The going gets tougher-er

HILUX: IT IS ON THE INSIDE THAT THE DIFFERENCES SHOW WITH THE BLACK EDITION

Workhorse looks, and feels, just like a Lexus. No kidding – it really is that good.

You know your product has achieved legendary status when people start telling stories about it – good stories, of course. In the case of Toyota’s Hilux bakkies, there are plenty of stories out there … most of them told by proud owners wanting to put one over on the competitors.

Hilux owners have no problem in arguing, as the ad says, that their choice of vehicle is “tougher-er” than everything else out there. And they love having a laugh, too.

Two Hilux stories come to mind – and I don’t apologise for re-telling them.

One Hilux owner was complaining that “Hiluxes are not what they used to be…” Pause for effect. “Ja, boet, you know I actually had to replace the inside light bulb the other day – and after only 180 000km!”

Around a braai (and that’s where you’ll hear the best Hilux stories) in Namibia, a geologist told me the Tale of two 4x4s – The Land Rover and The Hilux.

“The Land Rover is an amazing vehicle. It will take you wherever you want to go – across sand dunes, through rivers, up mountains. But you have to take a big toolbox and lots of spares …”

Pause for effect (Hilux owners love this effect). “Now the Hilux is an amazing vehicle. It will take you wherever you want to go – across sand dunes, through rivers, up mountains.”

“But …” More pause for effect. “You have to get a screw driver … and leave it at home.”

And, I have it on good authority that the publishers of the Toyota customer magazine don’t even accept stories of Hiluxes which have more than a million kilometres on the clock. If they did, they have no room for any other content.

The real challenge for Toyota has been how to make each successive Hilux generation an improvement, without losing that “tougher-er” DNA. And they succeed each time, even again competition from the likes of Ford’s excellent Ranger and VW’s impressive Amarok.

Every now and then, Toyota lifts its skirts wee bit and does a blinged-up version of a product and, to be frank, I was worried that the “Black Edition” of the Hilux would be a poser’s special. The added bits – like black-accented special alloy wheels, black plastic accents inside and out and the carpets embroidered with the word “black” – were mild by the standards of some “special edition” models which we have seen.

In the end, it was just a more handsome looking Hilux … the latest version of which has been around for more than a year now. It is on the inside that the differences show. With comprehensive instrumentation back-lit in soothing blue, the Hilux looks, and feel, just like a Lexus, its expensive, luxury brand sibling. No kidding – it really is that good.

For a bakkie, the equipment levels – including infotainment system operating out of the large, colour central display, leather seats, park radar and camera (at the rear only, though) and climate control – are, likewise, more in keeping with a luxury saloon than a commercial vehicle.

Underneath the fancy kit, though, still beats the muscular heart of a Hilux: in the case of the Raider 4x4 Black Edition we had, that meant the 2.8 litre turbodiesel motor and smooth auto gearbox, along with the full offroar arsenal, including low-range and a diff lock. Which means the vehicle will pretty much take you where you want to go. And, won’t go wrong unless you do something stupid.

It’s a big vehicle – they all are these days – but getting into it requires you to use the grab handles alongside each of the door openings. It was interesting that the Hilux stood noticeably higher than a Ford Ranger or a Nissan Navara which we had on test around the same time.

That extra height means good ground clearance, but also means a higher centre of gravity, so a Hilxu is never going to be a circuit racer. Having said that, though, it handles well for its large bulk and weight.

The one thing you think about when you get out of a Hilux and stand back and look at it, is the future. You wonder where it will be in 20 years’ time. Because you know it will still be going.

Tougher-er is as tougher-er does…