Many manufacturers offer toughened-up utes. Cars like the Ranger Raptor, Nissan Navara Warrior and Toyota HiLux Mako bring suspension tweaks, underbody armour and cosmetic changes to some of NZ’s most popular models. But they also have power figures to match lesser versions powered by the same four-cylinder engines. The Trail Boss kicks sand in their face with a 6.2-litre V8 sending 313kW and 624Nm to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Camaro-sourced V8 brings more than double the power of a dual-cab HiLux, and its 4.2 tonne towing capacity more doubles that of the Ranger Raptor. Which is fair enough as it costs about twice as much as a regular ute.