Glad you came
An exciting Toyota has finally made its way here!
SUCH IS THE IMPACT OF THIS CAR, TOYOTA HAD TO HALT ITS BOOKINGS!
BACK IN 2005, WHEN I WAS JUST A kid, my dad bought me a magazine with the Innova on its cover page, and in its review was a separate section regarding the IMV platform on which the Hilux is also built. Ever since then, there have been countless rumours and scoops floating around the Hilux’s ‘imminent’ arrival, but it never came. Until last month that is! The Toyota Hilux has finally arrived (well, almost), and it’s got everyone at the evo India HQ hyped, particularly our managing editor Aniruddha. Such is the impact of this car, that Toyota had no choice but to temporarily halt its bookings! The Hilux seems to have the D-Max V-Cross in its crosshairs but we are pretty certain it will also give a hard time to mid-size and even many full-size SUVs.
Simply based on pictures, the Toyota Hilux takes your breath away, and we just cannot imagine how the impact will be when we see it in the flesh — it’s just so brutish, muscular and brawny! There are traces of the Fortuner, and to some extent the Innova Crysta owing to a family resemblance but you will not mistake the Hilux for anything else simply because of the toughness in its design! As expected, it does receive the trapezoidal grille with a chrome surround, and the headlights are similar to the ones on the Crysta. The Indiaspec model also seems to get a skid plate with silver inserts. The wheel arches receive black cladding, and it sports 18-inch alloys. The door handles get chrome treatment, and the side profile, while distinctive in its own right, has glimpses of the Fortuner to it. This is a doublecab model, so it will seat five people easily.
Underpinned by the same IMV platform, the Hilux receives the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel mill from the Fortuner (which, by the way, had also taken its own sweet time to arrive if you remember). The powertrain puts out 201bhp and 420Nm of torque, which bumps up to a whopping 500Nm with the torque-converter automatic! This goes without saying, but the Hilux gets 4x4, a low-transfer ratio case, and an automatic limited slip differential as well.
Some of the equipment that we do know the Hilux will receive are front parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, a steering angle monitor, two driving modes, an electronic differential lock, and an 8-inch touchscreen with CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Hilux may have been a long time coming but now that it’s finally here, Toyota knows pricing will be key. I also suspect Toyota may have a surprise for us at its off-road facility in Bangalore. For now, as a young Axl Rose once sang, “You and I’ll just use a little patience.” ⌧