If you’re going to do it, do it all the way! Toyota will bring the new Hilux as a BEV, a 48-volt mild-hybrid, or, in 2027, also as a fuel-cell model – provided the latter topic hasn’t been completely settled by then. And yes, in a few markets such as Kazakhstan or in the Caucasus you’ll still be able to get it as a non-electric gasoline-powered model…
The approach is clear: freedom of choice for customers, which is why Toyota’s BEV is clearly communicated as a "variant" before a few months later the 48-volt mild-hybrid diesel follows. It can then tow up to 3.5 tonnes and deliver a decent range. Here you have to accept compromises with the electric version, which many fleets and commercial customers probably won't mind as much as Toyota's Hilux project leader Hideaki Hayashi says: many are satisfied with up to 200 km of range, 600 to 700 kg payload, and 1.5 tonnes towing capacity. And from these many "case studies" Toyota calculated the sweet spot of its first electric Hilux.
Toyota guarantees the battery for ten years or one million kilometers
Meaning a 59.2 kWh battery, whose cell chemistry comes from PPES (Prime Planet Energy Solutions, a Panasonic–Toyota collaboration) and which, unfortunately, can only be replaced as a whole— individual modules can't be swapped, as it is housed in a waterproof, rugged enclosure. In total Toyota has packed 80 cells into five 16-cell module units. And since it's a Hilux, they should never fail during its lifetime, or almost never: if you have the battery checked regularly, you get ten years or up to a million kilometers warranty on it. Toyota still guarantees 70% SOC.
Toyota did not exploit the 3.5-tonne gross vehicle weight rating
According to Suwadee Samuthananon, Regional Chief Engineer at the Thai production plant, it delivers up to 240 km of range according to WLTP. The Hilux also tows up to 1,600 kg and offers up to 715 kg payload, with 3,135 to 3,165 kg gross vehicle weight and 4,670 kg gross train weight. And while we’re on pickup-relevant data: the bed measures 1,555 x 1,540 x 480 mm. A bit of a pity: V2L for heavy power tools is
not yet possible on the Hilux: it can supply at its socket a maximum of 1,500 watts. The approach angles are 29 degrees at the front and 24 degrees at the rear. The wading depth is 700 mm and ground clearance 207 mm. These are not best-in-class values, but all fall within the range one would expect from a standard pickup in the one-ton segment in Europe.
Off-road and on-road feel so much more confident electrically
Brief note on the drivetrain: The two electric motors deliver up to 82.2 kW at the front and 129.3 kW at the rear, but you must not simply add them together, so you derive up to 144 kW (or in old currency equally awkward 196 PS).
And how do they drive? Unladen, very confident! We were allowed as the very first journalists in Europe to do a few fast on-road laps and a few challenging off-road rounds, and we must say: electrically, off-road is simply more fun! You have the full torque available immediately and can handle the toughest passages extremely slowly, and faster passages quite a bit quicker. Of course it can be fun to work in a rut with a clutch and low gear, and then call in locks when needed—mid, rear, and if nothing else works, also front—but: if you view the vehicle as a daily tool, then you choose the sixth of the five off-road programs, called 'Auto': Then the Hilux regulates drive itself as it sees fit, and the drivers can focus entirely on the terrain. On the screen, via camera, you can weave more precisely between obstacles, or let the Toyota crawl slowly and carefully into deep holes, or climb up steep rocks! And you learn a lot about the surroundings, which can be a lot of fun especially in forestry – when you hear rare birds in the forest instead of the typically high-revving diesel.
The off-road programs differ noticeably
That the individual programs are indeed configured differently, we tested in a soft sand patch, where the Hilux in the "Sand" program allows more slip and power and thus pulls itself out more confidently than in "Auto". There would also be "Mud" for muddy ground,
"Dirt" for gravel roads, "Rock" for rocks and "Mogul" for very rough irregularities... one way or another, it does its job very well. Also in the downhill program, which nicely maintains speed, but unfortunately only uses the service brakes and not the drives or recuperation.
The art of vehicle construction: steel-hard core, flexible surroundings
And with a comparatively fine-framed De-Dion setup behind instead of a heavy solid axle with a large differential, this, together with the quite movable chassis, also compensates for very extreme ground irregularities. This keeps the Hilux’s hooves on the ground longer and makes it feel somewhat more flexible than the very stiff Ford Ranger. Nevertheless, the Hilux also delivers superbly: practically from rollout it provides 144 kW and 205.5 Nm at the front and 268.6 Nm at the rear, more than the supplementary electric motor in the Ranger PHEV. And even in the completely “hard-plastic-dominated” base version you won’t coax out the little crackle or chirp on bad roads or off-road anywhere! The build quality is beyond doubt. And the interior styling, with its angular blocky look, nods to the Land Cruiser and Co.
Also on the road, it feels confident
Time to take it on the street, where the Hilux also feels confident: the 144 kW is always enough for confident forward progress, the suspension and damping are somewhat more comfortable than in the Amarok/Ranger duo and the steering is a bit more indirect. Still, you can move the Hilux with pleasure; at the limit, Toyota has tuned the driving assist to driving fun, meaning: if you press the accelerator properly in corners, the rear can yaw to a minimal amount and if you lift it in tight curves, it will turn nicely. The limiting factor is always the tires as well, in this case Bridgestone Dueler, with which this vehicle class likes to be shod.
There are also three drive programs here: Eco, Comfort and Sport, which differ only marginally. In Eco you can gain up to 15 km more range, but you feel hardly any losses in climate control and power delivery. We briefly check the fuel consumption on our fairly ambitious lap: 34.1 kWh/100 km net would be around 37.5
kWh/100 km gross, but we repeatedly pushed the Hilux into the limit with some squealing tires – accelerating and braking hard – in practice we’d expect a WLTP value of around 25 kWh/100 km plus/minus a bit. The instruments are easy to read and the Hilux scores with real buttons on the steering wheel.
The 12.3-inch central screen pleases with clear menus and not too much content in the base. It handles routing insofar as it notifies you when the battery level falls below 20% – then please look for a charging option yourself. For the Paris–Berlin route, in our trial it would have taken ten hours 27 minutes – without charging. That should work with up to 150 kW, though only for a very short time, because for the jump from 10 to 80% SOC Toyota cautiously states about 30 minutes. Slightly unusual are the maximum 10 kW for AC charging: for a full charge Toyota estimates about six hours and thirty minutes.
The difference between the base and the better-equipped variants is mainly tangible in the soft-touch dashboard with the closed cup holders – the doors are also softly trimmed. The gray synthetic leather, in contrast, hardly looks more valuable than the gray fabric of the base – which, as we mentioned, despite hard plastic, nothing creaks or rattles.
In the end, it’s clear to us: those who do not need to push range and towing capacity to the limit will find in the electric Hilux an interesting, absolutely off-road-capable variant to the 48-V mild-hybrid, which should score especially on total cost of ownership. Because the electric version requires less maintenance, handles constant short trips without complaint, and still holds its own in the terrain – pardon – its lynx! The market volume in the first year, Toyota cautiously estimates at 10 to 15% of total Hilux sales, which in Europe would mean somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 units.
What does that mean?
Toyota is making a bold statement: The Hilux comes first as an electric vehicle, then as a 48-volt mild-hybrid – and then perhaps even as a fuel-cell version. With that, Toyota covers the drivetrain spectrum and still lets the Hilux remain the Hilux.
