Toyota Australia’s first HiLux GR Sport is one of the most hotly anticipated off-roaders coming to market this year
- What we love
- 1. Most powerful diesel HiLux to date
- 2. Paddle shifters
- 3. Practical inclusions on top of new chassis set-up
- 4. Disc rear brakes
- 5. Better ride and handling
- Not so much
- 1. Most expensive HiLux to date
- 2. Too little, too late?
- 3. A few missing pieces
- 4. Still at least six months away
- 5. Who cares if it’s been tested in a wind tunnel?
The first-generation Ford Ranger Raptor arrived as the original hero ute in 2018, when it kicked off the top-end tough-truck trend currently dominating the ever-expanding dual-cab 4×4 ute market.
Far more so than the limited-run HSV Colorado SportsCat before it, Aussies lined up to get their hands on a factory developed and backed ute brandishing most of the off-road modifications they’d usually make via the aftermarket, and the original Raptor’s success prompted other brands to have a stab at their own high-end, go-anywhere pick-up.
The Nissan Navara Warrior and Volkswagen Amarok W580X arguably came the closest to bothering the Raptor, but Ford then moved the goal posts further last year when it launched the second-gen Ranger flagship complete with 292kW/583Nm twin-turbo petrol V6.
Other brands like Mazda, Isuzu and Mitsubishi tentatively dipped their toes in with some admittedly very popular high-end offerings, but these flagship utes don’t feature any capability-boosting changes under the skin.
Despite selling more utes than any other brand, Toyota has been conspicuously absent from the tough-truck battle since it began, but now all that’s changed with the reveal of the 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport.
The GR Sport should be the most capable and expensive HiLux variant ever, so we thought we’d run you through some of the key features we’re keen (and not so keen) on ahead of its Australia release in the second half of this year.
What we love
1. Most powerful diesel HiLux to date
Toyota’s engineers have fitted the GR HiLux with a new turbocharger and bespoke new fuel-injection mapping to up the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine’s outputs from the usual 150kW/500Nm to 165kW at 3000rpm and 550Nm at 2800rpm, marking a 10 per cent bump in both power and torque.
These are the same outputs as seen in South Africa’s HiLux GR Sport and make Toyota Australia’s new flagship ute the most powerful diesel HiLux variant to date (bettered only by the 2008-09 TRD HiLux with its supercharged 225kW/453Nm 4.0-litre petrol V6).
The higher performance numbers from Toyota’s controversial 2.8-litre turbo-diesel may fall well short of the new Ranger Raptor’s 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6, but they demolish the 140kW/450Nm figures of the 2.3-litre Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior as well as the dressed-up Mazda BT-50 Thunder.
While the six-speed auto has also been upgraded with sportier tuning and an expanded lock-up range, there’s something inherently fitting about the most capable HiLux also being the most powerful – ala Ranger –. But Toyota is also claiming the GR Sport to be one of the best variants on-road as well as off, which is why it’s fitted it with…
2. Paddle shifters
This might seem like a minor one, but the inclusion of paddle shifters should enhance the Toyota HiLux GR Sport’s driver involvement in any driving situation, making it sporier on-road and more practical off-road.
Every vaguely experienced off-roader will be well aware of the importance of being able to lock a vehicle in a certain gear when traversing difficult terrain, but most manual overrides are accessed and operated via the gear selector.
As we’ve found with the new Raptor, paddles add an extra level of convenience and simplicity to the equation given your hands don’t need to come off the steering wheel to change gear and the fact it’s virtually impossible to miss-shift.
3. Practical inclusions on top of new chassis set-up
In upping the HiLux’s off-road and visual prowess, Toyota hasn’t just added new springs and dampers to the latest Rogue’s wide-track chassis and called it a day.
While the front track width increase of 140mm is shared with the Rogue, at the rear there’s an extra 15mm between the wheels at 155mm, plus dedicated monotube shock absorbers (mounted outboard at the rear) that are claimed to offer higher damping force and better heat dissipation.
Of course, the GR Sport shares the new Rogue’s stiffer coil springs, reinforced rear axle, rear anti-roll bar and extended front wishbones and sway bar.
In the Rogue, Toyota says the addition of the rear sway bar – a first for any HiLux in Australia – brings a 20 per cent improvement in roll rigidity and, combined with the revised front-end architecture and wider track, improves steering feel and stability.
That means the GR Sport should not only be the most capable HiLux out of the box, but the most dynamic as well.
For off-roaders, Toyota says the GR Sport will offer more ground clearance than the Rogue, which brings a 20mm ride height increase to 265mm, but is yet to give an exact figure.
The extra clearance, articulation and more aggressive looks are supported by a series of practical off-road features.
All-terrain tyres on 17-inch wheels (as opposed the Rogue’s 18-inch wheels and highway rubber), a heavy-duty skid plate, rock rails and red rear recovery points all play a key role off-road in protecting key underbelly components, enhancing capability and getting out of trouble.
4. Disc rear brakes
So this might not be a market or even a segment first, but the inclusion of disc rear brakes on the 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport – also seen on the Rogue – should add more stopping power, control and reliability in mixed conditions.
As per Rogue, the ventilated rear rotors (with single-piston floating calliper) are supported by bigger front discs with fixed four-piston callipers.
While we hear what manufacturers say in terms of cost reduction, we still find it dim that most utes ship with drum rear brakes as opposed to discs, so the inclusion of the superior technology on the GR Sport is a welcome one – especially given it’s meant to go further off the beaten track than any other HiLux variant to date.
5. Better ride and handling
Despite the chunkier rubber and increased ride height, Toyota Australia says the HiLux GR Sport’s overhauled suspension set-up “enables the driver to enjoy the adrenaline of a sporty vehicle without compromising ride comfort for everyday use”.
Dual-cabs aren’t known for their handling dynamics and the HiLux has never been a class-leader in terms of ride comfort, so any improvements in these areas are welcome, especially when it comes with improved off-road performance, which is something even the standard SR5 delivers in droves.
Not so much
1. Most expensive HiLux to date
The development of all these capability-boosting performance and cosmetic upgrades parts inevitably costs money, and the Toyota HiLux GR Sport is in pole position to take the crown as the most expensive factory HiLux to date.
With the Rogue already starting from $70,200 plus on-road costs, odds are the GR Sport will carry a sticker price of at least $75,000 when it arrives later in 2023, and despite all of its promised capability and infinitely loyal fanbase, we can’t help but wonder if it’s…
2. Too little, too late?
As mentioned above, the hero ute market has been around for a while now and it’s now a seriously sophisticated game.
Ford continues to stay ahead of the curve with its high-tech new Raptor, based on the all-new 2022 Ranger, and the current-gen HiLux has been around since 2015, even if it’s been upgraded twice since then, most significantly in 2020.
The current-generation Nissan Navara (and Mitsubishi Triton) is about the same age, but the Warrior nameplate – and now a fifth upgrade and expanded Warrior line-up – gave it a new lease on life in 2020 thanks to faithful customers who might not want an $85,000 force-fed petrol V6.
There’s also the issue of the next-generation HiLux, which is tipped to be revealed sometime next year and launched by the end of 2025, meaning the GR Sport might only be around for 18 months or so.
3. A few missing pieces
While there’s no denying Toyota has specced the HiLux GR Sport appropriately for off-road use, we can’t help but wonder if the package would be even more convincing with an integrated bullbar or steel bumper as per the Navara Pro-4X Warrior – and even the HiLux Rugged X it belatedly replaces.
A front bar would complement the bash plate, rock sliders and rear recovery points, providing factory protection all the way round and almost certainly improving the 30-degree approach angle, which is only one degree more than standard and actually plays second fiddle to the lesser Rogue (31 degrees).
For the record, every other angle is superior to its penultimate sibling, although the 26-degree departure angle (versus the Rogue’s 23 degrees) isn’t as generous as some other dual-cab 4×4 HiLux variants, which offer up to 17 degrees.
There’s also no sports bar, snorkel or tonneau/roller cover anywhere to be seen. Only the latter wasn’t fitted to the Rugged X, which also scored a bull bar and integrated light bar.
4. Still at least six months away
Toyota Australia has confirmed it’s expecting to launch the HiLux GR Sport sometime in the second half of this year, meaning the HiLux we’ve all been waiting years for is still at least another six months away.
That’s a lot of time for Ford and Nissan to keep chalking up Raptor and Warrior sales, or for customers to buy something else and go down the aftermarket route.
5. Who cares if it’s been tested in a wind tunnel?
During the HiLux GR Sport’s reveal, Toyota said the new flagship’s chunky “exterior body parts have been sculpted in the wind tunnel for aerodynamic efficiency”.
Dual-cab utes have never been at the forefront of aero efficiency and nor do they have any great need for it while they remain very much in the world of internal combustion.
Toyota could’ve saved some coin in this development department, which in turn could’ve been passed onto consumers via a lower eventual asking price.
Keyword: 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport: Five things we love – and don’t