THE MIGHTY ROAR
Aside a mid-life facelift, Toyota’s crucial pickup now gains a stylised variant called Rocco. Should opponents take cover?
WHAT’S NEW?
After trying to convert pickup fans with its new design language for three years, the Toyota Hilux Revo from the country’s perennial market leader gets its mandatory mid-life update.
As with most revisions from other Japanese brands, changes in the Revo are restricted to the visual side of things with the major tweak being the bigger snout up front.
And for the first time ever, Toyota has created a stylised model called Rocco to rival Ford’s highlysought Ranger Wildtrak and the less talked-about Chevrolet Colorado High Country and Mitsubishi Triton Athlete in the 1 million baht price bracket.
Tested here is the range-topping Rocco equipped with 2.8-litre diesel, 4x4 running gear and six-speed automatic costing 1.154 million baht; the manual version is 70k less. There’s also a RWD/auto-only variant (Prerunner) cheaper by a similar margin. In essence, the four-door Rocco is a 1.1 million baht pickup.
Black holds the key in distinguishing the Rocco from the regularly badged Revos and is applied on the grille, mudguard, sidesteps, door handles, mirrors, wheels and plastic load bar. The same hue has also been used in the cabin where more luxurious items like leather seats and driver-side electric adjustments are featured. And apart from a packed level of safety kit, there’s push-start ignition, automatic climate control, rear-view parking camera and T-Connect telematics.
WHAT’S COOL?
They generally say that Thais like their pickups to have a bold and striking face which is probably why Toyota has made that nose very pronounced in appearance. In one way or another, it kind of works especially in Rocco fashion.
The places to bear the Rocco’s DNA are rightly chosen and feels genuinely OEM rather than an after-market effort. The white-branded tyres from Dunlop seem to also be a cool touch judging from the faces of some eagle-eyed fans on the pavement.
On the move, the Rocco is just like what its lesser stablemates are. The chassis has been geared for comfort meaning that it’s not as bouncy as in the Triton Athlete.
And if you really happen to be one of those people in this country who go off-roading from time to time, this particular Rocco has all the necessary 4x4 hardware and driving aids, allterrain tyres and sumptuous levels of low-end torque derived from the unchanged 177hp 2.8litre diesel.
Although 1 million baht may sound slightly outrageous for a workhorse designed primarily as a commercial vehicle, the Rocco is well-equipped with class-leading levels of safety kit and convenience items.
WHAT’S NOT?
Cool the exterior details may be, but probably not the overall shape of the metal work, which looks a little clumsy like the Mitsu and nowhere close to the Ford. Toyota should seriously consider giving the Hilux more muscle in next- gen form.
Despite being a new development now aged three years old, the four-pot diesel feels and sounds somehow crude even under normal driving. The hydraulic-operated steering, too, isn’t as intuitive as in a Ranger or Colorado.
And if you really happen to one of those people in the country (majority, it’s claimed) who rarely, if ever, venture off the sealed tarmac, the not-so-plenty amount of mechanical grip already inherent in pickups with rear leafspring suspension can be made worse by those A/T rubbers.
Despite having a solid built quality inside, the hard plastics used on the upper dashboard and door panels don’t match the perforated leather on the seats when it comes to overall perceived quality.
BUY OR BYE?
The decision by Toyota to create the Rocco (meaning battle cry in ancient European) is only logical given the success of the Ranger Wildtrak. But whether the Rocco can stir emotions as well in its rival is another thing given the feedback we got from a variety of people regardless of gender and age.
However, we find the Rocco to be a better choice than the Triton Athlete, not necessarily for the way it looks but to drive and sit in. Combined that with good kit and strong brand credentials, the Rocco shouldn’t be totally dismissed.
But as emotions tend to reign when going for such dressed-up pickups, it’s quite difficult to overlook what’s going to happen in less than two weeks if you glance over at the accompanying sidebar.