Toyota Hilux review: A durable and reliable working car

LETS understand one thing from the start: The Hilux is a work car.

However, you see them with chrome side steps and faster running stripes.

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Here, we’ve got the flagship Invincible X.

It has decorative wheel arches and fancy grille surrounds. It rolls on high-fashion black alloys.

Wrong. Like steel work boots with pink lanyards and floral stencils. A Hilux should be kept original and simple.

But people are still happy to use their Hiluxs to use them as SUV alternatives. All related to HM Revenue & Customs. Get a pickup under the company’s vehicle program and you pay a much lower in-kind tax than an SUV. Get one through your small business and you can claim VAT.

But you don’t have to drive a Hilux further down the street to know HMRC was right: There’s no way the Hilux is an SUV.

It is a difficult legend. It was headed to North and South Poland, and every hostile place in between. It has the same chassis as the Forth Bridge. Its motor and transmission will keep a bulldozer powered up. But all that power makes it heavy.

Step on the gas or steer and something happens, eventually.

Meanwhile, the suspension and tires are built to absorb spectacular off-road bumps. Ingenuity is the way down the priority list. So in town, heavy shafts shiver beneath you.

In the countryside, all four wheels wobble in unrelated directions.

On the highway, you’re constantly adjusting the steering wheel to stay in the right lane.

The new 2.8-liter engine has plenty of muscle to pull, but it’s noisy. Of course, other pickups experience these issues on normal road driving, if mostly to a slightly lesser extent. But they don’t have such a strict work ethic.

If all this still doesn’t stop you from using the Hilux as a family car, give the cabin a try. Yes, drivers get loads of gear in this Invincible X kit.

But that’s largely an afterthought, with switches scattered under the dash. Legroom for the rear seats is limited by the height of the chassis.

The only car that combines the power of a Hilux with the smoothness of a road-oriented SUV is Land Rover Defender Hard Top.

But a three-seater LWB is eight thousand more than the flagship Hilux.

I don’t drive a Hilux. It is known for its reliability, durability, and non-stop cross-country ability.

Get one of the lower trim levels and it’s a great car, honestly. Just don’t imagine the fancy Invincible X trim means you can use this epic truck as an SUV.

You can also carve a Sunday roast with a chainsaw.

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