New look Toyota Hilux – Australia’s most popular ute just got a whole lot more Aussie

The Toyota Hilux is Australia’s best selling vehicle which makes it a staggeringly important vehicle for the company in Australia. The 2020 updated Hilux has a rugged new look and that’s thanks to Aussie designers and engineers at Toyota.

The logic is simple really, as Toyota say “If a vehicle can survive the Australian Customer, and the Australian environment, it can survive anywhere.”

So, the Toyota Australia local design and engineering team were tasked with leading the development of the face-lifted 2020 Toyota Hilux.

There’s three key areas of change, outside of the design.

Performance

A powerful 2.8 litre turbo-diesel engine noticeably improves acceleration, towing performance and overtaking.

Maximum power of 150kW, and peak torque on auto models at 500Nm.

Comfort

The rear suspension has been overhauled to improve ride comfort levels, primarily when the tray is empty, without compromising the overall handling – so Toyota say.

Steering

This may be where Australia’s engineering came most into play. Tweaks to the power assisted steering mean less steering effort when parking, and better steering on tight turns.

At high speed on the highway, there’s less assistance, while at low speed – more assistance. Simple really.

Models

Hilux – that’s not just one vehicle. There are 35 different types of Hilux. 11 of them are two wheel drive. 24 of them are all-wheel drive.

At the very top end, the Rogue and Rugged X are back, though their pricing and availability is yet to be announced.

Design

The real story here is a solid overhaul of the design. Aussie designers worked with Toyota HQ in Japan and the design team in Thailand to build the look of the all-new Hilux.

It’s a much bolder design. A tail-light design that makes a Hilux stand out in the dark, while up the front the whole front end is completely new.

All built around the bold Grill design and a really “strong” looking and frankly aggressive styling which is most prevalent in the middle to upper range models.

That design focussed around an extreme new-look grill only applies in the mid to high end models – sadly the base model knockabout still looks the same:)

Toyota said something funny today, which really shows how much Aussie effort went into this car – if the Hilux could talk, it would most certainly have an Aussie accent.

And yes, the 2020 Hilux has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

2020 Toyota Hilux Pricing in Australia

Here’s the full range, except for the Rogue and Rugged X with their towing capacity and payload capacity listed.

The new Hilux goes on sale tomorrow.