This article explores the relationship between engine power and driver satisfaction or engagement. Using the Toyota Hilux as an example, it explains how engine power outputs have progressed over the years and the impact this has had on the enjoyment of driving.

I chose the hilux because it’s a nameplate that’s been around for ages and so has a good lineage of engines. Also it’s one of the most popular vehicles in Australia, and I’ve got one.

Here’s my Hilux, built in 2007, although the rear axle is of 2014 heritage.

The Engines

The Hilux has come in many variants and engines. This article is not a complete guide to the engine variants. I have picked one variant per time period to illustrate the power progression. To make it an easy linear progression I’ve picked only diesel engines. This ties it in with the Why No Diesel Performance Chip article.

The Hilux first came to Australia in the late 60s, initially only available with a petrol engine. Some time in the late 70s it was released with a diesel engine, the “L” engine, a 2.2 litre 4 cylinder with a feeble 50kW of power. Then in the early 80s the engine displacement was increased to 2.4 litres for the “2L” engine. It developed around 62kW. In the late 80s the engine again increased in size to 2.8 litres whilst producing around 67kW (the “3L” engine).

The age of turbo diesels came upon us some time in the mid 90s. This delivered a nice step change in performance, with the 1KZ-TE 3.0 litre turbo diesel producing around 85kW.

Then in 2005 we saw the introduction of common rail turbo diesel technology and another big step change in performance. The 1KD-FTV 3.0 litre engine, which is the engine in my Hilux, produces around 126kW of power. Finally in 2015 the current engine was introduced – the 1GD-FTV 2.8 litre, which now has 150kW of power.

The power progression is summarised in the graph below:

Dealing With Low Power

The old hiluxes that initially arrived in Australia had minuscule power outputs compared to modern standards. Would it be safe to assume that in those days people were generally unimpressed with the performance? That’s so long ago, I have no idea what humans were like back then or even if they existed. Lets skip straight to the late 90s with the 85kW 1KZ-TE engine.

Imagine being a Hilux owner back in the late 90s. The meagre 85kW of power seems so inadequate. A typical owner must have been thinking:

“This pathetic engine has been artificially constrained by the environmental fun police and purposely de-tuned by Toyota and it’s so lethargic and boring to drive and dangerous to overtake and dangerous to pull out into traffic and bogs down in soft sand and can’t tow my big van. I need more power.”

So to solve these problems the Hilux owner gets his engine modified. Nothing too drastic, he spends a couple of grand installing an electronic device that adjusts fuel injection and provides a safe 20% more power. That brings the total power output to 102kW. Now the owner of the vehicle would be thinking:

“Finally. After making good the mistakes of the original manufacturer, at last, I have enough power. This modification was worth every cent. I can overtake effortlessly, soft sand is a breeze and I can easily tow my big van. The car is a pleasure to drive. I’ll be recommending this modification to everybody. I’m a driving enthusiast getting the most out of my investment. Finally I can enjoy my driving experience. Finally the ladies are starting notice me. I am satisfied. I am happy.”

At this point you must be thinking that the aftermarket industry for engine modifications has completely evaporated, since a Hilux straight out of the factory already has 150kW whilst 102kW is enough to be satisfied. Well I am here to tell you that the aftermarket industry is thriving and that people with the brand new 150kW Hilux are using the exact same reasons to chase more power as they did in the older Hilux. And after the modification they’re reporting the exact same positive results as with the older Hilux. Now we can make the following observation:

Hilux owners are reporting that 150kW is not enough power to be satisfied whilst simultaneously reporting that 102kW is enough power to be satisfied

This is a contradiction. In science and maths, when a theory produces a contradiction, it means the theory is wrong. In this case we can make the following conclusion:

The reasons for wanting more power, and the reported benefits from having more power, are BULLSHIT

It was bullshit in the 90s and it’s still bullshit today. If 102kW is enough there must be some other motivators that keep people wanting more.

The first Porsche 911 had 96kW of power. Did people think the original 911 had an engaging driving experience? Owners were either completely miserable and disappointed, or the correlation between power and satisfaction is bullshit. Actually the 96kW old Porsche probably had a more engaging experience than modern much more powerful vehicles. With the old Porsche I’d speculate that the driver felt connected to the vehicle, experienced to a high degree the sensations of the vehicle dynamics and felt in control of the vehicle. With modern performance vehicles the experience is dulled down so much, so refined, and the machine has so much control, that you might as well be driving a computer simulation.

You can have a thrilling experience on a mountain bike that only has about 0.2kW of human derived pedal power – about 750 times less than the the power output of the current model Hilux. So what is really happening?

The Truth

Modern cars have heaps of power. A butt load of power. More power than you or anyone else needs. The current Hilux has 200% more power than the 70s Hilux. And it has around 76% more power than the 90s Hilux. I don’t recall an epidemic of depressed people in the 90s complaining about the misery and grief that they’re suffering from at the hands of their underpowered vehicles. In fact rates of anxiety and depression have gone up despite much more powerful cars!

So why are people chasing more power? The answer:

People want more power because they are dumbass consumer suckers

And why do people report happiness from more engine power? The answer:

People report happiness from more engine power because they are dumbass consumer suckers

Dumbass consumer suckers have two key characteristics:

1. They suffer from an illness called status anxiety so they buy things as a way of self medicating or in an attempt to elevate themselves compared to others.
2. As a method adopted by businesses to extract money from them, they’ve been convinced to believe that there’s a correlation between engine power, or more generally material possessions, and life satisfaction or happiness, even though this is scientifically proven to be false.

So the consumer sucker is stuck in a never ending cycle of feeling inadequate, consuming, being dissatisfied, and then consuming again. That’s why they will forever want more engine power regardless of the amount of power they have.

Conclusion

I agree it might be a bit harsh labelling a large portion of readers as dumbass consumer suckers. The language might be a tad strong. Think of it as “stirring the pot”.

There’s a point to this article that could be useful to some humans. Even the dumb ones like the die hard consumer suckers. Think carefully about how you allocate your limited resources. Check that you are not wasting resources to conform to some bullshit that you’ve been trained to believe. Seek status through your good character, hard work and service to others rather than from your material possessions.

There’s a lot of waste in modern culture. If you can reduce your waste you will enjoy greater freedom and open up the possibility to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

Checkout outbackjoe on facebook

See also:

Why You Shouldn’t Support Mandatory Vaccinations

Diff Locker Front or Rear?

Why a Ute? Why Toyota Hilux?

Diff Locker vs Traction Control

Tyre Pressure Guide

Why Wide Tyres Don’t Help in Sand

How to Catch Mulloway

How to Catch Barramundi

XXXX Gold – The Great Mystery of the Top End

back to Australian Travel, General Travel and Miscellaneous

more articles by outbackjoe