2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport revealed

The biggest name in Australian motoring has prepared a new HiLux ute and it’s more capable on and off-road than any that’s come before it.

2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport

Toyota has unleashed the wildest HiLux ever as it looks to tackle the off-road might of the rival Ford Ranger.

The HiLux GR Sport is the latest hero model for the brand and adds to a string of high-performance off-road focused utes that are designed for driving fun and hard core off-roading as much as lugging heavy loads and keeping the family comfy on the daily commute.

Toyota has revealed the new HiLux GR Sport.

Priced from about $80,000 drive-away it is inspired by race machines that compete in the gruelling Dakar rally race.

The HiLux GR Sport gets a new front bumper and grille, aggressive wheel arch flares, a thick metal bash plate and steel rock rails designed to shield the sides of the car from scrapes and dings.

There are also red brake calipers and red recovery hooks in line with the GR branding.

The red highlights continue inside and the GR Sport also has front seats that better hold occupants in place through corners.

It is priced from about $80,000 drive-away.

Many of the changes and updates to the GR Sport are done locally as part of the still-fresh Toyota Conversion Centre in Melbourne.

Toyota says the facility allows the company to bring new variants to market sooner and respond more swiftly to changing consumer tastes.

It’s more powerful than any HiLux before it.

“We’re no longer locked into these product cycles of yesteryear,” says Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley. “We’re nimble, we’re quick, we’re bringing cars to market.”

But it’s what’s going on beneath the skin of the hero HiLux that will most appeal to those prepared to shell out big bucks for a ute.

The 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine has been tuned to make 10 per cent more power, with 165kW and 550Nm on offer – the most ever in a diesel-powered HiLux.

It’s hooked up to a six-speed auto with slicker shifting than the same unit in garden variety HiLuxes.

The interior is still a step behind the competition.

The GR Sport borrows the wider footprint and higher suspension of the HiLux Rogue for added ground clearance while race-inspired monotube shock absorbers aim to better suppress big bumps and undulations.

Despite the obvious comparisons, Hanley insists the GR Sport has not been designed to take on the ballistic Ford Ranger Raptor, which sells from about $95,000 drive-away.

It has uprated suspension to handle tough conditions.

“It’s not a Raptor competitor,” he says, adding that it’s “quite a different vehicle”.

Despite the success of the Raptor, Hanley says Toyota is not planning to challenge it.

“We’re not even considering a higher model than what we’ve got … it’s not even on our radar.”

Originally published as 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport revealed