The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Rebooted Toyota Hilux makes a timely arrival
Eighth generation model provides great blend of style and substance
The key thing about this new-generation Hilux lies with the installation of its new 2.4-litre D-4D Global Diesel (GD) engine.
With 400Nm of torque, pulling power is improved over the old 2.5 and 3.0-litre diesel units, plus there’s enhanced efficiency too.
All variants feature all-wheel drive, while the Invincible and Invincible X models at the top of the range offer the option of a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Both transmissions have been extensively revised to improve durability and low-speed driving performance, with quieter, smoother gear changes.
Both manual and automatic Hilux have a top speed of 106mph; acceleration from nought to 62mph is 12.8 seconds for the auto and 13.2 seconds for the manual.
Under the skin, there’s a new ladder-frame chassis that gives the vehicle a 20% increase in torsional rigidity, improving handling, ride comfort and refinement.
The robust leaf spring and twin shock absorber rear suspension system has been extensively revised to provide off-road articulation capabilities and SUV-like ride comfort and handling stability.
The Hilux is equipped with a switchable all-wheel drive system featuring a high and low-ratio transfer case, and both front and rear locking limited-slip differentials.
The improved low and medium speed torque delivery of the 2.4-litre diesel engine and the increased strength of the redesigned ladder-frame chassis together enable an increase in towing capacity to 3.5 tonnes.
The most obvious change to the latest Hilux is its exterior styling. It is 75mm longer, 20mm wider and 45mm lower than before and aims to display its combination of toughness and refinement in a sleeker frontal design which features a unified arrangement of the upper grille and headlamps and a deeper bumper housing a large lower grille.
The bonnet wraps over the front wheel arches to reinforce the vehicle’s solid road presence while the line of the second horizontal bar in the upper grille extends into the headlamp units to form a distinctive daytime running light arrangement, featuring 12 white LEDs.
Prices range from just over £19,000
to around £30,000, excluding VAT, and there’s a choice of Active, Icon, Invincible and Invincible X trim levels.
As before, the Hilux is being offered in single, extra and double cab body styles and prices start from just over £19,000 excluding vat.
In keeping with their working vehicle profile, the single and extra cab versions are offered only in the entrylevel Active specification. Double cab models are available in all grades.
There’s plenty of space in the loadbay, one cubic metre in the double cab model, a figure that rises to 1.2m3 in the extra cab version and 1.5m3 in the single cab variant. In the double cab, there’s 1,545mm of loadspace length and 1,515mm of loadspace width, narrowing to 1,100mm between the wheel arches. There’s 450mm of loading height and a total payload capacity of up to 1,060kg, depending on the version you choose.
The Toyota Hilux has always scored well with those who need a tough pick-up that drives better than the class norm.
Rival manufacturers have aped this formula and added a more refined feel to their wares and the Hilux felt as if it was falling off the pace a little.
The eighth generation version’s round of revisions give the big pick-up the sort of classy feel you’d expect from Toyota, building in a plusher interior and a front end that borrows from the Land Cruiser.
That it can do this while retaining the appeal to lifestyle drivers who need a vehicle with good hauling capabilities and easy access speaks volumes about the rightness of the car’s engineering.
Performance: 0-62mph in 13.2 seconds; top speed of 106mph