Toyota Hilux review

The world’s best-selling pick-up truck… if you leave out America. Which is like saying Burger King does the most popular cow sandwich on Earth… if you forget about McDonalds.

But even excepting the USA’s insatiable thirst for open-bed freedom on wheels, the Toyota Hilux is a sales phenomenon. Since 1968, Toyota’s shifted more than 27 million of these humble workhorses to everyone from farmers to freedom fighters. And it's a four-time Dakar Rally winner too, prevailing in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025.

So did Toyota stick to the recipe for this latest one?

No. A little while ago Toyota was poring over spreadsheets that made grim reading for the Hilux. Pick-up sales had boomed, swept along in the torrent of clamour for all things 4x4 and SUV-ish, but the Hilux’s market share had been eaten into by the likes of the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok, trucks aimed at wooing lifestyle enthusiasts in Shepherds Bush as much as they impress actual sheep-herders in the bush. Something had to give, without leaving the Isuzu D-Max on its lonesome to mop up the workaholic sector.

Like what?

Lots. Toyota reacted to the demand for high-spec, well-kitted pick-ups with powerful motorway-happy engines that don’t run out of puff above 50mph, so there’s now the option of a 2.8-litre engine instead of the workaday 2.4-litre. Inside, the range toppers boast heated leather seats, an automatic gearbox and Toyota’s latest smartphone-literate touchscreen. It's even dabbled with LED lights and a JBL hi-fi. Why shouldn’t long days on the farm be scored with thumping bass?

Other extras include a panoramic view monitor, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and dual-zone air conditioning, while automatic service reminders, e-call and remote diagnostic functionality. And that’s just on the standard version.

There are other versions?

Strap in. New for 2025 is a 48v mild hybrid, which essentially bolts an e-motor-generator and a piddly battery onto the 2.8 diesel for smoother acceleration, longer idling in traffic, quicker and quieter restarts and better fuel consumption to the tune of seven per cent, Toyota claims.

The system can assist the engine with bursts of 16bhp and 48lb ft, but it’s literally only that – a leg up, no e-running. Power and torque remain the same either way, 201bhp at 3,400rpm and 369lb ft between 1,600-2,800rpm. 0-62mph is a smidge over 10 seconds for both, with the hybrid a little slower on account of it running a six-speed manual to the non-hybrid’s six-speed manual.

The 2.4 is good for 148bhp, 295lb ft and 0-62mph in 12.8 seconds. So not quite as racy as the GR Sport one.

I’m sorry, what?!

Told you you’d need to be strapped in. In an effort to jump on its Dakar success (i.e. squeeze some cash of it), Toyota gave the green light to a Hilux GR Sport: a top-spec Hilux bequeathed with new shock absorbers, stiffer front springs, a black mesh grille, new 17s and all-terrain tyres, and more GR badges than can possibly be healthy. Leather sports seats and aluminium pedals inside too.

No extra power or performance though. And two years on Toyota’s come back with a GR Sport II that’s almost as low-effort as the first one: wider wheelarches, an ‘aero’ sports bar (yep, actual wind tunnel time has been spent on it), a retuned monotube (less roll angle and better steering response is the claim), plus suspension and brake revisions. Latest (and mostly naff) multimedia system as well.

Right… and what about the mechanicals?

Toyota used to place a multi-tonne load in the Hilux’s bed, then tune the suspension. That meant a bouncy, unsettled ride when the truck was unladen. Because most lifestyle pick-up truck drivers never place more than a bottle of screenwash and a pair of trainers in the cargo bay, the latest Hilux has been tuned to ride best without so much as a bag of sand slung in the bed.

Great news… and very worrying. Not just because the Hilux is supposed to have the simplicity and longevity of Stonehenge, but because this tactic isn’t necessarily a winner. The Mercedes X-Class was long ago dropped from UK sale after its premium take on Nissan Navara underpinnings failed to convince the pick-up truck faithful. They’ll sniff out a faker in moments.

So, has the Hilux lost its way, or reinforced its position as a modern motoring icon? We’ve given the top-spec a thorough shakedown, though admittedly Toyota hasn’t let us drop this one off a building. Yet.

What’ll it cost me?

Glad you asked. You can only have the Hilux as a four-door double cab here, with Invincible trim starting at £35,807.50 and the Invincible X upping that to £39,182.50. The hybrid’s a £40k+ proposition. All without VAT, of course. Commercial vehicle, innit.

The Toyota Hilux is a predictably unpretentious machine, and its attempts to court lifestyle truck buyers have done little to alienate its core following while rounding off some of its rougher on-road manners. This is Good News. The 2.8 is the engine to have in almost all cases, alleviating the older cars’ tardy performance particularly when fully loaded. The hybrid barely moves the needle though – it’s a nod to improved efficiency rather than a genuine gamechanger.

The cabin is still more steel-capped boot than ballet shoe, and it’s a cumbersome beast to helm around. But if anything that’s a constant reminder this isn’t a vehicle to pose in – it’s a tool, a faithful workhorse, and a dependable business partner. You’ll look upon it fondly for that.