Next Generation Toyota Hilux Details Here. Just Another Facelift?

Toyota’s immensely popular Hilux pick-up has received a cosmetic makeover for its 2012 model year. The bulk of the stylistic changes to the new pickup occur forwards of the A-pillar, the prominent air scoop remains but it sits upon a new, sculpted bonnet that tapers to a nose more closely reminiscent of the company’s high-end Land Cruiser models, especially those re-styed headlamps and the slatted chrome grille. The front bumper has also been revised, as have the rear wings and side mirrors, while redesigned alloy wheels will be offered in both 15 and 17-inch versions.Toyota claims to have made significant improvements to the perceived quality within the new model’s cabin through the use of darker trim colours and the adoption of silver-effect trim elements. The upper facia has been redesigned to accentuate the cabin’s width and a Toyota Touch infotainment system with a 6.1-inch full colour screen will also be offered on certain models. Toyota has decided to create a stronger differentiation between its workhorse, dual usage and more leisure-orientated models. As such, the Hilux 2012 will overseas be available in four grades: DLX, the new DLX+, SR and SR+ encompassing three body styles, two engines, a choice of manual or automatic transmissions as well as 2WD and 4WD drivetrains. It remains to be seen what the local line-up will look like when the new model debuts around September in Thailand and soon after in Malaysia.
The workhorse/dual usage DLX+ model comes in 2WD or 4WD guises powered by a revised version of the company’s 2.5 D-4D powertrain. Using variable-nozzle turbocharging, the 2,5 D-4D now develops an additional 18 kW over the current unit for total outputs of 107 kW at 3600rpm and 343 Nm of torque at 2 000 r/min. Despite this power increase, the combined cycle fuel consumption has been reduced by 1.0 litres/100 km to 7.3 litres/100 km and CO2 emissions lowered by 26 g/km to 193 g/km. The adoption of a diesel particulate filter (DPF) both 2.5 D-4D and 3.0 D-4D now means that both units are Euro5-compliant, but we will have to see whether these adaptations will materialise in our local market where diesel quality stands at Euro2M. The 2012 Hilux will be produced at Toyota Motors’s Thailand factory for this region.