Robustness , Braking ,Off-Road Capabilities
Pricing
The performance may seem familiar to anyone that may have already driven one of its siblings and feels quite punchy thanks to the rush of torque on demand. Our drive was mostly constrained to dense jungles and empty riverbeds where speeding isn’t advisable. Additionally, we were told that there were high chances of us running into the wildlife, which may include elephants. The last thing anyone of us wanted to do was be the first folk in India to crash the Hilux, let alone into an elephant. I’d still be concerned for the elephant because the Hilux weighs over 2 tons and packs over 200 bhp of power and 400 Nm of torque. That said, a 4-ton elephant won’t be impressed by these numbers and would probably charge, so it was best to keep those horses in check and enjoy the view.
So with that in mind, we always stayed within the third gear and barely drove the Hilux over any tarmac. However, these numbers were sufficient in the wilderness to propel the Hilux over rocks, up hills and across streams. The Hilux handled surprisingly well, too and despite its massive dimensions, it had the potential to dart and weave around corners if the need arose. Most of our time was spent traversing obstacles; in that regard, the Hilux did a fantastic job of overcoming them. It made quick work of most obstacles and made the tricky trail seem like a cakewalk. We were accompanied by a group of Fortuners, and I wonder if they rarely ever engaged all four wheels.
The unloaded suspension on the Hilux did feel quite jumpy, and even going over expansion joints felt evident. That’s just how these vehicles are set up. They’re meant to be carrying some load, and they tend to feel the way they did. I’m confident that with more passengers or even some load in the boot, it will ride much smoother over most undulations on the road. The suspension made quick work of most obstacles offroad and showed incredible travel and composure in that terrain.
The brakes, too, performed exceptionally well and were progressive and easy to control. I’m yet to see how well they’d perform on the road at higher speeds, but I suppose we could leave that for a proper road test review. They did a damn fine job off the road, and the ABS didn’t kick back as much as I expected. A little more braking force would have been better, given how much momentum this vehicle would be carrying, but alas, I have experienced too little of them to comment.
The Hilux isn’t the most advanced vehicle but it has the most essentials an offroader may need. The Hilux is built to be considerably more robust than its siblings. However, its larger dimensions do hamper its ability to overcome most obstacles. Its approach angle is acceptable, but its departure angles seem compromised, thanks to its longer overhangs. However, it does present better wheel articulation thanks to its leaf-sprung suspension and live rear axle. It also has an electronic slip differential at the rear, a rear diff lock and a low-range gear. It also has a pretty effective hill descent control system and electronic stability control. Combined, all of these make the Hilux quite capable offroad, but it’s no Jeep Wrangler and is best saved for medium-difficulty trails and rock crawling.
