Page 23 - issue-27

brackets when in the open position. Towing weight is 3.2 tonnes (being upgraded to 3.5 tonnes from the end of the year) while payloads go from 1,025kg to 1,055kg.
Under the bonnet, Toyota has ditched the old 3.0-litre diesel engine and now offers a single 2.4-litre unit.
Despite the drop in size, the new unit offers improved torque and better fuel economy.
The engine is equipped with
a variable nozzle turbocharger
and an intercooler. It generates 148bhp at 3,400rpm and 295lb-ft maximum torque between 1,600 and 2,000rpm. The old 3.0-litre unit offered 253lb-ft of torque.
The truck is slated to return up to 41.5mpg on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions from 178g/km.
Safety gizmos galore
On the safety front the Hilux gets the usual ABS and ESC systems plus a plethora of airbags, together with Vehicle Stability Control, Crosswind Assist, Trailer Sway Control, Active Traction Control, Downhill Assist Control and Hill- start Assist Control. There’s also a
pre-collision system with pedestrian detection function, Lane Departure Alert and Road Sign Assist. These functions are controlled by means of a camera and millimetre-wave radar. Whether or not these items are standard depends on the spec level chosen.
We tested the new Hilux both on and off-road in Invincible guise mated to a six-speed auto box.
Climbing aboard revealed a stylish cab with plenty of black and silver lashings everywhere, while the driver’s seat is big and irm yet superbly supportive at the sides and in the lumbar area.
We particularly liked the large screen infotainment/satnav system which sadly turned out to be a £750 option.
We ired up the powerplant while the doors were still open and while it gave off a meaty thrum, once inside all was eerily silent.
All the old harshness that these trucks suffered from in the past
has been consigned to history and although our on-road route featured some bumpy country lanes, we could for all the world have been aboard an upmarket Lexus.
The auto box snicks up and down the cogs seamlessly, handling is taut and sharp and despite the Hilux losing out to the rival Navara on horsepower, it never felt short of oomph on our two-hour road trip.
Jekyll and Hyde
But if the Hilux was Mr Jekyll while transversing the various roads around High Wycombe, Mr Hyde pretty soon showed himself when we transferred to the off-road section.
Four-wheel dive high and low are selected by a small switch on the dash and then it’s just a question of pointing the truck in the right direction while all those safety gizmos do the hard work.
Deep ruts, steep hills and even
a fully-ledged river were taken
with the utmost aplomb and while hard-nosed off-road enthusiasts might scoff at all this technology, it does mean that when used for leet purposes – eg driving across muddy ields, up mountains and through forests – the Hilux is likely to come out the other end unscathed. And that’s what really matters for our readers.
23 TVD lssue 27 2016