Toyota Hilux India Review: The One Meant For The Wild

It’s seldom that you see Toyota coming out with 4 new vehicles in a year and 2022 was one of those. Right from the Glanza to the Urban Cruiser Hyryder and finally the Innova Hycross, all these cars were high decibel launches for the company. But it threw in a wild card in the form of the Hilux and though it was launched in 2022, we finally got to drive it now, in 2023!

Toyota Hilux: Design

The Hilux is built in India and there is some resemblance with its siblings – mainly the Innova Crysta and the Fortuner. The Hilux gets the face of the Fortuner and is essentially the pick-up derivative. So, up front it’s very much like the Fortuner and it gets the trapezoidal grille too which we see on the Innova Crysta. It’s big and the ruggedness comes from the buffed up wheel arches and the sheer size on the road. It’s long and will not fit in your regular parking lot because it’s over 5 feet long, longer in fact than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class!

Toyota Hilux: Off-Road Ability

It’s based on the Fortuner’s ladderframe chassis and it shares a lot of parts with the SUV including the engine. But still this one is in a league of its own and that’s because of its ability to feel at home in brutal terrains.There’s 4 wheel drive with low range and electronic differential lock for the rear axle are standard on the car and given its size you might think that the rear overhand is a bit much and you won’t be wrong but there can be no doubts cast on how brilliant it is off road

It can do a lot in fact and with ease. Switch it to 4 Low and switch on the Hill descent control and the Hilux takes any incline with ease without you using the brakes.

I had some doubts about its rear overhang, given the large loading bay, but no, on the wheel articulation course, it simply drove through, without batting an eyelid. Wading through water too was a piece of cake.

Toyota Hilux: Ride And Handling

On the road though is a slightly different story. While it handles the big bumps alright, the broken roads make it a bumpy ride. And it’s not enjoyable at all. I did not enjoy being in the driver’s seat on these broken roads, my passengers wont either and especially the ones on the rear seat. There’s slight body roll too and the car gets a very low turning radius, so good luck to you when trying to navigate hair pin bends or just trying to take a U-turn.

Toyota Hilux: Features On Offer

Rear seat passengers also do not get much space or features frankly. Given the price, the expectation would have been something like ventilated seats, adjustable rear seats, tray tables, charging ports and more, but you only get cubby holes and rear AC Vents.

And up front too is the same story… the plastic quality could have been better, the screen response is acceptable, but the seats are extremely comfortable but you won’t get ventilated seats…

Apple Carplay, Android auto is available but that’s wired but there’s wireless charging, which is puzzling.

Toyota Hilux: Engine Performance

The Engine is a 2.8-litre diesel which is nice and torquey and though we didn’t do much driving on the roads, given the limited time with the car… the 6 speed automatic gearbox really is impressive. There’s good amount of power that is channelled by the gearbox and though there is a lag, it’s minimal. the 201 bhps are put to task every time you press that accelerator.

Toyota Hilux: Verdict

The Hilux is an absolute delight and my heart fluttered every second I was in it, but given that prices begin from Rs. 30 lakh, going all the way to Rs. 37 lakh, the mind took over and shut the fluttering.

The Hilux will not be your first car, let’s admit that… and if you are looking for something cheaper, Rs. 10 lakh cheaper that is, then ISUZU has the V Cross for you.

But with cars like the Hilux, the decision cannot be left to the brain… because, the heart wants, what the heart wants right?