2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue new car review

The Toyota HiLux has been the best selling vehicles for the best part of a decade and its new range-topping variant is meaner than ever.

2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue.

Tough brawny utes are big business in Australia and the latest rugged dual-cab from Toyota flexes its muscles as it grapples with the new Ford Ranger.

Here’s what you need to know about the Toyota HiLux Rogue.

The tough looking HiLux Rogue has arrived.

IT LOOKS MEAN

Top-end utes are big business in Australia and the tougher they look the better they sell.

Enter the Toyota HiLux Rogue.

The HiLux Rogue is Toyota’s answer to the Ranger Wildtrak and has beefed up looks and abilities to drag in tradies and weekend warriors alike.

It wears big 18-inch alloy wheels and has chunky black guards, side sills and mud flaps.

Toyota has widened the track width – the distance between the left and right wheels – by 140mm and jacked up the ground clearance by 20mm.

This gives the Rogue a muscular broad-chested stance.

A prominent front grill, LED lighting and chrome HiLux tailgate badging add to the appeal, while a standard locking power tonneau cover is a handy feature.

There’s more to it than just a cosmetic upgrades.

CHANGES ARE MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

The wider track gives the HiLux greater poise on and off the road, providing a more stable drive experience.

Toyota has also upgraded the Rogue’s suspension, adding a rear stabilising bar to improve cornering ability by reducing body roll.

The Rogue’s front suspension has been boosted to better handle driving in a mix of conditions and surfaces.

Toyota has ditched the rear drum brakes on the regular HiLux for ventilated disc brakes that deliver improved stopping power.

It has some serious off-road ability.

IT’S NOT ALL-NEW, THOUGH

Current HiLux owners will find a familiar combination under the bonnet.

There is a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that makes 150kW and 500Nm, a six-speed auto and four-wheel drive.

It has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg but the extra weight over a HiLux SR5 variant means its payload drops to just 794kg.

High and low gearing and a locking differential makes for some serious off-road ability.

On the road the Rogue feels familiar.

It has the same slow and heavy steering of standard HiLuxes but it handles corners much better thanks to the upgraded suspension.

Dual-cab utes are increasingly used as family SUVs but the Rogue’s ride is still extremely bouncy and rough in regular driving. With a few passengers on board and some bags of soil in the tray the ride improved dramatically, showing it’s still a workhorse at heart.

THE CABIN IS AGEING

The cabin lacks the pop of some rivals.

In isolation the HiLux’s interior is perfectly fine but against newer rivals it falls flat.

It has an eight-inch central touchscreen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In-built satnav, Bluetooth, digital radio and a premium nine-speaker JBL stereo round out the connectivity.

In front of the driver there is a small digital information readout surrounded by old-school dials.

Black leather seats are comfy and supportive, the front pair is heated and the driver’s is electronically adjustable.

There are easy to reach and use climate controls in the dash and steering-wheel-mounted buttons for safety and infotainment functions.

It has front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, which takes the stress out of navigating tight underground car parks.

Safety is excellent, too, with lots of active driver aids.

Top-end utes cost big money.

IT COSTS BIG MONEY

The HiLux Rogue costs about $76,000 drive-away but serious utes cost serious money these days.

The Rogue is about $9000 more expensive than the popular SR5, the variant below it in HiLux range.

A recently released Ford Ranger Wildtrak with a big beefy V6 turbodiesel engine is priced at about $76,500 drive-away.

Volkswagen is about to launch its new Amarok, which shares its mechanical underpinnings with the Ford Ranger, and its style-focused PanAmericana version is priced at $75,990.

Isuzu’s range-topping D-Max X-Terrain is comparatively cheap at $64,990 drive-away.