Toyota Hilux Pickup Trucks Complete Antarctic Crossing

Roughly the same time when the Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition used the highly specialized Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle for an epic Antarctic crossing, Toyota also sent a fleet of four Hilux pickup trucks to the South Pole, as part of an expedition carried out by the members of the Indian National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR).

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VIDEO: Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux Pick-Up on ramp-duty

Having few things to do this weekend, I decided to crash a Toyota event. It was the 2010 Toyota Experience, which will eventually cover 17 Romanian cities and is meant to promote the Japanese manufacturer's European line-up, from the cute-and-cuddly iQ to the rough-and-tough Hilux truck and the more stylish Land Cruiser. Video after break.

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2010 Toyota Hilux Gains More Powerful 2.5D-4D Engine and Revised Equipment Specs

Today, Toyota's European division released details on its new model year Hilux pickup truck that benefits from a tweaked 2.5-liter turbo diesel engine with a 20 per cent increase in power and extra torque as well as revised equipment specifications for 2010.

Starting with 2.5D-4D four-cylinder diesel engine, thanks to the introduction of a new high-output turbocharger and new fuel injectors, output has been increased from 118 to 142bhp, while torque is up by 18Nm to a maximum 343Nm (253 lb-ft) at 2,000rpm

These changes have cut the Hilux 2.5D-4D's 0 to 62mph (100km/h) acceleration time by 2.5 seconds to 12.5 seconds, while CO2 emissions remain the same at 219g/km.

The 2.5 D-4D engine is coupled to a five-speed manual transmission and is available in all three Hilux body styles (Single Cab, Extra Cab and Double Cab).

Those that want more power can opt for the range-topping 171HP 3.0-liter turbo diesel (3.0D-4D) unit that remains unchanged for 2010.

Toyota said that increases in the Hilux's gross vehicle weights result in improvements in payload performance. In particular, capacity has increased by 35kg (77 lbs) on the HL₂ Double Cab and 25kg (55 lbs) on the HL₃ Double Cab.

For the UK market, Toyota has also revised the Hilux model range with the 3.0 D-4D engine now available only in the Invincible Double Cab.

Furthermore, leather upholstery and satellite navigation with Bluetooth are now options on the Invincible, while satellite navigation with Bluetooth is offered as an option on the HL₃ Double Cab.

Other equipment changes include the introduction of a Sport Deck and an Urban Pack (front guard, scuff plates and front and rear parking sensors) for both the HL₃ and Invincible Double Cabs.

Available for sale now in the UK, the 2010 Toyota Hilux is priced from £15,145 (exclusive of VAT).

Toyota Panasonic F1 Driver Timo Glock gets on Two Wheels with HiLux

A little bit of fun -especially when it concerns promotional activities- never hurt anyone. As part of a series of events in the lead-up to this Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, Panasonic Toyota Racing pilot Timo Glock took a few lessons from Toyota's Hilux Heroes stunt drivers and managed to drive a near-standard Hilux V6 for 60 meters (around 200 feet) on two wheels. The 27-year-old German then moved on to doughnuts and formation driving where he entertained a large group of invited members of the press.

The Toyota Hilux Heroes team performs nationally at leading metro, regional and rural shows in slightly modified versions of the 4x2 V6-powered Toyota Hilux. The team is made up of leading professional Australian drivers including Guinness World Record holder, Lawrence 'The Legend' Ryan and Jack Monkhouse.

"This was a lot of fun," said Glock on his two-wheel stunt driving cameo. "Although, I think it would be a little hard to drive a Formula 1 car on two wheels."

2009 Toyota HiLux Facelift: 25 High-Res Photos and Official Details

Toyota has gone ahead and fully revealed its facelifted HiLux that will go on sale in Europe before the end of the year. For 2009, Toyota’s popular pick-up truck benefits from a series of styling, technical and equipment upgrades. On the outside, the subtle styling tweaks include the new trapezoidal grille and grey plate bar along with the more heavily profiled bumper and the new 15 and 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside the ’09 HiLux has been updated with a new four-spoke steering wheel with integrated controls for the audio system and multi-information display and a new air conditioning system. Toyota says it has also revised the instrument cluster and controls for the wipers and lights. -Continued

Under the skin, Toyota has upgraded the 169bhp (171 HP) 3.0 D-4D diesel engine in the automatic version with an increase of 17Nm in maximum torque to 360Nm. Moreover, the Japanese automaker replaced the available four-speed automatic transmission with a new five-speed unit that promises to improve performance and fuel consumption. According to Toyota, fuel efficiency in the combined cycle for the automatic version is increased from 30.1 to 31.7 mpg UK.

Toyota’s engineers also tweaked the suspension settings and added a new double-row roller-type rear axle bearings and more responsive valve structure on the front shock absorbers along with new bushes. Additionally, the new Hilux gains larger brakes with 297mm diameter ventilated front discs and 295mm drums for all four-wheel drive models, apart from the models equipped with VSC, which have 319mm ventilated front discs.

Depending on the market, Toyota says that it has improved the standard equipment on all models across the HiLux range.

2009 Toyota Hi-Lux Receives Subtle Facelift

Toyota’s official Malayisian website has gone ahead and revealed the first image of the mildly facelifted 2009 Hi-Lux pick-up truck. Unless you own a Hi-Lux, you will probably have a hard time spotting the differences between the 2008 and 2009 model. Minor changes on the outside include a heavier profiled front bumper, a new grille, restyled wing mirrors with integrated indicators and new alloy wheels. Toyota Europe has yet to make an announcement but expect the revised Hi-Lux to hit European showroom floors towards the end of 2008 or early 2009.

Via: Jalopnik

Toyota Hilux Sport Concept premieres at 2007 CV Show

It’s quite hard to believe that this is an official creation from Toyota and not something that came straight off an episode of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” TV series. Due to make its debut at the 2007 UK Commercial Vehicle Show (24 to 26 April), the “pimped” Hilux Sport Concept is the work of the Toyota GB and it features monster-sized 22-inch alloys, a sport trucktop, chrome-finished grille and B-pillars, tinted windows and lights and a special-design front guard. Toyota Motorsport also took a shot on the stock 3.0-litre D-4D diesel engine increasing output from 169 to around 200bhp. And in case you’re worried, Toyota has no plans of putting the Hilux Sport Concept into production. -One more pic after the jump

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Toyota Aurion TRD 3.5 V6 Supercharged & Hilux TRD 4.0 V6 Supercharged

Toyota Australia is planning to unveil the Aurion TRD along with the Hilux TRD at the Melbourne International Motor Show on 2 March. Starting off with the Aurion TRD, this is the production version of the Aurion Sports Concept shown at the Australian International Motor Show in October 2006. Albeit a bit toned down in comparison with the concept, the Aurion TRD manages to stand out from the standard models thanks to a full bodykit that includes redesigned bumpers and a set of lovely black rims. Under the hood, the Aurion TRD hides a supercharged 3.5-litre V6 that drives the… front wheels. Personally I’d find that a good enough reason to go for a rear wheel-drive Ford Falcon or a Holden Commodore, but hey; that’s just me.

As for the Hilux TRD, now this sounds very, very interesting and I’m not talking about appearance here. See according to Toyota, the top-spec Hilux will be equipped with a supercharged 4.0-litre V6. As with the Aurion TRD, Toyota hasn’t announced any performance figures but I’m pretty certain that this “thing” has enough oomph stored under its hood for a perfect “tango” on a winding gravel mountain road… -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to check out the official press release

PRESS RELEASE: TOYOTA TO REVEAL TRD VEHICLES IN MELBOURNE

Toyota will use the Melbourne International Motor Show to reveal its new locally designed TRD range of prestige performance vehicles. The supercharged 3.5-litre V6 TRD Aurion sports sedan and the supercharged 4.0-litre V6 HiLux sports utility will be launched in Australia in 2007.

Both the TRD HiLux (shown as a concept in Melbourne) and TRD Aurion have extensive performance improvements in engine, brakes and suspension. TRD - for Toyota Racing Development - will become an important brand in Australia. TRD is the long-established umbrella for Toyota racing activities around the world.

The recently formed Toyota Style Australia has been responsible for exterior and interior design and Toyota's TRD Division has taken charge of mechanical specification. Key local suppliers have worked to achieve breakthrough TRD developments which have been endorsed and approved by Toyota's rigorous global quality system.

Toyota expects the TRD brand to provide additional customer engagement with its vehicles. Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner will reveal the TRD brand at the Melbourne International Motor Show on 2 March.

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