Toyota Hilux overview
Toyota revises its eighth-generation Hilux again, bringing in greater control for off-road activities, a smarter interior and a new engine choice at the top of the range. These alterations propel the Japanese machine right into the thick of the action in the one-tonne pick-up class, making it one of the leading contenders in the segment.
Slight visual tidying of the exterior of the 2021 Hilux sees new lights clusters fore and aft, as well as a redesigned radiator grille. But it’s on the range-topping Invincible where the biggest changes are made and are also most apparent. This version gains its own design of front grille and chunkier-looking fog lights, which then segue into a black plastic side-detail that runs above both wheel arches.
At the back, it also has a larger, more dominant surround for the tailgate handle, and it also sports the biggest alloy wheels, finished in black and 18 inches in diameter. Overall, the Hilux looks pretty smart on the outside.
Every new Toyota comes with a three-year, 100,000km warranty and its security measures withstand the insurance industry’s rigorous ‘five-minute attack’ test.
Further features of Toyota Professional Ireland’s after-sales care programme include: Toyota Eurocare, allowing complimentary roadside assistance in 40 European countries for three years; Health & Safety checks on the vehicle every two years or 30,000km, whichever is sooner, with an intermediate check required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever is sooner; pick-up and delivery of the vehicle in the case of it needing to be repaired, so that you can continue with your business; express servicing, with two mechanics assigned to every Hilux to ensure all scheduled maintenance takes less than an hour; extended servicing opening hours, so you can have the truck serviced outside of your working day; a fast-lane facility for urgent repairs; roadside assistance and mobile workshop on-the-move support for Hilux owners; and a fleet of courtesy Hilux pick-ups maintained to replace your vehicle in the event it has to be with Toyota Ireland for a longer period of time.
Toyota Hilux range
Toyota Ireland sells the Hilux in a three-tier trim line-up, starting with commercial-oriented models at the bottom and more luxury-spec vehicles at the top. Base trim is DLX, which comes as either a Single or a Double Cab model, but with the 2.4-litre engine and manual gearbox only.
Equipment includes 17-inch steel wheels, the Toyota Safety Sense 2 suite of advanced driver assist systems (incorporating Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Day- and Night-Time Detection plus Cyclist Day-Time Detection, Road Sign Assist, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Alert with Brake Induced Steering), daytime running lights, manual air conditioning, powered and heated door mirrors, an AM/FM radio with CD player and Bluetooth, two speakers (Single Cab) or four speakers (Double Cab), Trailer Sway Control, Hill-Start Assist Control, and black fabric seats.
SR5 grade represents the crossover between commercial vehicle and privately owned truck, as it could suit either market of buyer. It is available as a Double Cab only and has a choice of the 2.4-litre manual drivetrain, or either manual or automatic variants of the new 2.8-litre engine.
Its 17-inch wheels are upgraded to alloys and it’s the first level at which the eight-inch Toyota Touch 2 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is available. Further toys include a multifunction steering wheel, DAB radio, a rear-view camera, LED front fog lights, climate control, power-folding and heated door mirrors, rear privacy glass, side steps, a six-speaker sound system, Downhill Assist Control, Active Traction Control, a limited-slip differential and a different design of black fabric seats to the base DLX.
For owners who specify the 2.8-litre engine on the SR5, heated front seats and a front wiper de-icing system are also added.
Top-line Invincible spec is most definitely aimed more at the private buyer, rather than the commercial user, and as such it comes with the 2.8-litre engine and automatic transmission only, all installed in the Double Cab body.
It has a ‘plus VAT’ price approaching €50,000 and is beyond €40,000 ex-VAT, but it does bring in the bespoke exterior styling outlined above, plus 18-inch black alloy wheels, two-tone perforated leather seats with front heating elements, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, LED headlamps and daytime running lights, front and rear parking sensors, navigation for the infotainment system, keyless entry and go, and blue ambient lighting on the front doors.
There are two body styles for the 2021 Toyota Hilux: the two-door Single Cab and the four-door Double Cab. All variants can take more than one tonne in the back – as they must in order to classify as a one-tonne pick-up – but there are slight differences in the maximum payloads as a result. The heaviest load actually goes to the Single Cab DLX 2.4 manual, with a 1,030kg rating. A manual 2.4 SR5 Double Cab can lug 1,025kg, while the 2.8-litre models are slightly lower – 1,015kg for a manual SR5 and 1,010kg for this automatic Invincible.
All models can tow a 3,500kg braked trailer or a 750kg unbraked unit, and all models can also ford 700mm of water. The Single Cab is slightly less advantageous off-road, with 277mm of ground clearance and a departure angle of 25 degrees comparing unfavourably with the Double Cab’s equivalent numbers of 310mm and 26 degrees, although all models have the same 29-degree angle of approach.
The Single Cab fights back in terms of its load bed, however: out of a total length of 5,325mm (all models) with a wheelbase of 3,085mm (also all models), the Single Cab has a deck measuring 2,315mm long and 1,575mm at its widest; the Double Cab, meanwhile, obviously sacrifices space back there for the bigger passenger compartment, resulting in figures of 1,525mm and 1,540mm, respectively. However, all examples of the Hilux have a maximum load-bed depth of 480mm.
Toyota Hilux interior
Within, the cabin is moderately updated, a fact more noticeable on the SR5 and Invincible models with the new eight-inch Toyota Touch 2 infotainment touchscreen system. This sits on the centre of the dash and incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, as well as a DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity.
All models, from DLX, have at least one USB-A port and a single 12-volt socket up front, but the SR5 and Invincible trucks gain two 12-volt sockets in the dashboard. There’s a large pair of cupholders ahead of the gear lever and decent storage spaces dotted about the cabin, such as in the centre console and in the form of the generous door pockets, while most of the buttons are large and easy to operate while using gloves.
There’s more of a premium-finish gloss to the cabin of the Invincible, with its leather trim and increased equipment, but much of the Hilux’s interior detailing is designed to be sturdy, long-lasting and easy to clean down, making it a practical commercial vehicle in lowlier DLX and SR5 trims.
Toyota Hilux driving experience
Climbing into the Hilux’s lofty cabin is reasonably easy, given the standard-fit side-steps on higher models and the grab-handle on inside of the A-pillar. Once in place behind the wheel, a good, supportive seat and plenty of adjustment in both chair and steering wheel means a comfortable driving position should be attainable for a wide variety of people of all shapes and sizes.
Visibility is good in all directions too, although it helps with manoeuvring that on this Invincible model there are parking sensors all round and a reversing camera too; some of the extremities of the Toyota are hard to spot from the cabin.
The 150hp/400Nm 2.4-litre engine used by the eighth-gen Hilux since 2016 continues, but it is now joined by a 204hp/500Nm 2.8-litre engine for increased performance; bear in mind that torque figure is for the six-speed automatic model, though, as the manual 2.8 has a peak of 420Nm instead.
Nonetheless, it’s the manual 2.8 that is the quickest to 100km/h, recording a 10.1-second time. The auto is just behind at 10.7 seconds and these times compare well to the 2.4, which takes 13.2 seconds as the manual to hit 100km/h from rest.
And while 0-100km/h times are not hugely important on a pick-up truck, they do speak volumes about how much faster the 2.8 feels on the road. There’s far more midrange torque and urgency about the Hilux now, which should bode well for when it’s fully laden and having to climb hills or traverse muddy terrain.
Better yet, the new 2.8-litre turbodiesel is more refined than the 2.4 and less noisy at lower revs, although it can still sound a bit coarse and vocal beyond 3,250rpm. Thankfully, there’s enough torque available below this point to make such an act of revving the engine wholly unnecessary.
Toyota has also taken the unusual decision to set the 2021 Hilux’s damping up to work best with nothing in the load bed. Most truck manufacturers do the exact opposite, which can lead to a bouncy, uncomfortable ride when these vehicles are unladen. However, the Hilux rides rather sweetly, only occasionally thumping and shuddering over the worst imperfections in the road surface to remind its occupants of its ladder-framed chassis.
Further, as Toyota has sold 18 million examples of the Hilux across the globe since 1968, it has to be designed to work in tougher, more remote countries than Ireland, and so the rear suspension remains leaf-sprung. That means that it should be reliable and dependable, with no chance of snapping a rear coil spring, and the Hilux should also continue to be decent to drive with one tonne of weight in its back.
Off-road, the Toyota has always been deeply impressive and, for those users who will regularly be venturing away from the tarmac, there’s more good news. A feature called Auto LSD replicates the effect of a limited-slip differential on the rear axle through braking to ensure the Hilux has good traction even if it is left in the ‘2H’ rear-wheel-drive setting of its variable transmission; we tried this feature on a potholed, soggy and badly-made track through a forest and we didn’t once feel the need to resort to the Toyota’s 4WD capabilities.
Beyond this, Toyota has lowered the engine’s idle speed from 850- to 680rpm, fitted steering that is light and easy to use off-road (reducing driver fatigue), yet weightier and precise on-road, and it has also remapped the throttle for better low-speed control in tricky situations.
We took the Hilux Invincible on a very testing off-road course using the 4L setting and it never once felt like it was going to get stuck; indeed, our instructors said it would easily have dealt with the terrain in 4H for the most part.
The 2.8-litre automatic Hilux records fuel economy on the WLTP cycle of between 9.5 and 9.9 litres/100km (29.7-28.5mpg), with CO2 emissions of between 248-259g/km. These figures are neither brilliant nor woeful by one-tonne pick-up standards, and the 2.4-litre manual has broadly similar numbers – so there’s no real economic advantage in choosing the smaller engine.
Toyota Hilux alternatives
The Ford Ranger is this car’s biggest rival in Ireland, and the best-selling one-tonne pick-up of the moment. Most of its old rivals, such as the Mitsubishi L200, Volkswagen Amarok, Mercedes X-Class and Nissan Navara are no longer officially for sale, though you may find a few examples in dealer stock around the country.
Toyota Hilux summary
Always incredibly reliable and easy on the eye, the Toyota Hilux has been significantly improved by the manufacturer’s programme of revisions for 2021. As good as it has ever been off-road – only with a bit more control available to the driver in a wider range of situations – it is on the road where the real gains are made. The new 2.8-litre engine gives the Hilux the motive power it has always deserved and it’s also a more refined, comfortable vehicle to travel in now than it was before. As one-tonne pick-ups go, you won’t do much better than the updated Hilux.
