No V6 for flagship Toyota HiLux tough truck – yet

The 2023 Toyota HiLux range will be bolstered with range-wide upgrades from September to combat its all-new Ford Ranger arch-rival, and – for now – the updated ute line-up will be headlined by the new wide-body Toyota HiLux Rogue in November.

But it’s the replacement for the Rugged X tough-truck, which previously topped Australia’s most popular new model line, that’s really creating a buzz – especially since Toyota officially dubbed the mysterious mud-plugging HiLux flagship as “a new apex off-road variant”.

That has led to speculation that Toyota’s new 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6, which debuted with muscular 227kW/700Nm outputs in the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, could find its way into the range-topping Toyota HiLux in attempt to spoil the party for the new 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel that’s optional in premium Ranger variants.

While details remain thin on ground, an inside source has shed light on what to expect – and what not to expect – from the HiLux Rugged X replacement.

First and foremost, according to our source, it won’t get V6 power because the engineering investment required would be prohibitively expensive – despite the fact a petrol V6 was previously offered in the current generation HiLux, which was first released in 2015 and remains available only with four-cylinder diesel power.

“The V6 is a completely different engine to the inline four; the distances between cross members would make it a tight squeeze. As it stands the new-generation diesel V6 is not compatible with that [HiLux] platform. It’s very, very unlikely to get a V6,” said our source of the new flagship HiLux tough truck.

However, the next-generation Toyota HiLux, which is currently in development and due for release by 2025, will almost certainly be offered with the stump-pulling V6 diesel in order to remain competitive with the new Ford Ranger and its twin under the skin, the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok.

“The next-gen Hilux will be a different thing altogether…,” said our source. “It’s based on the same modular TNGA [ladder] platform as the LC300, [Lexus] LX and [Toyota] Tundra. It may not get the exact same frame, but any new HiLux will be adapted to TNGA.”

That means the potential for not only a tub-thumping V6 turbo-diesel, but also a petrol-electric hybrid V6 powertrain as seen in the new Tundra pick-up, and such a vehicle could bear Toyota’s full-strength GR badge.

“We see TNGA-C bits on a TNGA-B vehicle, with Yaris, for example. So TNGA is more modular and more interchangeable,” explained the insider.

But what exactly can we expect from current-generation Toyota Rugged X replacement? For starters, according to our source, it will be based around the same wider-track chassis as the upgraded Rogue, and accompanied by a new look that draws from the HiLux GR Sport model sold outside Australia.

“You’re looking at a GR Sport-type model from overseas, with an added Aussie flavour. It’ll get a wider track like Rogue… but it’s still early days,” said the source, suggesting it’ll get a completely new look and feel to the current Rugged X.

The name of the new ‘apex’ Toyota HiLux flagship hasn’t been locked in yet, but it could adopt the GR Sport badge as the Japanese giant seeks to leverage and flesh out its GR and GR Sport sub-brands.

If this new intel is on the money, we could also see a more powerful version of the HiLux available in Australia for the first time, as per the hotter 165kW/550Nm HiLux GR Sport that broke cover in South Africa back in February 2022.

There are several HiLux GR Sport models offered globally but the South African version is the only one so far to bring a power and torque increase, adding 15kW and 50Nm to the regular 2.8-litre turbo-diesel’s 150kW/500Nm.

If the beefier engine tune is adopted here, it would provide the HiLux with bragging rights as Australia’s most powerful four-cylinder diesel-powered one-tonne ute.

The unique Aussie-developed hoopless steel front bar of the current Rugged X, first seen in 2018, is likely to be ditched but uprated suspension and plenty of extra body armour are expected to be added by Toyota Australia at its conversion centre in Melbourne.

“There’ll be more changes towards the back-end, to the tub, and a functional sports bar to suit the GR Sport. Also undercarriage protection and rock rails, but it’s unlikely to have the metal front-end.”

Given the significant engineering changes made to the Rogue’s suspension, logic would suggest there’ll also be significant chassis adjustments to the Rugged X’s replacement, on top of the circa-140mm wider track already signalled. Expect a jacked-up ride height via new springs and shocks, fresh suspension geometry, upgraded brakes and all-terrain tyres.

There’s no launch timing yet for the Toyota HiLux’s new off-road hero, but given all the activity occurring in the ute segment, Toyota will be keen to field its latest weapon in the fight to defend its position as Australia’s most popular ute sooner rather than later.

Despite all the new metal available in the ute market, the Toyota HiLux Rogue and Rugged X continue to prove hugely popular with buyers – so much so that in May 2022 Toyota stopped taking customer orders because demand had so severely outstripped supply.

Toyota recorded its best-ever monthly HiLux sales result in June and, given the production delays faced by Ford’s new Ranger, it’s looking likely the HiLux will retain its sales crown again in 2022 – even without a brawny V6 under its bonnet.

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