Australia’s best-selling car gets updated looks and more grunt.
The 2020 Toyota HiLux has been officially revealed with modest styling upgrades, more power and improved fuel economy.
Designed to look tougher on the road, the most notable exterior changes include a new trapezoidal grille design and restyled headlight units (Bi-LED on higher-spec models). There are also restyled bumpers, front and rear, and fresh alloy wheel designs for Australia’s best seller.
Interior tech has also been bolstered – with an 8-inch infotainment screen, featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, standard across the range and a new 4.2-inch digital speedo display between the analogue dials.
The 2.8-litre turbo-diesel has been reworked for the 2020 Toyota HiLux, with outputs climbing from 135kW/450Nm to 150kW/500Nm with the automatic transmission. The manual still makes do with 420Nm. Towing capacity for automatic 4×4 models has also been upgraded to 3,500kg, matching the current manual’s rating.
Despite the increased performance, Toyota claims the 2.8 diesel will sip 11.1% less fuel.
The updated 2020 Toyota HiLux range carries over the same 2.4-litre turbo-diesel and 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engines from the current range.
Suspension geometry – including shock-absorber tuning, bushings and leaf-spring design – has been revised with the aim of improving ride and handling with a low pay load. The downhill assist control has also been enhanced with an additional traction control feature that reroutes torque when using 2WD mode on low-grip surfaces.
Toyota says the 2020 updates will appeal to “customers who demand the handling, ride comfort and convenience of an SUV.”
The 2020 HiLux range will be available in three body styles (single, extra and double cabs), two configurations (pick-up or cab-chassis) and five equipment levels (Workmate, SR, SR5, Rogue and Rugged X).
Full pricing and specifications are yet to be revealed, but expect slight price increases to accomodate the added equipment as well as the weak Aussie dollar.