I drive that hill all the time - make no mistake it is brutal. I agree there were concessions to keep America's favorite mid-size in the game - I think the Toyota was maxed out, could not have done that run one second faster. The Ranger on the other hand was constrained by the TFL ground rules that they are not allowed to exceed the speed limit - and per their own rules they have to back off at a certain speed. The sound meter was the give away -the Ranger was barely breathing heavy and could have gone up that hill 75 mph or better.
One thing for sure it proved something I have always wondered about all Toyota trucks - low gears! 3:91 rear, are you kidding me? That Toyota V6 was right at the red line all the way up!
When I tow my camper (2500 lbs + internal load) up that very same hill in my 2008 Explorer 4.0 V6 5R55W, 3:55, I just go manually to 3rd gear and run it up till the tach is 3500-4000 and keep to the right hand lane out of the way. The old Ford maintains around 55 mph all the way up. I could push it a bit harder but I don't see why I should.