Toyota Hilux Reigning champion is still as good as ever

The Hilux got its big midlife update two years ago, literally a week too late to be included in the judging for these awards. In the twelve months that followed, the range gained an AT35 model built by Arctic Trucks, taking full advantage of the 2.8-litre engine that had previously been introduced to give Toyota’s other lifestyle models the performance they needed to compete with the best – and it was all enough to make this the winner of the overall title in 2022.

The following 12 months have been quiet by comparison. Hiluxes came first and third in the 2022 Dakar Rally, then straight afterwards a new GR Sport range-topper was announced, but this has taken a long time to come through as something you can actually buy, with the first UK examples reaching their owners quite recently.

The other big news during the last year has been less welcome. Prices have risen across the board, but in the pick-up market Toyota’s climbed the highest – an average of just over 12%, with the high-spec Invincible X climbing by a pinch less than £5000.

That’s the bucket of cold water. But don’t forget the excellent residuals that come with being a truck whose reputation for longevity precedes it. More than that, there’s a reason why this is the reigning title holder. It’s an excellent truck deep down and a convincing lifestyle motor towards the top of the range.

A 2.4-litre, 150bhp diesel engine is the only option on work-spec Active and mid-range Icon models. It can’t help but feel like the poor relation next to the 201bhp 2.8, but it does its job well – though we’ve found that when mated to an auto gearbox it struggles to pull at higher speeds.

The only model on which you can choose either engine is the Invincible. Astonishingly, the difference in price is just £350 after VAT, so you’d need a very specific reason not to get the 2.8. You can get it in manual form on the Invincible and Invincible X, which is nice, though it’s far better suited to an auto than the 2.4.

At the work-spec end of the range, the Active model is available in single, crew and double-cab format. There’s no auto option here, but with it being 2.4-only we wouldn’t want it.

What you do get is cruise, air-con, Bluetooth and a locking rear diff, and that’s a pretty solid spec for a do-it-all pick-up. It certainly doesn’t feel sparse – though for a couple of grand or so more, the Icon adds 17” alloys, upgraded seat fabric and a touch-screen media system with DAB and smartphone pairing, which you may see as a good investment.

The Invincible and Invincible X add further premium equipment, including a monster of a stereo. Then comes the new GR Sport, whose unique performance suspension set-up, featuring retuned shocks and front springs, is augmented by rally-inspired styling outside and in.

On that subject, the Hilux’s cabin is attractively laid out and very well put together. There’s a rock-solid feeling of build quality, though even at the top of the range some of the materials still feel like those of a utility vehicle.

Up front, the seats are roomy and very comfortable, but rear legroom is the poorest in the pick-up market. We tried to fi t one six-footer in behind another and for either to be able to get in the back at all, the front seat had to be so far forward that the other one said he wouldn’t be able to drive.

In other ways, the cabin is very good. The multimedia system is the focal point of the dash on vehicles lofty enough to have the top-line system, and it looks excellent. It’s better than most at giving you places to shove your bits and pieces, too.

The 2.8-litre engine carried the Hilux to victory last year, but let’s not forget the 2.4 either. This is very capable, if hardly thrilling, but we wouldn’t have it with an auto box – kicking it down on the motorway provokes noise and little else.

Go for the 2.8 and you get 201bhp backed up by 310lbf.ft in manual form and 369lbf.ft with an auto, all from 1400rpm. That sounds promising and sure enough, all it takes is a twitch of your right foot and the Hilux is on its way. In town, on B-roads or at a cruise, the response is as lively as it is instant.

It’s quite refi ned, too, with well muted road and engine noise at motorway speeds. Wind noise is very pronounced, though, and the suspension fi dgets a little on seams, but it’s better around town where good old British pot holes pose no fears. The steering is nice and easy here, too, and well damped on the motorway, but more feeling on turn-in would make it a lot more fun on B-roads. Perhaps the set-up on the GR Sport will help here.

What we do know is that the Hilux is an absolute tool off-road. The torque from the 2.8 engine puts you in charge whatever the terrain, and the rear locker that’s standard on all models means you can tackle extreme terrain and low-traction surfaces with real confi dence and control. This has always been a strong suit for the Hilux, and it remains so as much as ever.

List OTR (ex-VAT) (inc VAT)

2.4 Active Extra Cab Chassis £26,678 £33,085 2.4 Active Single-Cab £26,095 £32,385 2.4 Active Extra Cab £27,345 £32,814 2.4 Active Double-Cab £27,970 £34,635 2.4 Icon Double-Cab* £30,095 £37,185 2.4 Invincible Double-Cab* £32,553 £40,135 2.8 Invincible Double-Cab* £32,845 £40,485 2.8 Invincible X Double-Cab* £36,187 £44,485 2.8 GR Sport** £39,241 £48,160 2.8 Invincible X AT35 Double-Cab** £56,927 £69,384 * Auto extra £1250 plus VAT ** Auto standard * Auto extra £1250 plus VAT ** Auto standard

The Hilux remains hugely impressive following its victory last year, with a wide range of skills both on and off-road. As always, build quality is as strong as an ox. It has suffered the highest price rises of any truck in the one-tonne sector, however, and as buyers become ever more budget conscious that can’t help but have an impact. Its rear-seat legroom is very last-generation, too – but overall, this is still a brilliant truck.