ROGUE TRADER
Toyota T is fighting back against its rivals with a tough-looking new workhorse
Australia’s fascination with ever bigger, tougher and more capable utes means manufacturers can’t afford to let rivals claim the high ground. The debut of an impressive new Ford Ranger threatens to topple Toyota’s Hilux as Australia’s favourite diesel pick-up.
So Toyota has sent the Hilux to the gym. Looking like a powerlifter in a skin-tight Tshirt, the new Hilux Rogue has a muscular, broad-shouldered appearance that suddenly makes the regular SR5 seem a little weedy.
Priced from $70,200 plus on-road costs (about $78,500 drive-away), the Rogue costs about $9000 more than an equivalent SR5 with leather trim and an automatic transmission.
It represents a significant change to the Hilux.
The more muscular body comes with a 140mm increase in track width that gives the machine a broader stance.
An extra 20mm of ground clearance adds to the imposing look, joined by charcoal-painted 18-inch alloys that look appropriately tough.
New disc brakes replace drums on the wider rear axle, while a rear sway bar helps to make the machine more stable in the bends.
Retuned suspension rounds out the mechanical changes for the Rogue. It also has niceties such as a nine-speaker JBL stereo and a tray trimmed in washable carpet-like material, covered by a powered roller blind.
Toyota Australia vice president Sean Hanley says it’s important for the Rogue to offer more than cosmetic changes.
“With its wider track and increased ride height, the improved Hilux Rogue not only looks the part, but plays it too,” he says.
“Its improved driveability on and off road combined with its tough new look and keen pricing make the new Hilux Rogue a particularly enticing proposition for Toyota customers.”
But the Rogue leaves more than a few stones unturned.
It has the same 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine as regular Hilux models, a 150kw and 500Nm unit that works well enough in isolation but can’t match the effortless punch of six-cylinder rivals.
It gets the job done but sounds and feels stressed compared to the best in class.
The same goes for a six-speed automatic transmission and on-demand four-wheel-drive system that fall short of sophisticated full-time all-wheel-drive alternatives with extra gear ratios that do a better job keeping engines on the boil.
Out on the road, the Rogue’s wider track and reworked suspension return a confidenceinspiring drive. It feels planted at highway speed, helped by meaty steering and a reworked rear end that resists excessive roll.
But the back suspension is a little too stiff when unladen, feeling bouncy over bumps compared with more settled alternatives.
Given that folks are unlikely to tip a tonne of topsoil into its carpeted tray, we reckon the Rogue could have been tuned with everyday driving as a higher priority than worksite credentials.
Other gripes include an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto that feels adequate rather than impressive when rivals have larger displays with wireless charging and smartphone mirroring.
The same goes for the small electronic readout in the driver’s cluster that isn’t a patch on increasingly common wide-screen digital dashboards.
The Hilux’s safety credentials are also less impressive than fresher alternatives. It lacks the Ranger’s front centre airbag and reverse auto braking.
VERDICT
The tough-looking Rogue’s masculine appearance increases its appeal but other elements are showing their age.