Introduced in 2015 and mainly produced in Thailand, the eighth-generation Hilux is the workhorse of choice for Toyota in every part of the world except for North America. But for the mid-cycle facelift of the mid-size pickup truck, the U.S.-spec Tacoma serves as the main influence on the exterior design.
The Tacoma-like styling is easy observable at the front grille, which now sports a hexagonal design. The fog lights are also influenced by the Tacoma, though not as much as the grille. Introduced in Thailand, the Tacoma-like grille of the 2018 Hilux is exclusive to the 4x4 and 4x2 Prerunner models.
Lesser models are fitted with the grille we all know from the pre-facelift, which is a curious choice from the design department. For all that, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any significant change whatsoever inside the ’18 Hilux. In keeping with this approach to facelifting, powertrain combos haven’t changed from the 2017 model year, consisting of three four-pot engines in Thailand: 2.4-liter (150 PS), 2.7-liter (166 PS), and 2.8-liter turbo diesel (177 PS and 450 Nm/253 lb-ft). And just like before, buyers get to choose between the 6-speed stick shift and 6-speed automatic transmission.
As far as trim levels are concerned, the Thailand-spec 2018 Toyota Hilux welcomes the Rocco. Slotted at the top of the range, the Hilux Rocco is a double cab that comes exclusively with the 2.8-liter gasoline-fed engine. Available with rear- and four-wheel-drive, the range-topping truck gets exclusive graphics, black trim for the interior, black-painted sports bar, 18-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, and a lot of standard creature comforts.
It remains to be seen how much longer it’ll take for Toyota to update the Euro-spec Hilux to facelift configuration, but most importantly, hearsay suggests there’s a performance model in the pipeline. The automaker admitted that there’s a gap in the lineup only a Raptor-like Hilux could fill, the sort of Hilux that would slot above the TRD. The thing, however, is that Toyota hasn’t green-lit the said model for production, at least not yet.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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