Toyota Hilux - Toyota Hilux - a tailor-made truck

Real off-road pickups will go almost anywhere. No wonder the Toyota Hilux is available worldwide. But not everywhere an indestructible Toyota pickup truck is the same. Just like the flora and fauna in different parts of the globe, Toyota Hilux differs from market to market in terms of equipment, drive and body system.

Hilux - indestructible for half a century

Last year he celebrated his 50th birthday. But for a 50-year-old, Hilux is doing great. It is enough to look at the smooth but mature features of its eighth generation. Contrary to its name, which combines the English words "high" and "luxury", the Toyota delivery van was originally a clearly working car. Its face was changed only by successive versions and elements of equipment. And also a warm welcome from the users who started treating the Toyota Hilux as a car to work during the week and for the family on weekends. Hilux has become a universal car, which in addition to cement bags for construction and bales of wood for woodshed also provides... comfort of a person.

The most popular pickup truck in Australia

The Toyota Hilux definitely deserves to be called a global model. But there's a catch here. Sold in the early 1970s in the USA, Hilux was withdrawn from the market at the end of the last century and replaced by a larger model of Tacoma. This car and the even bigger Tundra represent Toyota pickups in the big American market. Going on a journey in the footsteps of Hilux we can bypass the United States and go straight to Australia. There, although the sun is shining in the north and the flowing water is spinning in the other direction, Hilux is still the market's number one hit. In the Australian interior we can also find a delivery version of Toyota that no one else in the world has - Workmate and Highrider models.

Toyota Hilux Workmate and Highrider

The Hilux Workmate is a really unique proposition, because the car is delivered as a pickup truck with a box load compartment surrounded by sides or in a version with no bodywork outside the cabin. In Europe we would say that such a car looks like a vintage model. In the Australian market, Toyota pickups are available with single and double cabs, rear-wheel drive or 4x4, 2,4 and 2,8 turbo-diesel engines and 2.7 petrol engines for which manual or automatic transmissions can be ordered. The Highrider is - as the name suggests - 5 mm higher than a standard 4x2 car and can be ordered with ExtraCab instead of single (SingleCab) or double (DoubleCab) and only rear-wheel drive. Australians have another interesting version of Hilux - the armored Rugged variety, which leaves the living room with snorkeel, front casing and powerful steps on the thresholds.

Without gasoline in Indonesia

From Australia we go to Indonesia, where the rest of the Hiluxy products are produced and available on the market. And here we can be surprised, because Australia is not far from here, and the offer does not include any petrol engine under the hood. There are well known diesels 2.4, all three cabin lengths, including ExtraCab labelled in Indonesia modestly "C-Cab". In addition, as in other countries, we have a choice of rear-wheel drive and 4x4 cars, as well as automatic and manual transmissions. The limited choice of engines does not apply to the basic pickup truck with a short cabin. In it, you can have two litres of petrol or diesel under the mask... 2.5.

Big choice in South Africa

A true fan of the model should definitely visit the factory's showroom in South Africa. This is where cars sold in Poland, for example, are manufactured. There are fourteen versions with short cabs, and you can choose between engines, drives and boxes, as well as painted or black bumpers and cars with standard or elevated suspension. Under the hood you can put two litre petrol or both well-known diesels. What is interesting, in South Africa we will not buy a car with a double cab, there is only ExtraCab, and the extended version will not be combined with a petrol engine.

Without Hilux ExtraCab in Argentina and Brazil

We will also find out in Argentina that travel is a learning experience. The ExtraCab version is not available there at all and you can only choose between short or double cabs. Rear-wheel drive cars account for almost half of the range and the spark ignition engine is not offered here at all. Things are even different in Brazil, where diesel is installed only in chassis and short-cab pickups. The ExtraCaba variety in the Peljesac homeland is also missing, but the double cab, called here "Dupla", has only a powerful 2.7 petrol engine under the bonnet, regardless of the box used or the drive version.

Large selection in Poland

This is the diversity of Hilux's offer in the world. What does it look like in Poland? Well, it's simple, we have all three types of cabs to choose from, but only one engine - a 2.4-litre diesel engine combined with a manual or automatic transmission. While the short Hilux and the ExtraCab version can be ordered with rear-mounted drive, the DoubleCab version is only available with four-wheel drive and a choice of manual or automatic transmission. But in Poland we will also buy Toyota Hilux in versions that are not available in other parts of the world. One of them is the result of Toyota's cooperation with the legendary Arctic Trucks brand.

Toyota Hilux Arctic Trucks

Icelanders have prepared technical and stylistic packages for several Toyota models, including Hilux. Modifications to the suspension, body lift and mudguard widening can be ordered to accommodate the larger 35-inch AT wheels. New rims, flaps with the proud "Arctic Trucks" mark, additional steps to make it easier to take up space in the car and accessories such as special wheel wrenches, speedometer calibrators and additional road approvals complete the package. The preparation of Toyota Hilux Arctic Trucks takes an average of ten days, and the cost of modification, depending on the model, oscillates around 50 thousand zlotys.

Only in Poland - Hilux Hilly

In Poland we will find one more, unique version of Toyota Hilux. This is a limited edition of Hilly prepared by Toyota Motor Poland and Carlex Design. In this edition, the legendary pickup truck received new bumpers and grills, widened fenders and a rear spoiler. There were no missing covers in the middle and the edge of the bonnet and the fuel filler. The whole is compatible with the characteristic graphics on the body, which is available in two colors - pearl white and black. The car has also changed in the interior, mainly due to the upholstery made of nappa leather and red inserts, as well as the new steering wheel with leather trim. That's not the end of the change. Toyota Hilux Hilly features Pedders' suspension lifting system and extended 18-inch aluminium rims with BFGoodrich All Terrain 265/60 R18 off-road tires and LED patrol lighting. An additional interesting feature is the exhaust system equipped with a system generating the sports sound of the V8 unit, controlled by a mobile application.

The recipe for a successful pickup truck

On the Toyota Hilux Hilly we end our journey with an indestructible pickup truck. Frame design, high level of safety, multitude of body versions, strong engine offer and range of drives, including true 4x4 off-road with reducers and a long list of accessories and dedicated accessories - that's what modern Hilux has to offer. For five decades, Toyota has studied very carefully all the movements of competing brands, and we must admit that there are now more new entrants in the pickup market than anyone would have expected. It is precisely this faithfulness to the original formula, and thus to the buyers, that continues to pay off the most in many markets today, that Toyota Hilux remains the undisputed market leader. 100 years, Hiluxie!