Toyota HiLux Mako ute upstages Rugged X
Bigger, better, more capable HiLux tough truck emerges in New Zealand – but it’s not for OzJust when you thought the new Toyota HiLux Rugged X dual-cab ute was the pinnacle of Toyota’s tough truck range, along comes the HiLux Mako.
Targeting the Ford Ranger Raptor via several extreme upgrades, including aftermarket ARB suspension and lift kit plus aggressive off-road tyres, the new Mako was launched in New Zealand yesterday priced from $NZ79,900, which is around $A73,000.
Named after the aggressive shark, the HiLux Mako pick-up appears to share components with the Australian-developed Toyota HiLux Rugged X – priced at $69,990 for the new model reaching showrooms soon – including the steel front bar, recovery tow hooks and pumped wheel-arches.
But in terms of suspension the HiLux Mako takes things to a new level, benefiting from a softer, taller set-up via an ARB Old Man Emu suspension system and new dampers.
Looking meaner than most HiLux models thanks to a 40mm front lift and 50mm rear lift, the Mako also gets 15mm-bigger front brake discs (borrowed from the Toyota Fortuner) and new pads, braided front and rear brake lines and 18-inch Black Rhino alloy wheels shod with mud-plugging footwear – Maxxis Razr 265/60 all-terrain tyres.
Toyota New Zealand made no secret of the fact that the beefed-up suspension has been designed to challenge the Ford Raptor Ranger (priced from $77,190 plus ORCs in Australia), with more wheel travel and greater ground clearance.
The Toyota HiLux Mako also adds a unique steering wheel and aggressively styled sports seats with Mako logos.
That’s the good news.
The bad news? It’s not coming to Australia.
“It’s an interesting-looking vehicle but at this stage it’s only for New Zealand,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson told carsales.
“We have a similar offering of HiLux vehicles with Rugged X and Rogue.”
The HiLux Mako doesn’t get a boost in power, retaining the facelifted HiLux’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine (150kW/500Nm). That compares to the Ranger Raptor’s 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel which produces 157kW/500Nm.
Toyota New Zealand assembles the HiLux Mako in Thames, about an hour east of Auckland, and expects to sell around 250 vehicles per year.
Unlike in Australia, where the Toyota HiLux is the biggest-selling vehicle in the market, the Ford Ranger is the top-selling model in New Zealand.
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