The lifestyle pickup truck segment in India is a small one and hasn’t witnessed a lot of action in the last few years. While homegrown players like Tata and Mahindra have had products in this category in the past, it was the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross 4x4 that really gave this segment some relevance.The growing numbers and demand have obviously caught Toyota Motors’ eye as they have decided to step into this space with the latest version of the Hilux.
The Hilux is built on the same platform as the Innova and the Fortuner and with that, it shares numerous bits from the parts bin as well. Since the Innova and Fortuner are already manufactured in India, this will undoubtedly help keep costs low for Toyota.
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As a product, the Hilux is a rather good-looking machine that gives you the benefit of a robust SUV with the added practicality of a truck bed at the back to haul a ton of stuff around for your next adventure trip. The double cab design has a rugged appeal to it and you can see that it looks rather upmarket as well. The cabin is expected to be well kitted out and standard features will include a touchscreen infotainment system, numerous storage spaces, charging ports and a powerful air conditioning unit as well.
Under the hood, the Hilux is expected to get both the 2.4 litre and 2.8 litre engines. The lower variants will get the smaller engine, while the top-end variant will get the 2.8 litre unit that churns out 208 bhp and offers a solid 500 Nm of torque.
The Toyota Hilux is expected to be priced between INR 20 and INR 26 lakh when launched later this month.
(A pitstop for modern-day car and bike enthusiasts, this column features the latest machines, reviews, road trips and more. By a team of automotive insiders who call themselves MotorScribes)