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Next-generation Toyota HiLux has been released
After years of speculation, Toyota has finally pulled the covers off the “new generation” HiLux.
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3 min readDrive
After years of speculation, Toyota has finally pulled the covers off the “new generation” HiLux.
Published
4 min read
Text size
Published
Text size
On sale from December 9 and priced from $33,990 to $71,990 before on-road costs, the Thai-built one-tonne new Toyota HiLux brings fresh styling inside and out, updated multimedia and extended safety features amongst other changes.
Furthermore, a battery electric vehicle version will be added to the range in Australia by the middle of next year, offering an electric motor on each axle for four-wheel drive (4WD). Pricing and specification details will be revealed closer to the launch date.
And if that’s not progressive enough, an expected world-first hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) variant will follow suit in 2028, giving Australian buyers an unprecedented level of advanced technologies in the ute field.
Toyota says that Australia helped mould the latest model by leading some of the design changes as well as conducting extensive local development and testing to improve the series.
But don’t be fooled by the ‘all-new’ public relations rhetoric, because the 2026 HiLux you see here is a substantial facelift of the existing model that has been on sale for 10 years in Australia.
Though modified and improved in some areas, the diesel engine, chassis, wheelbase, leaf-spring rear suspension, body structure, tray sizes and towing/carrying capacities essentially shift over from before.
However, an electric power steering system has been devised, bringing with it upgrades to the MacPherson strut front suspension set-up.
Also coming back is the 150kW/500Nm 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that has been the subject of lawsuits in this country for alleged issues pertaining to its diesel particulate filter. A rarity nowadays is the retention of a manual choice (again with an 80Nm-lower torque output) in some grades, in lieu of the carryover six-speed automatic transmission.
Toyota says the slightly more-powerful 48-volt mild hybrid system option, dubbed 48V and previously limited to the top versions, will now be more-widely available. But the entry-level petrol engine has been discontinued.
Unusually given the company’s pioneering efforts, are no full hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions on the horizon for the time being. The popular BYD Shark 6 and GWM Alpha Cannon PHEV can rest easy for now.
Back to the present, the usual body style choices remain, in single cab-chassis, extra-cab-chassis, double-cab-chassis and dual-cab ute configurations, offered in either 4x2 rear-wheel drive or optional 4x4 on-demand four-wheel drive.
Five familiar grades return, starting with the fleet-baiting Workmate and SR fitted with a heavy-duty suspension tune, and then working up to the better-specified SR5, “premium” Rogue and Rugged X – the latter being the more off-road-focused flagship. These feature suspension that’s been developed for “more comfort and adventure-orientated private use”, according to Toyota.
Among the changes in the cabin are a redesigned dashboard featuring a 7.0-inch digital instrumentation cluster on lower grades and a 12.3-inch item from SR5 and above.
Additionally, a 12.3-inch central touchscreen arrives, with voice command and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto as part of an upgraded multimedia system. It also comes with the availability of a subscription to Toyota Connected Services that offers automatic emergency callout, vehicle location and remote locking capabilities.
Revisions to the seats and centre console round out the updates inside.
On the safety front, every grade now steps up with autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep warning, blind spot monitor, speed sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. Frontal impact absorption properties have also been improved.
One of Australia’s best-selling vehicles over the past 10 years, the current HiLux has conceded the sales throne to the Ford Ranger since 2023, and faces stiff competition from the Shark 6, Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi Triton and the soon-to-be-revealed next-gen Nissan Navara.
The midsized ute market is really hotting up.
