Photo: Toyota
TRD is all the rage these days at Toyota. Even the Camry and Avalon are available with Toyota Racing Development body kits and suspension upgrades, which goes to show how much the Japanese automaker wants to be hip. Even in the land of JDM, the demand for TRD-ified models is on the rise.
The Hilux Black Rally Edition is one of those models, unveiled in TRD flavor ahead of the Tokyo Auto Salon 2019. Following in the footsteps of the Hilux GR Sport for Brazil, this mid-size pickup comes with a branded skit plate, chrome-finish dual exhaust, sports bar, and red-painted fog light surrounds.
Side decals, side steps, and double-spoke alloy wheels finished in black are also featured, along with TRD mud flaps and Dunlop Grandtrek all-terrain tires. Available in either extended cab or crew cab, the Hilux Black Rally Edition leaves much to be desired in the suck-squeeze-bang-blow department.
Even the entry-level Hilux for the Japanese market – priced at 3,267,000 yen – comes with the 2GD-FTV. A 2.4-liter diesel with SCR and variable nozzle turbocharging technology, this engine can’t do better than 150 PS (148 horsepower) and 400 Nm (295 pound-feet) of torque.
Even more depressing is the six-speed automatic transmission, which is all work and no go. Should Toyota take notice from Ford and the 2019 Ranger Raptor, the Hilux needs a more exciting engine to go with the TRD parts.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm under the hood, the Hilux sells by the bucketload everywhere except North America. In Australia, for example, it managed to edge the Ford Ranger this year as well. But as far as the Old Continent is concerned, the Blue Oval called dibs with the Ranger.
In its eighth generation since 2015, the Hilux is manufactured in Thailand, Argentina, Pakistan, and South Africa. The mid-cycle refresh came in 2017 at the Thailand International Motor Expo, which means the ninth generation will be introduced in the first half of the 2020s.
Side decals, side steps, and double-spoke alloy wheels finished in black are also featured, along with TRD mud flaps and Dunlop Grandtrek all-terrain tires. Available in either extended cab or crew cab, the Hilux Black Rally Edition leaves much to be desired in the suck-squeeze-bang-blow department.
Even the entry-level Hilux for the Japanese market – priced at 3,267,000 yen – comes with the 2GD-FTV. A 2.4-liter diesel with SCR and variable nozzle turbocharging technology, this engine can’t do better than 150 PS (148 horsepower) and 400 Nm (295 pound-feet) of torque.
Even more depressing is the six-speed automatic transmission, which is all work and no go. Should Toyota take notice from Ford and the 2019 Ranger Raptor, the Hilux needs a more exciting engine to go with the TRD parts.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm under the hood, the Hilux sells by the bucketload everywhere except North America. In Australia, for example, it managed to edge the Ford Ranger this year as well. But as far as the Old Continent is concerned, the Blue Oval called dibs with the Ranger.
In its eighth generation since 2015, the Hilux is manufactured in Thailand, Argentina, Pakistan, and South Africa. The mid-cycle refresh came in 2017 at the Thailand International Motor Expo, which means the ninth generation will be introduced in the first half of the 2020s.
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