Toyota HiLux

The updated infotainment system is relatively simple to use on the move, and responds quickly enough to inputs. It’s not what you’d call standout, but the addition of smartphone mirroring is a big development. Points to Toyota for fitting hard shortcut buttons and a proper volume knob, too.

The driver and passenger sit in comfortable, well-padded pews trimmed in hardy-feeling cloth, and although the dashboard and transmission tunnel are finished in hard black plastic, both feel as though they’ll survive the test of time.

The coarse steering wheel trim doesn’t really feel worthy of a $60,000 dual-cab ute, and the basic cabin design is starting to age in the face of newer competition.

As for the fundamentals, driving position is good for taller drivers and Toyota has a good grasp on ergonomics. Need to press something often? Chances are it’s within easy reach, which makes the learning curve more of a molehill than a mountain.

There’s also an abundance of storage with a phone-sized slot under the dashboard, twin cupholders, a large storage bin under the armrest, a two-tier glovebox, and spacious door pockets.

Rear passengers are treated to perfectly acceptable amounts of legroom and headroom, and there are air vents for hot summer days. Keep an eye out if you’re tall though, the fixed grab handles pose a constant threat to your head.

For 2024, the Toyota HiLux Workmate variants score a black honeycomb mesh grille, plus black lower and body-coloured side bumper finishes, while single-cab chassis and petrol dual-cab variants across the range have a dark grey front bumper.

There’s a silver lower bumper finish on the HiLux SR, which also gains a tailgate damper with lift assist on pickup grades.The SR5 has been tweaked with a black upper grille mould, darkened headlight clusters, and a gloss black finish for the fog light bezels, exterior mirrors and door handles.

From last year, the HiLux SR extra-cab and dual-cab models will receive new 17-inch black alloy wheels, instead of the current 17-inch steel wheels, as well as body-coloured door handles. The company hasn’t made images of the updated SR available yet.

The SR5 dual-cab pick-up gains critical active safety equipment such as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. These safety features will also be standard on the upgraded Rogue.

Other new features the SR5 dual-cab pick-up receives as part of this update will include a surround-view camera, as well as puddle lamps. Heated side mirrors have been deleted.

On automatic SR5 models and above, the steering column lock has been replaced by an ID Box anti-theft immobiliser which is claimed to add extra security for owners starting the ute with the key fob.

The updated, Aussie-finished Rogue get a front and rear track increase of approximately 140mm, as well as a ride height increase of approximately 20mm. These are both claimed to aid both on- and off-road performance.

In order to accommodate the track increase in the HiLux Rogue, Toyota engineers overhauled the existing suspension by extending the front suspension arm and front stabiliser bar length. They also adjusted the shock absorber angle to improve its efficiency.

At the rear the axle length has been extended and the dampers have been moved further outwards towards the wheels.

Also for the first time on the HiLux, there’s a rear stabiliser bar fitted to the Rogue which is claimed to “enhance cornering stability and ride comfort”.

As a result of all of these suspension changes to the updated HiLux Rogue, Toyota says that roll rigidity has “been enhanced by 20 per cent”.

There are new ventilated rear disc brakes that replace the existing drum brakes for better braking performance, while the front disc brakes have been upgraded to units with a diameter of 17 inches – up an inch on before.

Capping off the upgrades that are dedicated to the flagship HiLux Rogue are wider wheel arch flares and mud flaps to accommodate for those greater track widths

There's also side steps and power-folding mirrors, but the cab chassis misses out on parking sensors and a reversing camera.

The Rogue adds black exterior trim, decals, and a resin sports bar.

The off-road oriented Rugged X adds a hoopless bull bar, bash plate, LED light bar, snorkel, front and rear recovery points, heavy-duty rock rails, heavy-duty front springs and a black sports bar with tie-down points.

The most powerful engine in the 2023 Toyota HiLux range is a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which has 150kW of power (at 3400rpm) and 500Nm of torque (at 1600-2800rpm) when fitted with a six-speed automatic. Manual models develop 420Nm (at 1400-3400rpm).

Lower grades offer a 110kW/400Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, while the entry-level versions are fitted as standard with a 122kW/245Nm 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

The smaller diesel makes peak power and torque at 3400rpm and 1600-2000rpm respectively, while the petrol does the same at 5200rpm and 4000rpm respectively.

Both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations are available throughout the line-up (see price list above), with manual and automatic transmissions offered for all powertrains.

Petrol models are fitted as standard with a five-speed manual transmission as standard while the diesels are mated to a six-speeder. A six-speed automatic is optional or standard depending on variant.

The new 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine starts with the same distinctive clatter as before, and behaves very similarly to the pre-update engine most of the time. But there’s definitely more mid-range punch in the 2021 update, and highway overtakes are dispatched faster than in the pre-facelift car.

The old HiLux could feel a bit strained at times, the new model rarely does.

Toyota’s six-speed automatic transmission might have as many options as the 10-speeder in the Ford Ranger and its bi-turbo engine, but it makes up for it by being decisive and intelligent on the move.

It’s happy to hold a taller gear and lean on the muscled-up mid-range on lighter throttle inputs, and kicks down smartly when more performance is required. There’s also a sequential-style manual shift option for control freaks, but it’s best left to its own devices for the most part.

Along with the updated engine, the HiLux has been treated to a number of locally-developed updates to the suspension in search of a smoother around-town ride.

Changes include longer leaf springs spaced further apart, new spring, damper and bushing rates, and new cabin mounts.

Less noticeable are the changes made to the steering, which is still relatively heavy and slow at low speed. There’s a bit of arm twirling required when you’re parking, especially compared to the SUV-like setup in the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50.

The dual-cab HiLux has a tub that measures 1570mm long, 1645mm wide, and 481mm tall. There's 1109mm between the two rear wheel arches.