Tow Test: Toyota HiLux 2016

The new Hilux continues to sell its socks off but is it a better tow vehicle than before?

How on earth does the average punter choose a new ute?

These are just some of many questions that need to be answered: Two seats, five seats or 2+2? Cab-chassis or ‘fixed’ tub? Petrol or diesel? Manual or auto? Cloth or leather seats? Push-button stereo or touchscreen with sat nav? Big or bigger payload? Medium or heavy-duty towing? 4x2 or 4x4? High or low ride height?

And that’s before choosing from an often endless options list, and narrowing it down to one of a dozen or so car brands offering a ute model with as many as 30-40 variants!

In the case of the latest Toyota HiLux, released in late-2015, buyers are now bamboozled by 31 different variants, which encompass four different engines, five different towing limits and 14 different payload capacities, by our count.

For this tow test, we ended up with a Hilux dual-cab, 4x4 cab-chassis with 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, six-speed manual transmission and mid-spec SR trim.

For those wanting to tow something substantial, it’s a pretty good choice as one of seven HiLux variants with the maximum 3500kg braked towing capacity – up from 2500kg on the old model. All have the 2.8-litre engine and manual ‘box in common – the best auto-equipped Hilux can tow up to 3200kg.

Other HiLux variants (but not all) with the smaller 2.4-litre diesel or 2.7-litre petrol can only tow up to 2500kg. While adding the optional $2000 six-speed auto to our test car drops its towing maximum to 3200kg. Confused yet?

With recommended HiLux pricing ranging from $20,990 to $57,990, our test ute sits just above the median at $44,990.

For that you get a utilitarian cabin with a few niceties such as comfy cloth-covered seats, a user-friendly 17.5cm touchscreen with decent six-speaker audio and full Bluetooth connectivity, manual air-con and USB/3.5mm/12V sockets up front.

Those sitting in the rear seats don’t get much in the way of vents or sockets but at least there’s enough room to squeeze three lanky apprentices back there.

Pitched firmly at tradies with families, this particular HiLux configuration isn’t available with the up-spec SR5 package, which isn’t a big deal unless you really want non-essentials like leather seats, keyless start and digital radio.

Besides, the vinyl steering wheel and gearknob should do a better job resisting the inevitable dirt and grime that will make its way into a vehicle like this.

Also missing was sat nav, but it did have an optional rear camera, which was handy for reversing and hitching up although there were no guide lines as on some of its rivals, nor could the towball hidden under the aluminium tray be seen.

Given its workhorse bent this vehicle comes with a decent 1045kg payload – not as high as the 1235kg on offer from some single cab and extra cab HiLux variants but higher than all pick-up versions. For the record Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) was listed as 3000kg and Gross Combination Mass (GCM), 5850kg.

Other options on our test ute were ‘Silver Sky’ metallic paint, aluminium tray, tow kit including seven pin trailer connector, rear camera, steel bull bar, snorkel and aftermarket electric trailer brake controller, which would push the price above $50,000.

So how does it tow? Not great, considering despite only hooking up an 1800kg caravan (about half of what’s it’s rated to handle and less than its 1955kg kerb weight) it struggled a bit.

Performance from the 130kW/420Nm 2.8-litre engine is best described as leisurely, with little in reserve for emergency acceleration up hills as well as on the flat. There’s still some engine noise but it’s much quieter than

the old Hilux, thanks to improved cabin insulation.

Also on the upside the workhorse ute’s sluggish cornering and sometimes jittery ride is less of an issue when towing.

Once up to speed it cruised happily around 2000rpm at 90km/h in fifth gear, however shifting to sixth gear caused the engine to labour unless on perfectly flat roads. It only required a downshift or two to maintain speed up hills, but the engine never got raucous.

Like most utes stability when towing is not a strongpoint, with some pitching of the unladen ute most evident at lower speeds. Given there was only 120kg on the tow ball, there was little sagging of the rear leaf springs.

Otherwise, driving the HiLux was almost a pleasure, thanks to light but responsive steering, solid all-disc braking, and a very user-friendly manual transmission. In fact, the Hilux’s stick shift is one of the best we’ve tried in a ute, with its clever ‘rev-matching’ feature encouraging smooth, clean shifts, along with a light and progressive clutch pedal.

We also appreciated the hill hold function, which takes strain off the clutch when taking off on inclines. However, we were disappointed with the poor engine braking, resulting in excessive use of the brake pedal down hills.

It’s hard to complain too much about fuel consumption though, with our ‘solo’ average, mostly in peak hour traffic, of 10.3L/100km rising to an acceptable 15.1L/100km when towing, albeit mostly highway miles.

Although we’d expect a heavier,

pick-up version of the HiLux to offer a slightly better platform, we still wouldn’t recommend towing much more than 2500kg with any HiLux, if safety is a major concern.

2016 Toyota Hilux 4x4 dual cab SR cab-chassis

Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

Output: 130kW/420Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual

Fuel: 8.1L/100km (ADR Combined)

CO2: 212g/km (ADR Combined)

Towing capacity: 3500kg (manual)

Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Price: $44,990

Tow Test: Toyota HiLux 2016

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