After much wait, Toyota has finally launched the Hilux in India. The Indian-spec Hilux was revealed back in January and the pre-bookings were open soon after it. Surprisingly, Toyota had to stop pre-bookings for its pick-up truck due to the unprecedented demand. The Hilux starts at ₹33.99 lakh for the standard 4×4 MT. The High 4×4 MT and High 4×4 AT are priced at ₹35.80 lakh and ₹36.80 lakh respectively. The Toyota Hilux slots into the niche segment of lifestyle pickup trucks, where its only rival in India will be the Isuzu D-Max.
Design
The Hilux shares the same IMV-2 platform as the Innova and the Fortuner. Having said that, this pickup is significantly longer than the two cars, measures just under 5.3m in length, and has a wheelbase of over 3m making it a behemoth on the road. In India, the Hilux is offered with a double-cab body style. The width of this pickup is roughly the same as the Indian Fortuner. At the front, this truck gets a large hexagonal grille, clad with plastic.
The LED headlights emerge from the grille and neatly contour along the edge to the fender. Along the side, the flared wheel arches wrap around the 18-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels. We also get to see a much-needed sidestep. The rear-view mirrors and the door handles, all have a chrome finish. It also gets a body-colored fender mirror. The rear as in all pickup trucks is simple, with small LED 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.
Interior
The interiors of the Hilux see a lot of parts being shared with the Innova and the Fortuner. It features soft-touch material all around on the dashboard and the door pads. The multi-function steering wheel and instrument cluster with color MID are carried over from the facelifted Fortuner. In terms of features, it gets leather seats, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, keyless entry with push-button start/stop, automatic headlights, 8-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a cooled glovebox, a reverse camera an 8-inch touch screen infotainment system compatible with android auto and apple car play, and an auto-dimming IRVM to name a few.
Variants
The Hilux is available in two variants, namely, Low and High. The low variant comes only with a manual gearbox and two colors white and grey. The high variant is available with both manual and automatic transmission options. Color choices will include pearl white, grey, silver, and red.
Powertrain
The Hilux will be powered by a 2.8-liter diesel engine that produces 204hp and 420Nm of torque in the manual guise. The automatic variant bumps up the torque to 500nm. The Hilux is loaded with tons of features to help you in offroading. It comes with an automatic differential lock, tire angle monitor, limited-slip differential, trailer sway control, drive star control, downhill assist control, hill assist control, vehicle stability control, and active traction control. It was also awarded 5-stars in the ASEAN NCAP crash test.