicle has a bit more turbo lag from a standstill under hard throttle and runs out of puff sooner the higher the revs go. The Toyota, in comparison, is a little more linear in its progress, and it’s mostly quieter as well.

The Toyota’s transmission offers decisive shifts, and if you engage the drivetrain’s Power mode the gearbox holds the engine in gears a little longer, making easier work of load hauling if you need it, while also improving throttle response. If you’re just running around town without a load on, you won’t need it.

The Ford may not have the best refinement and while it can be a little sluggish if you flatten the throttle at a stop, if you’re a little more measured with your right foot application you’ll notice that the thing feels more urgent, such is the throttle sensitivity. We’ve found in the past that the throttle touchiness can be a bit annoying off road, because it isn’t as easy to modulate.

There’s bugger all in it in terms of claimed fuel use: Ford’s larger capacity engine is said to use 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres, compared with the Toyota’s smaller four-pot at 8.5L/100km. That’s on paper, at least: the Ford used more like 11.2L/100km on test, compared with the Toyota at 10.1L/100km.