A report says Toyota will take the fight to Ford with a new "apex off-roader."
ToyotaFord just launched the all-new Ranger lineup in Australia, which will include a new badass off-roadi-ready Ranger Raptor version. According to the Australian outlet CarsGuide,Toyota is reportedly cooking up some plans to combat it.
The report says Toyota is making some significant changes to the Hilux Rogue midsize pickup, including a 5.5-in wider track front and rear with wider over fenders, 0.7 inches more ground clearance, an overhauled suspension setup front and rear and upgraded brakes.
But perhaps more importantly for an American context, Toyota is also working on an “apex off-roader” truck that will slot above it.
We don’t have confirmation of how or whether those developments have anything to do with Toyota’s American truck lineup yet. But Toyota is coming out with an all-new Tacoma soon. It’s likely that Toyota will follow the path of the Tundra, Land Cruiser and Lexus LX 600 by consolidating the Tacoma, Hilux and 4Runner on a single TNGA architecture.
The current generation Hilux debuted for 2015, making it older than the Tacoma. The apex off-roader version would presumably launch for the next generation. And in theory, those modifications would be transferable to the next-generation Tacoma, if Toyota saw a reason to do so. And the next-generation Ford Ranger Raptor also coming to America could be that reason.
The Tacoma faces far more competition than it did a few years ago. That has not dented its success. The Tacoma remains more popular than ever. It dominates the midsize truck segment for sales, and — incredibly — it outsold the Corolla last year. Those sales numbers justify Toyota’s decision to let the current model linger on, even if it has become a bit dated.
However, the midsize truck competition has mostly used the current Tacoma as a benchmark. We haven’t seen the Taco face off against a modern competitor that truly exceeds its performance yet. A new Ranger Raptor should be that truck. And we would not be surprised if an even cooler version of the Tacoma TRD Pro shows up to meet it.
Keyword: Toyota Has Big Plans to Fight the Ford Ranger Raptor