The Indian pickup truck market has become a bit dry over the years. With the same one or two brands coming up with newer models and facelifts, things have started to go a bit stale. But this is soon about to change. Very soon we shall get another fish in the lake, as Toyota Motor Corporation is set to introduce the Hilux in our market. Toyota Hilux has had a history of around 75-years in the international market and is most definitely a big daddy of this class of vehicles. If reports are to be believed, this truck shall meet the Indian streets in January 2022.
Design
The Hilux will share the same IMV-2 platform as the Innova and the Fortuner. Having said that, this pickup is significantly longer than the two cars, and measures just under 5.3m in length, and has a wheelbase of over 3m making it a behemoth on the road.
The width of this pickup will be roughly the same as the Indian Fortuner. This truck gets a double-cab version for our market. At the front, this truck gets a large hexagonal grille, clad with plastic. The headlights emerge from the grille and neatly contour along the edge to the fender. Along the side, the flared wheel arches are only apparent. The front wheel arches extend and merge into the foglamp housing. We also get to see a side step. The rear-view mirrors, door handles, and side steps are all covered in black.
The rear as in all pickup trucks is simple, with small taillights and a gate to the cargo bed. Overall the rugged and off-road content of this car is neatly packed within its round arches. It has a good ground clearance coupled with a decent approach angle.
Interior
On the inside, the Hilux could get an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
In terms of build quality and strength, the Toyota Hilux got a 5-Star rating at the ASEAN NCAP.
Performance
Based on the same platform as the Fortuner and the Innova, we expect to see the same 2.4L Diesel engine that puts out 150HP or the larger 2.8L diesel engine that puts out 204HP.
Also read: This Toyota Fortuner Is A Wannabe Lamborghini!
We could get FWD variants as well as the four-wheel-drive variant for the Hilux. The gearbox options are yet not clear, as we have seen that both engines have been offered with a manual or automatic gearbox in our market.
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