Driving report: Toyota Hilux

What could be more reassuring in Corona times than this promise: "Invincible"? At least that's what it says on the side of the top version of Toyota's newly redesigned Hilux pickup: "Invincible". And this feeling also arises when the driver has scrambled over the thick black running board into the automotive mountains. The seating position in the comfortable leather armchairs is surprisingly more like a limousine than a throne - but of course because of the sheer height above the ground, it is clearly set apart from the mundane traffic below.

Pleasant driving experience

The good feeling continues - in contrast to the only 2,4-liter diesel available to date - especially when gliding over longer motorway stretches or briskly driven winding country roads: Despite the ladder frame, rigid axle and leaf springs, the Hilux is quiet and easy to handle at all speeds in the street. A modified tuning for the shock absorbers, new chassis bearings and newly tuned leaf springs make it possible.

With the revised Hilux, Toyota wanted to create two models in one: the workhorse for heavy workers, which has been known for decades, and a lifestyle car for the new, growing group of high-income earners, who also spend at least 40.000 euros on the special feeling of adventure - and occasionally use for 204 HP, 500 Nm of torque as well as one ton of usable and 3,5 tons of trailer load. According to Toyota, there are more and more people in Europe. Maybe it's Corona?

High consumption depending on driving style

In any case, the Hilux delivers this demand for automotive distance from the evil world. In the best equipment Invincible (from 46.783 euros) with an optional 800-watt stereo system and subwoofer for around 1.000 euros, nothing can be heard from the surroundings, even with strong acceleration between 130 and 180 kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, the consumption display is shooting towards 20 liters.

But if you are on the road more civilly, you can easily keep the Hilux below the ten-liter mark. But not much more is possible. The Japanese are not thinking of a hybrid version for the time being. Customers demand something other than batteries and manageable torques. Namely, elemental forces - and those in the three body variants Single Cab, Extra Cab and Double Cab.

They can also be seen when riding through difficult terrain in a Franconian quarry. The Hilux proves why customers in the jungle, mountains or the desert swear by the Toyota - and have made it the second most successful model after the Corolla: The pick-up can be operated finely with sensitive steering, gas and brakes, even with climbing maxes such as Defender, G-Class or the in-house Land Cruiser.

Everything stays in place even in the field

It creaks and cracks more audibly than in the electronically upgraded competitors in their latest version. The Hilux may give the battle pig; and he keeps this promise - in the simplest “duty” basic diesel with all-wheel drive for less than 30.000 euros. The fact that it goes over hill and dale and sand and mud can always be clearly felt. Solid retaining brackets in the right places ensure that the four passengers in the double cabin remain in their seats, in the Invincible on leather-covered ones.

Oh yes, leather-covered ... the interior shows that the Hillux cannot quite meet the lifestyle demands promised by the imposing face with its bi-LEDs, the good driving behavior or the deep black aluminum of the Invincible. The plastics are hard when you touch them and even the leather steering wheel does not feel dignified. The eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is state-of-the-art, but the rest of the instrumentation, ergonomically surprisingly distributed buttons and buttons and especially the 80s LCD clock on the dashboard are far from the current zeitgeist. But maybe it is precisely what makes the Hilux special in the urban jungle.