The Toyota Hilux Hybrid is a new model for Toyota New Zealand. It’s a double-cab utility with on-demand (part-time) 4WD and a mild hybrid system.
The mild hybrid system is offered in 4WD SR, SR5 and SR5 Cruiser Automatic variants. The vehicle reviewed here is an 4WD SR5 Cruiser.
Even though this is a car by Toyota, home of the Prius and king of the parallel hybrid, this isn’t a full hybrid. Rather it’s a regular 2.8-litre turbodiesel Hilux, face-lifted for 2024 with a new grille, front bumper (not the SR5 Cruiser, though), new rear stabiliser bar (SR5 Cruiser only) and a few other goodies, with a mild hybrid system bolted on.
A mild hybrid operates differently to a typical parallel hybrid since most never use electricity to power the car’s wheels directly. The Hilux’s mild hybrid system includes a 48-volt lithium battery, an electric motor-generator, and a DC to DC converter. Toyota has also added ignition start-stop to try and squeeze out further fuel economy gains.
In the Hilux the system charges the battery through regenerative engine braking, enhancing drive power performance and fuel economy. It is claimed to deliver reduced emissions, along with improved engine stop-start smoothness and better throttle response. Hybrid variants gain Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) with six drive modes: Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud, Deep Snow and Rock.
This latest iteration of the long-running Hilux series, a perennial favourite on and off the road, won’t disappoint. In SR5 Cruiser trim with a body kit and 18-inch alloy wheels, it has quite a few bells and whistles, including larger disc brakes front and rear, a wider track, running boards and an optional tray liner with a heavy-duty, lockable one-piece alloy lid (and a light underneath).
Boating NZ put Toyota’s new SR5 Cruiser through its paces as a tow vehicle. With its well-proven, bullet-proof 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine providing a healthy 150kW of peak power and 500Nm of torque, it’s rated to tow up to 3500kg braked, 750kg unbraked. Fuel economy is claimed at 8.7l/100km – which is a decently better than the standard Hilux’s 9.5L/100.
The press vehicle came in Oxide Bronze paint with a raft of Hilux accessories – even a 1kg fire extinguisher in the passenger compartment. The interior gets heated, eight-way adjustable electric seats (driver only) with perforated leather inserts, black on black interior trim with brushed alloy highlights, a premium nine-speaker JBL sound system, a wireless phone charging tray, Bluetooth connectivity with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, and the usual collection of storage bins, pockets and trays.
There’s also dual-zone A/C, a front cool box, two 12V DC and one 220V AC power outlets, two USB-C outlets, and dual gloveboxes (one is the cool box) on the passenger side one of which is lockable. With the addition of the multi-terrain switch there’s only one cupholder in the front. Toyota accessory rubber floor mats protect the carpet.
On the road
Boating New Zealand’s publisher Tim Porter took the wheel for our evaluation of the new Toyota’s towing prowess. Tim has towed trailer boats of every size and description, from one end of the country to the other. He also has a long association with Toyota vehicles, having owned several over the years, and at one point working in sales for a Toyota dealer. Tim’s current ride is a 2023 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 VX.
We hitched up Boating New Zealand’s Haines Hunter SS660 hardtop trailer boat, carried on a DMW multi-roller, tandem-axle trailer with hydraulic override brakes on one axle. Incidentally, the removable Toyota tow bar fitted to the vehicle has an unusually long tongue, which meant the chains for the DMW trailer were too short – we had to lengthen them before we could be on our way.
Lining up the 50mm tow ball with the coupling was just okay using the reversing camera’s image on the 8-inch colour touchscreen, said Tim, noting that it was a shame Hi-Lux doesn’t get Toyota’s latest screen and software tech (RAV4, Corolla). With the boat attached, vehicle sag was minimal – perhaps 10mm. The Hilux has a conventional leaf spring rear suspension set up biased towards load carrying, towing and off-road duties.
The boat, which usually lives in Orams’ Drystack, was partially filled with fuel but had a full complement of gear onboard. Our guess is that it weighed around 2500kg – well under the Toyota’s maximum braked towing weight limit, but nonetheless a realistic test for the vehicle. And we could be confident that the rig – boat and Hi-Lux together –was comfortably under the vehicle’s GVM (gross vehicle mass) limit, even with three adults inside. There was no payload on the tray and no gear inside the cab.
Our route took us from Haines Hunter HQ in Ellerslie down the southern motorway and then across town to Kawakawa Bay via Whitford and Maraetai – a mix of urban, rural and coastal roads, with some tight, twisty stuff and a few hills thrown in.
Tim was quick to comment that the visibility from the helm is very good, and also when using the mirrors. The Haines on a trailer is a wide rig, approaching the maximum 2.5m trailering width limit, so knowing where it is sitting on the road is important.
Ride quality was firm – firmer than Tim’s Land Cruiser – but the Hilux felt well connected to the road and the ute wasn’t pushed around too much by a 2.5-tonne boat on the back. Braking performance was good, too, which is essential when towing, and it was very quiet in the cabin, also when pulling up the hills when the engine kicked down.
After owning tow vehicles with as many as 10 speeds, Tim liked the Toyota’s six-speed automatic transmission: “It holds gears longer and there’s less hunting between ratios.” The motor-generator smooths out low speed power delivery and gear changes are equally smooth. Six speeds were plenty, especially with 500Nm of torque on tap between 1600 and 2800rpm.
“You can really feel the torque kick in, right where you need it – and it hangs in there too,” said Tim. “It’s like a river, great for towing.” Maximum power is between 3000 and 3400rpm. The torque delivery was most noticeable on the hill sections, where the Hi-Lux had no difficulty maintaining a steady 90kph up the steeper stretches, downshifting when required.
In the urban section of the drive, stop-start kicked-in regularly, but Tim reckoned it was the smoothest he’s ever come across in a diesel vehicle.
As the drive progressed, Tim seemed to like the Hi-Lux more and more, noting how all the controls are logically placed and fall easily to hand “just like a Toyota.” The steering is firm, which is reassuring when towing, with reasonable feedback, and Tim reported he felt very relaxed behind the wheel – “It’s easy to drive, like putting on an old coat.”
The SR5 Cruiser is certainly comfortable up front, but there’s not a lot of legroom in the rear, especially if the front seat occupants are tall.
Tim also liked the size of the vehicle: “Compared to my VX Cruiser, this is so much easier to park and much easier to position on the road too.” And while it lacks the raw power of the larger Land Cruiser, its broad torque band, complemented and boosted by mild hybrid assistance, makes this a very capable tow vehicle, especially for boats the size and weight of Boating NZ’s Haines Hunter SS660.
Better Hilux
Toyota’s Hilux has aways been a desirable, reliable workhorse, but mild hybrid technology makes it an even nicer, smoother and more refined utility to drive – without compromising its impressive offroad, towing or load carrying credentials.
