Ploughing through
The Toyota Hilux Intercooler VNT aims to prove a point as it hit the dirt trails.
THE variable turbocharging system has been around for some time but it was in the last two years that many carmakers have adopted it for their products, mainly the diesel range.
Toyota is the latest to dance to the variable turbo craze to stay abreast of technological trends and pander to what customers want.
This came in the Hilux 2.5G and Fortuner 2.5G Intercooler VNT (Variable Nozzle Turbo) models with 2.5-litre diesel engines, although the technology is not new to Toyota, having been featured earlier in the Hilux 3.0G double cab.
By introducing it in the 2.5G models, it means that more Toyota owners now get to enjoy this variable turbo technology.
What this variable turbo technology refers to is the ability of turbine vanes to vary their angles and harness exhaust gas flow effectively, especially at low speeds when the flow is at its weakest.
You need a strong flow of exhaust gas churned out by engine combustion to turn the turbine, which in turn draws in air and forces it into the combustion chamber to produce good power and torque.
This boosts engine output significantly to provide the confidence to overtake quickly on highways and strong low-end torque for offroad situations.
The output figures are clear: the 2.5-litre D-4D engine with VNT delivers 144PS at 3,400rpm, far better than 102PS at 3,600rpm for the non-VNT engine, while the torque is raised to 343Nm from 260Nm over a broader engine speed from 1,600rpm to 2,800.
UMW Toyota Motor gave the media the opportunity to feel this difference in engine output between new and old (all four-speed automatics) in a drive from Shah Alam to the Belum Rainforest Reserve near Gerik, including a 12km off-road experience to one of the peaks on the main range for afternoon tea.
In looks, a telling factor between the variable turbo Hilux and the old model is the intercooler hump on the bonnet: it adds an agro touch that should bolster some egos.
Newer badgings are also part-and-parcel. This intercooler feature does not only play an aesthetic role but serves to cool the air being fed into the engine so that it can burn more readily. Stepping inside the Hilux Intercooler VNT, one is hard put to discern between new and old: little has changed other than the new Bluetooth streaming feature for music as well as mobile communication for the driver.
As it were, the Hilux is well endowed with a dashboard that would not look out of place in a car. Useful items in the 2.5G model include GPS with voice advisory channelled through the hifi speaker system and a reverse camera.
To enable the Hilux Intercooler VNT to go off-road, the pick-ups were fitted with A/T (all terrain) tyres in place of the standard H/T (highway tyres).
These A/T tyres come with wider tread grooves to better grip the loose and slightly wet surfaces of the off-road trail that winds its way up to the target peak area.
What this meant for us as driver and passenger was a slightly noisier and harder ride on the highway and secondary roads:
When we switched to the “old” Hilux that was fitted with H/T tyres, we found the ride quieter and more accommodating.
In body aerodynamics, the Hilux knifed through the air quite nicely and it was a quiet ride at legal highway speeds. Push the needle above 120kph and you would hear progressively loud wind noise in the roof area and the flanks.
The power difference was spot-on: we started with the variable Hilux before moving onto the “old” model in the second leg. The good initial torque response was absent in the older Hilux with the same accelerator pedal input and we felt the greater turbo lag that we had not noticed before. We had to work harder on the accelerator to pick up the pace and achieve the same cruising speed.
The off-road session with four on board (and more in one or two instances going up a steep incline) showed the Hilux to be right at home in the rough. That explains why it is a popular pick-up choice in Sabah and Sarawak.
Another good part about the latest Hilux Intercooler VNT is its price: it appears to be maintained from that for the old at RM99,988 (on the road with insurance) for the 2.5G automatic and RM94,988 for the manual model.