Late December I visited the nearby Toyota dealership for the annual safety inspection of my 2002 Land Cruiser. It gave me just enough time to do my own inspection of some new Toyota models in the showroom. I started with a Toyota Hilux Xtra cab pickup truck.
The current 8th generation of the world famous Hilux was introduced in 2015. Available as single cab, Xtra cab and double cab. The Xtra cab, as displayed in the showroom, is basically an extended single cab with a small storage compartment behind the seats.
Its overall length is 5.33 m (210″), width 1.855 m (73″). Some important numbers for the cargo haulers: GVM 3,150 kg (6,945 lbs), payload capacity 1,120 kg (2,470 lbs). The towing capacity is 3,200 kg (7,055 lbs).
The Professional is an upper trim level. Note that this kind of vehicle is also only driven by professionals, since the Hilux and its competitors are registered and used as commercial vehicles.
The inside of the Xtra cab, with the storage compartment I mentioned above.
The transmission is a 6-speed manual. A switch in the center console replaced the transfer case lever.
The only engine option here is Toyota’s fairly new 2.4 D-4D diesel engine, also known as the 2GD-FTV. An inline-4 DOHC 16v engine with a displacement of 2,393 cc. It features a variable nozzle turbocharger and a front-mounted intercooler. The engine’s maximum power output is 150 hp @ 3,400 rpm and its maximum torque output is 400 Nm (295 ft-lbs) @ 1,600 – 2,000 rpm. That’s a typical 4-cylinder workhorse-diesel alright.
The advertised average fuel consumption, so combined city/highway, is 7.0 l/100 km. According to the Unit Juggler Converter that’s 33.6 US-mpg. (Note: the European NEDEC fuel economy protocols result in mileage figures about 20-25% more optimistic than the EPA test in the US.) The 2.4 D-4D engine should get this Hilux to a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph).
Independent double wishbone front suspension with coil springs and a stabilizer. All hard to see, but I couldn’t get lower than lying flat on the showroom floor.
And a live rear axle with leaf springs.
Neat detail in the headlight unit.
So, all in all this should give you a decent impression of how the Hilux evolved from the 1st generation to the current one. In a next article we’ll have a look at two other Toyota novelties.
(Editor’s note: The global Toyota Hilux is related to the NA market Tacoma, but is somewhat smaller and more oriented to commercial use, meaning less priority on ride, comfort and convenience. The Tacoma double cab with short bed (comparable to this Hilux) has a 6″ longer wheelbase, 2.3″ more overall length, and 1.4″ more width. There is also a long bed double Cab Tacoma available that is some 13″ longer yet. Obviously, engines are mostly different, although the 2.7 L gasoline four is available on the Hilux in some markets.)
Where’s its final assembly? Wiki suggests it could be Thailand or Argentina. US market cars have stickers indicating parts content & place of manufacture. As I found from wandering around our Toyota dealer’s new showroom, they can be built anywhere.
Looks like Detroit has the diesel pickup market all to themselves Stateside.
The Titan XD is available with the 5.0 Cummins V8 turbo Diesel.
Thanks. Doesn’t look like that’ll worry Detroit much, though, as the Titan’s market share is tiny, much less than even the unpopular Tundra’s:
Ref: http://www.trucks.com/2016/08/05/america-loves-big-pickup-trucks
Brand loyalty appears to be strong here. Folks are more faithful to material things than to ea. other.
Car and Driver is not too impressed with it’s long term XD test truck. Used 2.5 quarts of oil in 3k miles and averaging 15 MPG in mostly in town driving, and a lot of urea fluid. The first gen Titan was a lot more impressive compared to the big three at the time.
They really did a nice job on the original Titan, they just didn’t keep it updated. The new one seems like an afterthought, my guess is that they rushed it to market after the Dodge/Ram partnership fell through.
The one nice thing about the long delay is my ’04 Titan looks almost the same as the ’15 version!
I saw that as well and wonder if it’s more of a knock on Cummins rather than Nissan, after all, much was made of the engine source and Cummins are generally thought of as one of the best in the diesel engine market. It’d be a shame if that engine ruins the reputation of the new Titan line as it really is a very nice truck overall and will soon be available with more engine options as well as more cab and bed options as well.
My mouth waters when I see these vehicles that are not available here. Oh well, the grass is always greener and since I always buy my trucks used it might not be such a great thing. I expect these commercial vehicles are pretty used up by the time they hit the used market. looks about the same size as the nissan king cabs I once drove but the towing capacity is out of this world.
The competitors here are (size/weight): Nissan Navara, Isuzu D-Max, VW Amarok, Mitsubishi L200, Fiat Fullback (=Mits.L200) and the Ford Ranger.
All diesels, inline-4 / inline-5 (Ford) / V6 (VW).
Isn’t the real test of a used Hilux how long it stands up to hard terrorist use?
HiLux “Xtra Cab” is closer to the Tacoma “Access Cab.” “Double Cab” has 4 full-size, front-hinged doors.
That payload is over 1000 pounds more than what the Tacoma offers. I would expect a pretty harsh ride with that, either that or regulations are different.
I’ve never been much of a fan of the Tacoma. Tough, reliable, and great off-road but always felt about 10 years out of date and I always found the high floor made for uncomfortable seating.
And is that a 5-mph bumper on the back? Maybe it’s just the angle but it looks huge.
I suspect that bumper is like that so that people can use it as a step (I’ve never seen a pickup with side steps in Europe).
Hilux has always been a one tonne ute here,
The bumper is also an access step.
The weird part is the front bumper is plastic fantastic, it’s too bad it doesn’t match, real trucks deserve real bumpers. It’s like an inverse 1973 car when the rear bumpers were small and the front bumpers got huge
The chrome In the rear bumper us also el-cheapo. I’ve seen ’09 or ’10 Hiluxes with peeling chrome there
Eh, I used to feel that way too. But the big chrome bumper on my F-150 is not as tough as it looks. Plastic probably holds up better in fender benders.
The chrome does hold up to chips and bug stains very well though.
I occasionally see these in the Walmart parking lot in Gallup (we’re not all that far from Mexico – where the Hilux is sold.) I generally notice them but only because my brain registers that something is “off” about that Toyota, not a Tacoma but not quite a Tundra…
A great truck I am sure, but Toyota’s styling these days………..
Too bad about the front end on this one. I still think the 2006 and the 2013 are the prettiest.
Is this 2.4 engine new or is the 3.0 still available?
Toyota’s GD engines were introduced in 2015. The 1GD-FTV is a 2.8 liter, as used in the Land Cruiser 150-series (Prado in some parts of the world) and the 2GD-FTV is the 2.4 liter as used in the Hilux. Other Toyota models are also equipped with these diesels.
I don’t know if the “old” 3.0 liter is still available, somewhere, somehow.
And in South Africa you can get the 4.0l V6 petrol. Creamy smooth but thirsty…
I just checked our Toyota website. Besides the 2.8 liter diesel the Land Cruiser 150-series is also offered with the 4.0 VVT-i V6 engine. Must be the same engine then.
Thanks for the info 🙂
Glad to see Toyota’s Diesel engineering is still going strong. Those damn D-4D are unkillable.
The same cannot be said about passenger cars. Why the heck are they farming out Diesels to BMW when they used to make such great engines? The 2.0 D-4D from the Corolla that still gives it a high resale value these days.
And I still remember when Toyota released the Avensis D-CAT in 2005. 177 hp in a 4 banger diesel, and fairly clean. Was such a good engine that it lived in the Lexus IS220d (That engine an the gorgeous styling of the 2005 generation for me were the heyday of the IS). Instead of pushing the bar, they left it to whither, deleted the 177hp version leaving only the 150hp, and then it goes away in 2015.
So glad to see the “big” engines representing what Toyota knows about Diesels
Why the heck are they farming out Diesels to BMW when they used to make such great engines?
Because Toyota sees the writing on the wall about the future of diesels?
Toyota is perfectly poised to take advantage of their many hybrids now, due to the backlash against diesels forming in Europe. I just read the other day that their sales of hybrids is up almost 50% this past year in Europe due to this.
I’ve long wondered if Toyota would eventually succeed in Europe with their hybrids, and it finally seems to be happening. They’re perfect for over there: one can run them in EV mode in the dense part of the city, and then in normal hybrid mode on the highway.
Of course I’m talking primarily about passenger cars; light trucks are another story, but hybrid versions are coming too.
Still a bit of catching up to do though, with a 2016 market share of 4.2% in Europe (Lexus included).
Thinking better, Paul, you are right 🙂 . When I go out to the street, it’s fairly easy to pass by Auris Hybrid Wagons. They look very pretty in white and in red, and seem to be a better choice than the Prius for those who just want the hybrid powertrain. And Toyota despite the weird styling is going up in sights around here.
I bet that If these wagons were sold in the US alongside the Corolla iM, a a few folks in Eugene would snag them 😉 . A practical, spacious, fuel efficient, good looking and reliable wagon. What’s not to like??
^^^ That Auris looks about 100x better than the new Prius.
It’s maybe one of the last good looking workaday Toyotas. Somehow the wagon bodystyle suits it much much better than the normal hatchback. Which also had the hybrid powertrain available. They probably don’t release the Corolla iM with hybrid power to avoid getting some sales off the Prius
Oh, wait, I forgot they sell the hybrid RAV4 there, so from from a market point of view, probably Toyota sees no need of launching a hybrid iM.
Toyota & Honda seem to be banking on hybrid & fuel-cell development [Mirai, Clarity], not diesel. It may well pay off, though some claim fuel cells are a dead end & will give way to batteries.
I think the plug-in hybrid is a good compromise. The Prius Prime would do half of my commute in EV mode.
^^^ I agree with you guys that the Auris Touring Sports (the wagon) is the best looking Toyota car model right now. I especially like it in the color below.
It’s roomy, practical, fuel efficient (with the Prius hybrid powertrain), well built and all of this at a fair price. I have yet to see the latest Prius model. Folks just prefer the more conventional looking and more practical Auris hatchback / wagon with the same powertrain.
That Auris wagon does look nice. If it had been available in the US, it might have bee a very serious contender when we bought our TSX wagon.
A more direct competitor for your TSX wagon would be the bigger D-segment Toyota Avensis wagon, overall length 4.82 m. Unfortunately, not available with a hybrid powertrain.
Always cool to see the stuff we Americans can’t have- thanks!
By the way, I believe someone left their iPad on the dash.
Johannes
Is that is a fully loaded pickup truck with a stick shift? Cool
So in your country you cannot have a pickup truck registered as a private vehicle? If somebody comes to a dealership and wants a pickup truck to make trash runs or hardware store runs, they still have to register it as a commercial vehicle? My pickup truck is registered as a personal vehicle.
Don’t know about The Netherlands, but in most of EU you can own a pickup privately. In Portugal I see several.
Actually, Johannes’ own Toyota Land Cruiser D-4D is also a “commercial vehicle” having only 2 seats.
Actually the Euro definition of of a “commercial vehicle” is loose. Cars like Seat Ibiza’s and Renault Clios with only 2 seats are often purchased as first cars for kids and are by law commercial vehicles. Below this one I found for sale. 130 hp from a 1.9 liter Diesel. 2 seater, so, commercial (see the divider) . Aside that, it’s maybe the best SEAT Ibiza ever, right down to the gorgeous dash, the 6L FR
Correct, mine is a Land Cruiser 90 Van.
I remember the days that young folks bought a zippy hot hatch with a commercial registration, included the tax advantages. Blinded rear side windows, no rear seats. Not possible here anymore. See comment below.
I think there are still hatches with no rear seats here, but there are no longer the likes of the Ibiza FR in that configuration, and nearly all of them have blinded rear windows
Here, you didn’t need to do homologation on rear window tint on a two seater hatch with un-blinded windows as part of it being a “commercial vehicle”.
Hot hatches like that Ibiza for me will become a valuable collectible in Portugal. They are all being ruined by ricers who do the equivalent of “coal running”, and those cars are so sought after by them that they command huge premiums in terms of resale price, coming to the point of being sold north of 8000 Euro. The fully stock models are getting rare.
Rare like sort of a decent condition Citroën Saxo Cup
Yep, it was well-optioned, and I like the “sporty” short stick shift.
About the registration. A bit complicated. Everybody can buy a pickup or some other sort of commercial vehicle, like a van or an SUV converted into a van. But if you don’t run some sort of business (contractor, farmer, cattle dealer, gardener, etc.etc.) you don’t have all the advantages, which are: a much lower road tax and a MUCH lower purchase price at the dealership.
Oh yes, if the cargo bed or cargo compartment is too short / small the vehicle can’t get a registration as a commercial vehicle. For nobody.
Most folks who have to haul something, as a private person, just hire a trailer for a few hours or a day and couple it to their car. Hence the highly popular trailer hitch, no matter the car segment. The whole country here is littered with B- and C-segment cars with a hitch.
The price tag of the article’s Hilux. As a commercial vehicle, bought by your local contractor, for example.
i noticed the hitch thing when i spent some time in the fjord region of norway in 2011. it seemed like everyone drove a vw golf with a hitch and a trailer in their side yard. in regions considerably less extreme in the states, virtually everyone has at least one truck in the household. trailers on passenger cars are rare. i really don’t know why. maybe it’s because trucks and gas are relatively cheap here.
Typical Dutch any given saturday scenery.
Well it looks nice I’ll give it that, but I drove recently only 100 kilometers though not all day, I arrived at the paddock to have my truck loaded and got drafted by the harvester foreman to help complete their road move which meant being driven to the previous paddock and driving something back I assumed their workshop smoko truck towing their fuel supply but , NO I got given the Hilux flatdeck runabout D4D engine badge on the side no idea what size I had to hurry the crop I carry is time sensitive, while the numbers look great on the monitor the actual delivery of that power and torque isnt quite so impressive it was fast enough though I was well past our speed limit of 100kmh while on rural back roads but the steering and handling wasnt very confidence inspiring at 130 so I stayed below that and its a ute not a rally car, that ute pulled more impressively at lower rpm than it delivered at the horsepower end of the tacho like a proper diesel, want to go faster in a diesel? change up. I’d accept one as a work ute our fleet has several, though they keep appearing on a tow strap at regular intervals and theres always a disembowled one in the workshop they do break under severe service quite often as it turns out, As drivers we are often relegated to a spare Isuzu Elf crane truck for a runabout due to a fleet shortage of live Hiluxes.
Hilux isn’t (by far) the best “car” for shopping and commuting, the best way to enjoy it is in the middle of nowhere wifh 1 ton in the bed…
Ah, the Hilux. I believe last year it was our best-selling vehicle nationwide, finally dethroning the Corolla. This segment is huge here–apparently one quarter of new passenger vehicle sales are pickups and a huge percentage of them are fancy crew cab models, not work truck spec single cabs.
Hilux has years of amazing equity and a fantastic reputation but Ford’s Ranger – agreed by most critics to be the better truck – is this close to beating it in the sales race. Considering it was designed and engineered in Australia, I will cheer when it does! The Ranger is one sweet-looking truck and this could be our country’s new Falcon/Commodore rivalry.
3rd party outfits are bringing over the American trucks but they come at a huge premium. I would be curious to see how they would sell if officially imported. They are very aspirational vehicles for many Australians
Ranger is designed engineered and built in Thailand as are the other Japanese brand utes. NZ gets its RHD new Ram cummins utes from Aussie, thats where the conversions are done new firewall and steering componentry so they behave properly on a RH crowned road.
Um, no Bryce. The Ranger was engineered by Ford Australia, it’s just built in Thailand.
Absolute bullshit the Ranger is the Ford version of the BT50 Mazda engineered by people who buy the most pickups per head on this planet the Thais.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/companies/meet-the-factory-workers-in-thailand-that-will-take-our-jobs-once-australias-car-manufacturing-industry-closes/news-story/576545b39f5ce34f014defcce8135da5
Not Fair! The Hilux can tow 3500 lbs more, haul 1000 lbs more payload and consumes 3l/100 km less than my gas 4 banger Tacoma? The diesel makes 9 hp less but makes 115 ft/lbs of torque more. I’d gladly trade off a softer suspension for the added abilities of a Hilux. That said, I’m not sure I’d want to deal with constantly plugging in block and oil heaters out here in the winter with temperatures getting below -30 C here all week. I’ve heard lots of diesels clattering away angrily in the mornings.
A truck like this seems to fulfill some North Americans actual needs in a work truck, it’s a shame they don’t sell them here. I know needs and wants are very different things and unfortunately there’s an ever increasing (dirty) cloud hanging over anything diesel powered. I’ll echo other commenters as well, it is rather homely.
Hey Johannes, what’s the price tag on these? I tried looking online but it won’t give me a price. I have a feeling they’re similar in price to the gas powered Tacomas out here.
Somehow I missed the pic of the price tag right above my comment. So, for comparison purposes, 28,600 euros equals roughly $40 000 Cdn. A 6 cyl, 6 speed Tacoma in Canada is $39 400 and the 4 cyl, 5 speed is $33 000. For the money, the euro diesel is a way better deal, especially for a commercial user.
Regarding the commercial user. Although there’s plenty of choice these days, see my comment further above, the pickup truck as we know it is still a bit of a niche vehicle here.
The thing is this. Commercial users who have cargo to haul prefer a light dropside flatbed truck, like the Ford Transit below. A double cab is also possible, but then the bed is shorter. Or a panel van if the tools and cargo have to be hauled safely and protected against all elements.
And if you want towing capacity -and more comfort and power- you can have an SUV with a van conversion. Still plenty of room for small stuff and tools. A typical user would be a cattle dealer or an earth mover. Below an example, a Toyota Land Cruiser 150-series Van with a 2.8 liter diesel (instead of the 2.4 in the Hilux).
Typically these may tow a 3,500 kg trailer.
The Hilux? Isn’t that the vehicle of choice for paramilitary, insurgent, and guerilla troops around the world? Gun platform option for the cargo bed.
I think they often mount the Dshk 1938, Soviet equivalent of the M2 Browning, an example of parallel development of a weapon intended for use against aircraft & light vehicles.
Well, the used F-250 that some Plumber in Texas traded in and was sent overseas by the dealer without even removing his branding is also used over there to be fair…
I’m left confused by Toyota’s global brand and platform strategy … is there really justification for the Hilux and North American market Tacoma to be so different? I’m not talking about the diesel engine, as that’s not a common power train over here in the States; though many folks are waiting to see if Toyota responds to GM’s launch of the Isuzu/Duramax 2.8 four cylinder diesel in their “small” pickups. But the whole platform is quite different … front suspension, dimensions, probably every cab stamping, plastic bed on the Taco, etc. At least the Tacoma is still available with the 6 speed manual coupled with the gasoline V6, even in the high-end TRD package, which also offers a pretty sophisticated 4wd package, though crawl control is not available with the manual trans. EDIT: after looking again at the Hilux interior shots, it looks like it offers the rear locking differential and descent control, as well as auto LSD aka switchable traction control. I’m not sure if the Tacoma offers descent control independent from the other crawl settings and terrain modes.
Then there’s Corolla and Auris and Yaris and Avensis and Camry, plus in the US there are Lexus versions of most of these, and is there still a Carina? Lots of brands covering about 3 segments …
The Carina is gone. In Europe it was superseded in 1997 by the Avensis, now in its third (and I bet last) generation.
Auris hatch is identical to the Corolla hatch sold elsewhere and the Corolla iM in the US.
Camry isn’t sold in Western Europe; it was discontinued a long time ago.
There’s not too many regional-specific Toyotas, other than NA-only Sequoia/Tundra etc.
Now, the Japanese domestic market is another kettle of fish… But all the Japanese brands go a little crazy with model proliferation back home.