The U.S. has the Tacoma, and the rest of the world relies on the Hilux. The mid-size pickup truck from Toyota is entering the 2021 model year with small improvements over the outgoing workhorse, yet someone from the PR team describes it as the “all-new Toyota Hilux.”
No, ladies and gents, it’s not an all-new truck. The next generation is still some years away, most likely 2023 for the 2024 model year. Both the Hilux and Tacoma will transition to a different platform, the TNGA-F or F1 as it’s also called. Of course, the full-size Tundra will also get it.
Going forward, Toyota says the retuned suspension geometry and a yet-to-be-detailed 2.8-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder engine are enough “to uphold the nameplate’s reputation of legendary quality, durability, and reliability.” Fernando Alonso appears to like it as well, though take his words with a pinch of salt because the Spanish driver waxed lyrical about the NSX when he was driving for McLaren too. Keeping the sponsors happy, right?
“When I first saw the new Hilux, it looked spectacular. It was nice to test the new car in a difficult environment, on a rally stage, and to push it to the limits,” said ‘Nando. Spectacular may be an overstatement considering what else is there in this segment. For example, the Ranger Raptor and Colorado ZR2 are more aggressive in terms of looks and off-road capability as well.
Speaking of the visual front, don’t expect anything more than a bolder grille, sharper bumpers, and minor revisions to the headlights. After all, the Hilux has to mirror the design of the RAV4 and Highlander.
Scheduled for unveiling later this summer for the 2021 model year, the final facelift for the outgoing Hilux should help the truck move a few units until the top-to-bottom redesign rolls out. The biggest “what if” is the 2.8-liter engine mentioned beforehand. More to the point, is it all-new or just a revised 1GD-FTV introduced in 2015 with a thermal efficiency of 44 percent?
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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