- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.8DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
150kW, 500Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 7.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2019)
2020 Toyota HiLux SR5+: owner review
I bought my 2020 SR5 HiLux last year in late October.
- updated tech, safety, looks, high driving position, 'somewhat unbreakable', finally top or near top of class on most spec, economic fuel consumption
- cost increase, rear leg room
I used to have Holden sedan-based utes, and always missed the tray capacity. My first car was a Commodore VF SV6 which was a great car, but had to move it on due to higher kilometres. I wanted a ute as I'd moved to a one and a half acre property in regional Victoria. This meant the car would do firewood trips, carry garden supplies, tow trailers for wood (and trips to the tip), lugging product for my small manufacturing business, and maybe some light off roading or travel on weekends away to the coast with family.
I researched every popular dual-cab on the market thoroughly, perhaps probably too much. I read everything on this site, all other sites, spoke to lots of ute owners and mechanics about their likes and dislikes of various dual-cabs.
I am well aware of post-purchase confirmation, most people would probably say they are happy with their car unless they got a dud, right? Nobody wants to feel like an idiot who made a poor decision on a big purchase.
On paper the Ford Ranger looked better equipped than the HiLux, and I may have gone with the Ranger if the HiLux update didn't come around. I really wanted to love the HiLux and it was where my heart was at, but it didn't add up on paper, especially since I am a tech/gadget guy.
But the HiLux facelift added a few things I felt were lacking against the Ranger, such as some more power, Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise, higher towing capacity - and I really like the new front grille and tail light design. Lets be honest; looks are an important consideration for many of us.
They have addressed the DPF issue, but it wouldn't have been an issue for me as I do long highway runs every day. It does its burn every 600 or 700km and I barely notice.
With a one-hour commute each way every day, it's not as cushy unladen as the old aussie-made Commodore, but it's a different beast with different pros and cons, overall much more capable and more suited to my current needs.
I'm averaging around 8 litres per 100 kilometres fuel consumption, which is fine - I probably do 80-90% of travel on the highway.
The kids love riding high - two kids under 5, and they can see everything out the window. They love riding in 'Dad's ute', however the rear leg room isn't great, and hopefully will be less of an issue once the kids are out of car seats. It is pretty easy for the missus to hand them stuff when she's riding shotgun, since they are closer to us than they were in the Commodore. Take that as a silver lining if you will.
I love the higher seating position as I am 6-foot-3 with the usual lower back issues of a 40 year old tall guy. The more open hip angle (for 40,000+km per year) seems to reduce the load on the back according to an osteo mate. Not to mention the better visibility especially compared to my low-riding Commodore, it's a huge difference.
The HiLux has ample power. I tend to leave the drive mode in Normal, as Eco is a bit weak, and Power mode seems overkill for most of my driving needs - although the latter is handy for overtaking. I haven't done any heavy towing - we don't have a boat or caravan - but I'm planning on throwing a couple tonne of firewood in a trailer on my next big wood cutting trip.
I test drove the bi-turbo Ranger XLT, which was nice, felt huge inside, had very (too) light steering, seemed to hunt for gears, and the interior just felt a bit cheap/plasticky, especially for a car in that price range.
During the online research phase I eliminated most of the other main contenders for lacking in either power or safety, had bad reviews, or didn't have on road driving dynamics and personal preference for exterior design. I also heard some horror stories about Rangers with high kilometres having engine and trans issues.
Also the resale on HiLux is handy, as I will clock up a lot of kilometres.
I have only done a bit of light off roading around the Macedon Ranges, just getting my feet wet (muddy?). The family enjoyed it, so will probably put on some A/T and add some basic recovery gear like a tow bar recovery point and some tracks or inflator. The car handled the tracks easily, though I wasn't pushing it really. I am keen to head out again with more gear and try some harder tracks.
I have done over 25,000km since November, and had not a single issue, which is to be expected for a brand new car. Everything has performed as expected, and the controls are simple and intuitive. Ergonomics are good, and I really enjoy being in this car and just taking the family for a drive around the Ranges exploring on the weekends. It feels like we can go anywhere, but I'm sensible enough to realise its limits in stock form.
My only negatives so far are that they jacked up the pricing on the update, but they did add a lot of value too. There are a couple minor annoying things like how the system doesn't remember your preferences for adaptive cruise distance, or offer cruise control standby, and it also lacks a rear USB. Rear leg room is a sore point, and steering at low speed can feel heavy for parking.
I do miss the remote start from the Commodore - an amazingly handy feature, especially for those frosty sub-zero mornings. I'm tempted to add something aftermarket but don't want to mess with the electrics.
So far I have been super happy with the ute, and felt like I owed it to this site to write a review, since it was the best resource I found during my research, and also because it seems that - at least in Victoria - there aren't many of this model around yet, due to supply issues. So I thought it might be appreciated, even though its only a mid life update.
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