HILUX GR – AN INSTANT ICON AFTER 2023 DAKAR

In the months leading up to the 2023 Dakar Rally, Toyota flighted an eye-catching ad featuring a farmer in a new Hilux GR Sport chasing after Giniel de Villers practising for the event. The media launch of the new GR Sport in Hoedspruit was held at the end of last year and journalists on the event generally agreed that this was the best-looking Hilux to date.

The GR bit in the new sporty Hilux’s nameplate refers to Gazoo Racing, the competition arm of Toyota internationally. It won’t hurt the demand for the new GR Sport one bit that by mid-January 2023 a Toyota Hilux had won the famous Dakar for the second year on the trot!

The Hilux GR Sport is only mildly quicker than the Hilux Legend RS, the top-of-the-range-Hilux. The GR Sport features an engine that produces 15 kW power than any other Hilux in the range. This means a peak of 165 kW and a torque increase to 550 Nm, 50 Nm up from the Legend’s peak of 500 Nm.

The engine on the GR Sport is the familiar 2,8-litre four-cylinder diesel, as fitted to the Legend variants. Management tweaks via ECU calibration have liberated the extra power and torque.  Along with the power increase, the six-speed automatic gearbox has been re-mapped, and paddle shifts are fitted.

Toyota staffers on the media launch in Mpumalanga opined that it is definitely the most overtly-sporty Hilux ever introduced here.

Appearance-wise, the latest GR Sport has blended the bumpers from the Raider model (rather than the more “civilised” Legend model) and added a tough-looking black grille, a carbon-fibre-look cross bar, prominent air ducts, wider black wheel arch cappings, and various GR badges all around the vehicle.

Optional are stick-on side flashes to give an even sportier presence, and these red flashes can be specified or deleted at the order stage, when opting for this new GR Sport.

What I really appreciated over potholed roads was the wheel specification, that sees 17-inch rims fitted with higher profile tyres. The rims are finished in black to tie in the black accents elsewhere on the bakkie, but the higher profile 265-65-R17 rubber is specced to provide more confidence during brisk gravel road our off-road driving.

Toyota admit that this, the second GR iteration, is a response of sorts to the enthusiasm generated by Ford’s Raptor. But it is not to be seen as a direct Raptor competitor, especially as the next-gen Raptor, due for launch in late February, will come with potent petrol-fueled, turbo V6 power, and a significantly higher price.

On a down-hill mountain pass I noted how the new gearbox mapping would automatically select lower ratios, depending on the speed. This was handy in tight situations, but I found it irritating in some cases, as the gearbox would hold onto this lower ratio longer than I would have liked on some straighter sections. However, a quick up-change on the paddle shift sorted that out.

Stiffer springs and up-graded mono-tube dampers have been fitted to the GR Sport, to offer greater ride control over rough terrain. For a large bakkie on twisty tar roads the suspension provides very good body-roll control.

The interior changes on the GR Sport include some rather funky dash panels finished in bright red, and carbon-fibre trim inserts. The red panels tie in red stitching and GR badges on the steering wheel, and red needles on the instruments. Further along the sporty-route, the pedals are aluminium items with rubber inserts and the seats have a sporty design with Alcantara upholstery inserts and GR badging on the headrests.

The standard spec of the Hilux GR Sport is very much in keeping with Legend equipment levels, with the exception of an auto-dimming rear view mirror and a JBL audio system. But there is a reverse camera, a panoramic view monitor as well as a bird’s eye view of vehicle surroundings.

Safety equipment includes Adaptive Cruise Control, the afore-mentioned lane departure device (useful on long trips when you may get drowsy) and a Pre Collision System.

Toyota only claims a 0,65 second reduction in 0-100 km/h time, while top speed remains at a (limited) 175 km/h. But overtaking prowess is strong, and towing ability will benefit more from the extra 50 Nm of torque. Towing loads are rated at 750kg (unbraked) and 3 500kg (braked), while the payload limit is 790kg.

In summary, the Toyota Hilux GR Sport has sacrificed none of its legendary attributes, and sales of Hilux in 2022 have seen Toyota’s mainstay bakkie range out-sell its nearest competitors by a vast margin once again.

The Hilux GR Sport is only available in six-speed automatic 4X4 form, and the price is R865 400, with all the usual Toyota warranties applicable.

By Stuart Johnston