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January 18, 1998
Hilux diesel 4x2 - grunt to get the job done |
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| Having already been mightily impressed by
the top-spec 4x4 SR-5 version of Toyota's new Hilux ute range, it was with considerable
interest that I began a few days in the far less glamorous 4x2 diesel. While the SR-5 may find itself doing double-duty as work vehicle and family car, the diesel 4x2 is intended first and foremost to be a workhorse, and is capable of carrying a 1436kg payload. Similar to the SR-5, it has undergone some interior changes - the dashboard has acquired some individuality and no longer looks like a `hand-me-down' from something else wearing a Toyota badge. Both versions of Hilux now use a double wishbone torsion-bar front suspension, though on the 4x2 the torsion bar is mounted at the bottom of the suspension whereas on the 4x4s it is upper-mounted. Just like in the SR-5, the front suspension is wonderful - great ! - the new torsion bar system taking it over bumps and humps with scarcely a shudder. But when the leaf-sprung tail passes over those same irregularities without a load on board, it can deliver a real jolt for the unwary. The thought occurred to me that a 4x2 ute like this is likely to spend a fair percentage of its life unladen, on long country road journeys, where such jolts will occur regularly. But regardless of where it is driven, or how, the diesel engine simply delivers performance beyond all expectations. |
 Hilux diesel 4x2 ute : "Let's hear it for the workers!"
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| For years it has seemed that turbocharging was almost
compulsory on oil-burners, but this is a 3.0 litre atmospherically aspirated (non-turbo)
unit whose power output peaks at a modest 65kW at 4000rpm. But the torque is an impressive
197Nm at 2400rpm. And most of that torque seems to be available even earlier, as the Hilux pulls strongly from the word go and shows no sign of relenting as the tacho needle swings upward, maintaining its forward impetus long after the 2400rpm mark has been left well nehind. When driven without a load on board it revs out very rapidly in the lower gears, due of course to the shorter (or numerically higher) gearing of a commercial vehicle designed to carry heavy loads, but in fourth and fifth gears it gives the strong impression of being almost unstoppable. One definite symptom of all that torque was that it seemed almost impossible to turn a suburban corner, even in third gear, without the inside rear wheel chirping as it began to spin. The sheer grunt allows it to accelerate much more rapidly than anticipated, provided you can shift the gears quickly enough to prevent it revving too high, and it soon reaches highway speeds. At 100kmh it is already pulling 3300rpm, and at 110 the diesel is churning at a fairly busy 3700rpm. Aware that I was forming a possibly false impression of the ute's capabilities, I borrowed some bags of cement from a builder mate (just a few - about 800kilos worth) and took it back onto the road. That weight may have made the tail-end behave with a bit more decorum over bumps, but that was about the only real effect; the diesel pulled a bit less urgently but just as happily, and settled on 110kmh at 3500rpm. Quarter vent windows are no longer seen on the SR-5 but have been retained on this model. That will please the many traditionalists who like the boosted inflow of fresh air that results, as well as those who choose to remain politically incorrect and continue smoking. (The trade-off is a noticeably higher noise level.) Compared to the SR-5 dualcab it might seem like a Clydesdale standing alongside a thoroughbred racehorse, but with its `hose-out' vinyl interior mats, Hilux 4x2 doesn't pretend to be anything other than a sturdy worker. Which is probably just what its buyers want anyway.
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Nuts-N-Bolts - Hilux
diesel 4x2