Toyota Hilux review

There was a time when you’d only ever see a Toyota Hilux at a building site or farmyard. And there was a good reason for that; like the rest of its pick-up rivals, it may have been very capable off-road and blessed with legendary reliability, but it was slow, unrefined and uncomfortable on the road.

Fast forward to the present day, though, and pick-ups have become an increasingly popular alternative to large SUVs. While improvements to how they drive have helped to broaden their appeal, we suspect the tax savings available to company car users are more of an incentive. You see, any pick-up with a payload of 1000kg or more is classed as a Light Commercial Vehicle, which, in finance terms, means a fixed road tax and a benefit-in-kind (BIK) price based on age, regardless of how big it is, how thirsty the engine is or how much it costs to buy.

Like most of its rivals, the Hilux is available with a two-seat Single Cab, an Extra Cab with a couple of occasional rear seats or a full Double Cab. With four doors and usable rear seats, it’s no surprise that the Double Cab is the most popular option. As for engines, there’s a 2.4-litre diesel with 148bhp and a more potent 201bhp 2.8-litre diesel. Both can be paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox. 

But how does the Hilux compare with its equally rugged pick-up rivals, including the Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200 and Ssangyong Musso? Read on over the next few pages to see how the Hilux drives, what it’s like inside and what it’ll cost you. 

And don’t forget to head to our New Car Buying pages to see how much you could save on your new car purchase.