A look at the 7 variants of the new Toyota Hilux

The Hilux is Toyota’s globally renowned pickup truck that was first manufactured in 1968, and has now gone through eight generations with close to 18 million units sold all over the world.

Its very first model used a 1.5-liter engine and was only a three-seater with a payload capacity of only 1,000 kilos. Through the years, the wheelbase grew along with the engine and the pickup truck’s capability to what it is now – a value-for-money commercial vehicle that is reliable and has the reputation of being strong to the point of indestructability.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) recently launched an update to the eighth generation, tweaking the engine for more power and fuel efficiency, adding more equipment and features while also expanded the lineup with more options for commercial use.

We give the new Toyota Hilux a very good look-see to find out what it offers the pickup truck-buying market.

For passenger use, there are three variants being offered, the Conquest, the G grade, and the E grade. TMP also offers the Hilux in J grade, FX grade, a new Cargo variant, and in cab and chassis form.

The “cab and chassis” is basically just that, a three-seater cab with a bare frame rail behind it. Its design allows for a variety of configurations including dropside conversion, refrigeration conversion and other conversion options. TMP has designed it to have a 750mm hip point for easy entrance and exit, and higher road visibility. Ground clearance is 195mm. It is powered by Toyota’s 2.4L 2GD-FTV diesel engine with 148hp and 343Nm of torque mated to a five-speed manual transmission (MT). It has a double wishbone suspension in front and leaf spring rigid axle in the rear, ventilated disc brakes in front and drum brakes in the rear, tilt-only steering column, power steering, urethane steering wheel, 15-inch steel wheels with 205/70 R15 tires, multi-reflector halogen headlamps, halogen rear combination lamps, vinyl seats, six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat and two-way adjustable passenger’s seat, four cupholders and two bottle holders,v AM/FM/Bluetooth/USB/Aux-in/CD infotainment system, two speakers, one 12 outlet, driver/passenger/driver knee airbags, Anti-lock Braking System, and an immobilizer.

Up one level is the FX (for public utility vehicle use) and Cargo (a new rear seat-less, windowless variant specifically designed for the more demanding needs of mobilizing goods and services) grades that are longer by 290mm over the cab and chassis variant. The FX’s seating capacity is 15 (three in front and 12 at the rear) while the Cargo can only seat three. It is also powered by Toyota’s 2.4L 2GD-FTV diesel engine with 148hp and 343Nm of torque mated to a five-speed MT. It has a double wishbone suspension in front and leaf spring rigid axle in the rear, ventilated disc brakes in front and drum brakes in the rear, tilt-only steering column, power steering, urethane steering wheel, 15-inch steel wheels with 205/70 R15 tires, multi-reflector halogen headlamps, halogen rear combination lamps, vinyl seats, six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat and two-way adjustable passenger’s seat, four cupholders and two bottle holders, AM/FM/Bluetooth/USB/Aux-in/CD infotainment system, two speakers, one 12V outlet, driver/passenger/driver knee airbags, anti-lock braking system, and an immobilizer. The Hilux 2.4 4x2 Cab & Chassis MT is priced at P843,000; the Hilux 2.4 4x2 FX w/ Rear Aircon MT is priced at P1,057,000; the Hilux 2.4 4x2 FX w/o Rear Aircon MT goes for P1,029,000; and the Hilux 2.4 4x2 Cargo MT is priced at P936,000,

The top trim of low variants is the J grade that comes in either a five-speed MT or a six-speed MT. It is the shortest Hilux with a cargo bed at just 5,285mm. The five-speed MT model uses the same engine as the FX, Cargo, and cab and chassis and sports the same cabin and safety features. The trim with the six-speed MT uses the 2.4L 2GD-FTV diesel engine with 148 HP but 400 Nm of torque and has auto disconnect differential, differential lock, 17-inch steel wheels with 225/70 R17 tires, intermittent windshield wipers, black tailgate handle, front and rear mudguards, fabric seats, tilt and telescopic steering column, four cupholders and four bottle holders, plus Eco and Power drive modes. The Hilux 2.4 4x4 J MT is priced at P1,148,000 while the Hilux 2.4 4x2 J MT goes for P952,000.

The higher-level variants of the Hilux start with the E grade. It uses the same engine as the J grade that puts out 148 HP and 400 Nm of torque straight through a six-speed MT to its 4x2 drive layout. It has a double wishbone front suspension, leaf spring rigid axle rear suspension, ventilated front disc brakes drum type rear brakes, 17-inch steel wheels with 265/65 R17 tires, multi-reflector halogen headlamps, bulb rear combination lamps, LED fog lamps, intermittent windshield wipers, six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat and four-way manually adjustable passenger’s seat, one-piece cushion rear seat, 4.2-inch TFT (thin film transistor) display in the instrument cluster, power steering with variable flow control, urethane steering wheel with audio/phone/voice command/MID (multi-information display) controls, fabric and silver door trim, four cupholders and four bottle holders in front and two bottle holders in the rear, illuminated entry system, keyless entry system, speed-sensing door locks, manual climate controls, 6.75-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Smart Device Link, Bluetooth connectivity, and four speakers. Safety features include driver/front passenger/knee airbags, Anti-lock Braking System with Brake Assist and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Vehicle Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, child restraint system, emergency brake signal, and immobilizer with horn. The Hilux 2.4 4x2 E MT is priced at P1,113,000.        

On the G variant, which comes in either a six-speed MT or six-speed AT (automatic transmission), is the same engine at the one found in the E Grade and comes with the same output. Aside from the 4x2 drive layout, it also has  a double wishbone front suspension, leaf spring rigid axle rear suspension, ventilated front disc brakes drum type rear brakes, multi-reflector halogen headlamps, bulb rear combination lamps, LED fog lamps, intermittent windshield wipers, six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat and four-way manually adjustable passenger’s seat, 4.2-inch TFT (thin film transistor) display in the instrument cluster, power steering with variable flow control, urethane steering wheel with audio/phone/voice command/MID (multi-information display) controls, fabric and silver door trim, four cupholders and four bottle holders, illuminated entry system, keyless entry system, speed-sensing door locks, manual climate controls, 6.75-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Smart Device Link, Bluetooth connectivity, and four speakers. Safety features include driver/front passenger/knee airbags, Anti-lock Braking System with Brake Assist and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Vehicle Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, child restraint system, emergency brake signal, and immobilizer with horn. On top of the standard fare, it now has 17-inch Gun Metallic Gray alloy wheels paired to 265/65 R17 tires, 60:40 separate rear seats, leather steering wheel, an additional two cupholders, automatic climate control, six speakers, and rear sonars. The Hilux 2.4 4x2 G AT is priced at P1,295,000 while the Hilux 2.4 4x2 G MT goes for P1,220,000.

Now to the top variant of the Hilux, the Conquest. It comes in four trims, the 2.4 4x2 MT; 2.4 4x2 AT; 2.8 4x4 MT; and 2.8 4x4 AT. The two 4x2 units have the same 2GD-FTV engine and output as the G grade, including the gearbox options. In addition to standard features found on the G grade like the a double wishbone front suspension, leaf spring rigid axle rear suspension, ventilated front disc brakes drum type rear brakes on the chassis, and the 60:40 separate rear seats in the cabin, it now comes with 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels with 265/60 R18 tires, bi-beam LED (light emitting diode) headlamps with auto-levelling function, LED daytime running lamps, LED + line guide + bulb taillights, tailgate assist, LED deck lamp, bedliner, sports bar, roof ornament, side decals, leather door trim with illumination, smart entry system with Push Start button, cruise control, 8-inch infotainment display with added Miracast, a reverse camera and front and rear sonar. The Hilux 2.4 4x2 Conquest AT is priced at P1,455,000 while the Hilux 2.4 4x2 Conquest MT goes for P1,380,000.

The crème de la crème of the Conquest are the two 4x4 variants that use the new and improved 2.8L 1GD-FTV engine, sending 201hp and 500Nm of torque to either a six-speed iMT (Intelligent manual transmission that automatically increases the engine revs when downshifting ensuring a smooth gear shift and also reduces clutch shock when shifting up) or a six-speed AT. On top of the high-end features in the Conquest 4x2 like the bi-beam LED (light emitting diode) headlamps with auto-levelling function, LED daytime running lamps, LED + line guide + bulb taillights, tailgate assist, LED deck lamp, and the leather + interior illumination in the cabin, it also has auto disconnect differential, differential lock, additional side and curtain airbags, and Downhill Assist Control. The Hilux 2.8 4x4 Conquest AT is priced at P1,830,000 while the Hilux 2.8 4x4 Conquest MT goes for P1,755,000.

The new Toyota Hilux comes in eight colors, Super White, Silver Metallic, Gray Metallic, Attitude Black Mica, Crimson Spark Red Metallic, Nebula Blue Metallic, Orange Metallic, and Emotional Red (exclusive for the Conquest).

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines