Pickup tug-of-war battles have become the spectacles these days. Just about everybody’s doing some form of it, and yes, this video is no different. This tug-of-war battle comes to us by way of Carwow, which decided to pit a Mercedes X-Class against a pair of Japanese trucks: the Isuzu D-Max and the Toyota Hilux. As with most tug-of-war scraps, the objective of this competition is to pull the other truck into your side of the set cone. Whichever pickup manages to carry out this goal wins. We’re not going to divulge the winner here because, well, where’s the fun in that?

Mercedes X-Class Tug O' War

With a 1.9-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 164 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, the D-Max was woefully outmatched by the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, which was powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel V-6 engine that produces 258 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Granted, this the turbo-diesel V-6 X-Class wasn’t supposed to be the D-Max’s foil in this particular battle — Carwow claims to have requested for the four-cylinder X-Class — but Mercedes sent it anyway and, well, you have to take what you’re given. The battle proceeded anyway, and somewhat surprisingly, Carwow} Yes, a draw.

This is where the Toyota Hilux comes into the picture. Unfortunately, the Hilux didn’t have a tow hitch in the back to mount the rope that would be used in the battle. But since the Hilux had to participate in the battle — Toyota would’ve been pissed if it was left in the sidelines — Carwow decided to use the truck’s towing eye in the front instead. It’s an awkward setup — the Hilux and D-Max were facing one another and pulling from the same side — that had its share of potential safety issues, but ultimately, the battle lines were laid out. The Hilux, with its 2.4-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 150 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque would join the D-Max in a good ‘ole fashion Japan vs Germany, two-on-one handicap tug-of-war battle.

Would the joint might of the Japanese trucks have enough power, torque, and pulling power (they certainly had more wheels) to upend the mighty German X-Class and its bigger and more powerful engine?

I’d like to tell you the result of this handicap battle, but it might be best to just go ahead and watch the video. It’s better if you find out who the winner — or winners? — turned out to be.