Toyota has enhanced the features of its in-demand Hilux for the 2023 model year, with nearly every specification in the series seeing at least one new piece of equipment.
As before, the family is headed up by the Hilux 4×4 Legend RS Auto which retails for a cool R945,400, this price including a 3-year/100,000km warranty and a 9-services/90,000km service plan.
To better understand why the Hilux is so popular, we had a look at everything it gives its owner if money is no object.
Features and tech
In recent years, bakkies, especially high-end double cabs, are leaning much more towards the passenger vehicle segment than the commercial category, and the Legend’s offerings reflect this quite accurately.
Gone are the days of turning the key to open a door, sitting on fabric, and winding down the window manually.
The modern Hilux is much more luxurious than its forebears, and buyers can expect no less than keyless entry and push-button start, leather seats with a matching multifunction steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control in this flagship version.
On the outside, automatic LED lights with headlamp levelling continue the standard fitments, whereas inside the cabin, owners are spoiled with an electric driver seat, a 4.2-inch multi-information instrument display, an 8-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a nine-speaker JBL sound system.
Meanwhile, assistance and safety programmes take the form of adaptive cruise control, all-round parking sensors, a reverse camera, lane departure alert, hill-assist control, ABS with brake assist, seven airbags, and a pre-crash system that uses sensors to detect when a collision is imminent and prepares the car accordingly by, for example, activating brake assist and tightening the seatbelts.
Seeing as this is the top-end RS model after all, this particular Hilux also brings an automatic roller shutter that covers the rear cavity, a rubberised load bin, a rear styling bar, a central locking tailgate with lift assist, and a “dust defence kit” that helps to prevent dust and water entering the tub by sealing the gaps within the tailgate edge.
As with every Toyota on the market, this one comes with MyToyota app support, too, which acts as a digital logbook and turns the car into a WiFi hotspot with 15gb of free data at purchase.
Performance and practicality
Despite a monstrous V6 being available in the Hilux line-up, the halo model is equipped with a turbocharged 2.8-litre, diesel motor translating power to all four corners via a part-time 4×4 system with a rear-mounted limited-slip differential.
In six-speed automatic guise, the drivetrain generates 150kW and 500Nm which achieves a claimed consumption of 8.0l/100km and a top speed of 175km/h.
Fuel usage and speed aren’t the most important statistics for a bakkie, though, and potential buyers will be happy to know they can also haul up to 775kg in the rear box and tow up to 3,500kg.
These actions are made both easier and safer through the fitment of a trailer sway control programme, as well as a new-for-2023 transmission temperature warning system that reports on the gearbox’s status when transporting heavy loads or driving up steep terrains.
For the off-roading enthusiasts, the Hilux further offers a market-leading 286mm of ground clearance partly thanks to its 18-inch alloy wheels.
Unfortunately, Toyota does not provide the bumper’s official entry and exit angles, and neither the bakkie’s water-wading capabilities, but third-party sources have these listed at a respectable 29 and 26 degrees, respectively, with a maximum depth of 700mm on the cards.
Toyota Hilux Legend RS
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