Toyota revises its Hilux range regularly, and this includes some engine revisions too. Here we choose the best engine from a choice of three petrol and three diesel offerings.
Toyota launched a revised version of its Hilux at the end of 2021, adding some new colours and a specification upgrade. Today we answer the question of which engine option is better, petrol or diesel?
The latest range model line-up has been revised, with a switch of focus on some of the traditional names to give them new status regarding model grading. There are many reasons why the bakkie is South Africa’s favourite vehicle, and you can see that when you drive a Hilux.
At the bottom end of the range, the S and SR trim levels remain. The new mid-line trim is now pegged as the Raider, which was once a model name used for upper-level Hilux models. Effectively, the new Raider replaces the SRX trim name, which has been dropped.
As a result of this, the new flagship trim level is now the Legend, a name previously given to limited-series models in the Hilux range. An optional accessory package, denoted as the “RS”, is available for the Legends, which consists of a roller shutter load bed cover, rubberised load bed and highly-styled sports bar mounted alongside the rear of the cabin. Here are our first impressions of the current-gen Hilux.
The engine line-up
The engine line-up for the Hilux range still consists of three petrol engines and three diesel engines. These are as follows:
Petrol
The 2.0 S engine is a 1 998 cc naturally-aspirated petrol 4-cylinder producing 102 kW and 183 Nm of torque. This engine is only available in single cab pick-up form, in S trim.
The 2.7 S engine is a naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder displacing 2 6944 cc and producing 122 kW and 245 Nm of torque. This engine is available in single-cab and double-cab form, both in an S trim level.
The 4.0 V6. This is an old-school performance petrol engine, naturally-aspirated and displacing3 956 cc. It produces 175 kW and 376 Nm of torque. It is only available in Legend trim with a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
Diesel:
The 2.4 GD S. This engine is a 2,0-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, developing 110 kW and 343 Nm of torque. It is available only in single-cab pick-up form.
The 2.4 GD-6 engine. This is a 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, dimensionally similar to the GD engine, with 2 393 cc displacement. It also produced 110 kW but has a higher peak torque rating of 400 Nm. This engine is used across a broad spread of Hilux models, available in single-cab pick-up, Xtra Cab pick-up and Double Cab form, and in SR and Raider trim levels. It is also available with both manual, automatic and 4X4 transmissions.
The 2.8 GD-6 engine. This is the top engine in the diesel range and has just been upgraded to 150 kW and 500 Nm of torque when used with an automatic transmission. Prior to this latest model, the figures for the 2.8 GD-6 were 130 kW and 450 Nm of torque for automatic models. The 2.8 GD-6 engine currently used with a manual transmission gearbox also produces 150 kW, but torque is limited to 420 Nm. We had the 2.8 GD-6 4×4 Double Cab Raider Dakar on test.
Toyota offers this top engine through an extensive range of Hilux models. These include the single-cab pick-up, Xtra cab pick-up and double cab in Legend trim.
Which Hilux engine is best?
We rate all Hilux engines as being excellent units. Whether you go for petrol or diesel largely depends on whether you are prepared to lay out the extra costs for a diesel model to achieve better fuel consumption. The 2.0-litre petrol used in the base model is noted for its ability to take a terrific pounding of all-day flat-out driving in its commercial application. But, there again, all these Toyota engines have excellent reliability records.
Our choice here would be the latest 2.8 GD-6 diesel used in the post-September 2020 Automatic transmission models of the Legend. The increase in torque to 500 Nm has made this model competitive with the top Double Cab pick-up rivals in the class, and the fact it has been fitted with an additional balance shaft has dampened out engine vibrations to an admirable degree. We enjoy the fact that at 2.8-litre capacity, it is still a relatively under-stressed engine, as most rival manufacturers use smaller-capacity engines to achieve these kinds of figures. A new roller-bearing turbocharger design should make this engine even more reliable!
You can check the latest Hilux offerings on AutoTrader here. You can also try our Instant Offer tool here to sell your current car easily and quickly.
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