2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport new car review

The HiLux has been Australia’s favourite vehicle for the past seven years but its reign is under siege as buyers flock to high-end Ford Rangers.

2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport

Meet the new rally-inspired Toyota HiLux.

Replacing the short-lived Rugged X model at the top of the expansive HiLux range, the GR Sport was inspired by the category-winning Dakar rally car.

Priced from about $80,000 drive-away, the GR Sport HiLux comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, a powered driver’s seat, smart-key entry, a tow bar and wiring harness and an array of active safety gear.

Toyota has added a GR Sport variant to its HiLux range.

Inside, there are new leather and suede trim seats, red seatbelts, a red centre marker on the steering wheel and a patterned strip of silver plastic across the dash.

The small 8.0-inch touchscreen with old-school graphics remains, a reminder that this a refreshed version of an ageing model.

But it’s the upgraded mechanical hardware that will hold the most appeal for off-road enthusiasts.

The familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel appears in its most powerful guise, making 165kW and 550Nm (up from 150kW/500Nm) courtesy of software tweaks.

It’s had a power bump thanks to a software update.

The bones of the GR Sport are closely related to the luxury focused HiLux Rogue and include a 20mm lift in ride height and the placing of left and right wheels further apart.

There are also KYB monotube shock absorbers (red, of course).

All-terrain tyres are teamed with a thicker front bash plate, steel rock rails and rear recovery points painted red. Toyota has also replaced the rear drum brakes with discs and fitted red calipers with GR badging.

The GR also looks tougher thanks to a bigger grille, new bumpers and gloss black highlights.

As with the GR Sport LandCruiser and upcoming 2024 Prado, the HiLux has the Toyota name emblazoned across the front.

It can tow 3500kg but its payload is only 780kg.

Toyota claims that the GR Sport can tow 3500kg like other HiLuxes but the payload is a couple of hundred kilos down at 780kg.

There’s another enormous caveat, too. If you tow the full 3.5 tonnes, the payload is reduced to a measly 80kg, which effectively disqualifies many people from driving it.

On the road, the GR Sport is still very much a HiLux, although it takes on a fresh personality. Press the throttle and there’s a welcome additional dollop of thrust across the rev range, albeit with the initial lag as the turbo wakes up. It’s not about to upset the class leading V6 diesels, but it adds flexibility to a stout if uninspiring engine.

Claimed fuel use is 8.1 litres per 100km, which is slightly more than an SR5 but less than a Rogue.

The cabin feels outdated.

More noticeable are the tweaks to the six-speed auto. It’s more assertive in the way it changes up to the next gear, with a mild jolt and less delay. It’s also more eager to downshift down hills or when approaching a corner. Often that’s handy, although extended downhill runs can have it revving unnaturally high.

As with the Rogue, the broader wheel track makes for a more planted feel. The toughened suspension also deals nicely with bumps and sharp hits, giving reassurance that rough roads can be easily traversed.

The upgrades make the GR Sport even more capable off-road compared to other HiLuxes.

At suburban speeds, though, the GR’s suspension fidgets and occasionally jolts, taking the edge off comfort. Some extra weight in the rear settles it, but it still feels crude compared with a passenger car.

Off-road, the GR Sport is more capable, although we’re talking degrees. The additional underbody protection gives more confidence to attack things, although the standard all-terrain tyres are clearly more about highway miles than dirt and rocks (most owners will change them for off-road rubber that better fills the bulging wheel arches).

The GR Sport doesn’t reset any benchmarks but it does add to an already capable package.

Toyota insists the GR Sport isn’t a rival for the Ford Ranger Raptor and it doesn’t take long behind the wheel to confirm that. But it does provide a Toyota counterpunch to the likes of the Ranger Wildtrak X and Nissan Navara Warrior.

For many, Toyota’s reputation for reliability and ruggedness could be the clincher.

VERDICT 3.5/5

Honest HiLux package is showing its age but GR Sport adds some off-road nous as interest in go-fast tough trucks continues to surge. Just don’t expect to tow 3.5 tonnes.

TOYOTA HILUX GR SPORT

PRICE: From about $80,000 drive-away

WARRANTY/SERVICING: Five yrs/unlimited km, $3765 for five yrs/100,000km

SAFETY: Seven airbags, auto emergency braking, lane-keep and blind-spot assist, rear cross-traffic alert, collision notification and emergency call

ENGINE: 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel, 165kW/550Nm

THIRST: 8.1L/100km

SPARE: Full size

TOWING: 3500kg

Originally published as 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport new car review