Toyota HiLux SR5 4x2 2011 Review

Price Guide: (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $44,990
Options fitted: (not included in above price) Metallic paint $400
Crash rating: Four-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 11.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 280
Also consider: Holden Colorado LX

There was a time when the flagship of a one-tonne pick-up range was a well-equipped dual cab with a petrol V6 and an automatic transmission.

Times have changed however, and vehicles such as the Toyota HiLux SR5 V6 4x2 dual cab recently tested by motoring.com.au are no longer so highly sought.

And truth to tell, it's hard to know why anyone would buy a vehicle like the HiLux on test. Only Holden offers a direct competitor, the Colorado LX. Buyers on a budget (whether commercial vehicle operators or families with weekend recreational needs) will want a diesel engine for its frugality and, in the case of the families, they'll likely want four-wheel drive as well.

The HiLux has been taking some hits in the press recently for being a fairly old design too, and a recent upgrade hasn't helped the Toyota recover that much ground against up-to-date offerings from competitors. But the HiLux remains a reasonably capable pick-up and it's quite refined for a light commercial vehicle (LCV).

Indeed, there are those out there who find the NVH of diesel commercials poison to the ears. And the HiLux's refinement certainly starts with the 4.0-litre petrol V6, which proved to be as smooth as Toyota V6 engines usually are. It also has an immediate advantage over most rivals in the marketplace by not being a diesel. Delivering accessible power and torque right across the rev range, it also worked well with the automatic transmission, which didn't put a foot wrong during the week the vehicle was in our possession.

The drivetrain is one of the highlights of the HiLux and, as mentioned, it doesn't have much competition lined up against it. Where the HiLux is particularly beginning to show its age is its suspension, which is less than car-like in an era when LCVs such as this are being driven by more private buyers.

Unusually for any sort of Toyota, the HiLux rides firmly at the rear (although we've experienced worse in other commercials and SUVs), in order to carry heavier payloads. Without any weight in the tray, the axle bucks over speed humps and larger bumps. Even if the road surface is fairly smooth there's a slight choppiness in the ride that we don't recall of the Volkswagen Amarok, for instance.

Front suspension is significantly more compliant, but is prone to understeer at low speeds and it has almost certainly been set up that way to offset the live rear axle, which can be something of a liability in the wet. Once the roads are greasy the HiLux (with a fairly powerful V6, it must be stressed) will crab sideways under acceleration and will snap into oversteer if the driver's a bit careless with his or her footwork. No one expects an LCV to corner like a sports car, but the suspension set-up of the HiLux simply wasn't optimised for the original equipment tyres, which were prone to squeal at low speeds and definitely erred on the side of ride comfort and durability.

Just over a week after driving the HiLux, the writer had the opportunity to try out Ford's new Ranger — in 4x4 XLT spec. Being right up to date, the Ford is a great way to illustrate where Toyota has fallen behind with the HiLux.

Driving the Ford, there's none of the jiggly ride traits encountered in the HiLux and the handling is much more consistent. Even with the Ford's five-cylinder diesel on boost, power oversteer was not easily provoked (in 2H) and when it was, it was being modulated through the offices of a capable stability control system. The HiLux doesn't even come with an incapable stability control system.

Inside too, the Ford's design just seems more cohesive and car-like than the HiLux's. As part of the Toyota's recent upgrade, it has inherited a restyled interior and a new infotainment system that really caught our eye and incorporates a satnav system and a touch screen. Kudos to Toyota for the touch screen, which doesn't need to be punched like some. A gentle push will suffice. It's tiny though and, while the graphics are a decent resolution, it's pretty busy on-screen.

The operating system and data behind the touch screen seem aimed very much at really savvy (and efficiency-minded) commercial operators. Users can drill down for all sorts of satnav sophistry if they wish. So, taken to the ultimate extreme it's not what you would call 'user friendly'. But it all depends on how determined the user is to find every last speck of functionality.

This review could focus almost solely on the infotainment system. There's a lot to mention. The voice prompts are female with an Aussie accent — and that's a good thing, we reckon — but they can be late for turns. And two conflicting voice prompts (a turn alert and speed limit zone advisory, for instance) will swamp each other, rather than one waiting for the other.

Despite its complexity (and sophistication) the infotainment system does have a certain tacked-on, aftermarket feel about it. That's not so much because it's a mediocre system, but because the rest of the HiLux's interior has a seven-year old feel about it. In commercial vehicle terms however, that's not so very old.

Seats are actually more comfortable than normally expected of pews mounted in a commercial vehicle, but as we've experienced in other Toyotas, the backrest comes up short below the shoulders. Otherwise the driving position is up to the job. The instruments are easily legible and the controls are ridiculously easy to use — in the stereotypical Toyota way.

While the HiLux on test was easy to drive and roomy enough, even in the rear (with easier rear-seat access than the Isuzu D-MAX and the Nissan Navara, if memory serves), it's bound to pale in comparison with the two bothersome new arrivals, the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok.

And the relative roominess of the dual-cab HiLux comes at the expense of load space. While the only goods carried in the back during the week were parts of a disassembled trampoline measuring approximately four metres in diameter, the circular members would only fit in the tray diagonally. No big deal perhaps, but the prospective buyer will need to check whether the tray length meets the necessary standard for the job spec.

In that regard, the HiLux is not alone; other dual cab pick-ups are very much compromised where tray length is concerned. On the subject of the Toyota's goods-carrying ability, the test vehicle was finished in a nice metallic paint job, but without a liner for the floor or the sides of the load space. That metallic paint won't remain pristine for too long if the vehicle has been chosen to carry loads other than fabrics and perhaps paper-wrapped products.

Shiny paint brings us back to another area in which the HiLux excels: its drivetrain. For those who don't specifically want a diesel and never go offroad, but need a tow vehicle that's also a family ute for four, the HiLux remains a hard act to follow — although in the face of tougher, newer competition, on-road pricing for the HiLux will be a more important factor in the purchasing decision than ever before.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.