Toyota is yet to confirm the launch of the pickup truck as well as its price, but we expect it to carry a similar price tag to the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross – its only direct rival upon arrival
Back in August last year, reports emerged about the possible introduction of the much-popular Toyota Hilux pickup truck in the Indian market, and it looks like the Japanese manufacturer is might actually be considering bringing the lifestyle vehicle to the country to directly rival the recently upgraded Isuzu D-Max V-Cross pickup truck.
As of now, the Isuzu D-Max is the only pickup truck available in the Indian market, however, Toyota believes that the segment could grow in the near future. A new report by Autocar India suggests that the Hilux could be launched in the Indian market in the coming months.
Based on the same IMV-2 platform as the Innova Crysta and Fortuner, the Hilux measures almost 5.3 metres in length, and has a wheelbase that is over 3 metres long. The Hilux comes equipped with leaf-spring suspension at the rear, compared to the coil spring setup seen on the other two Toyota cars.
Talking about its external design, the pickup truck features a large hexagonal front grille, flanked by swept-back LED headlamps with DRLs. Other external design elements include black alloy wheels and ORVMs, LED tail lamps, plastic cladding on wheel arches and so on. Just like the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, the Toyota Hilux will also likely be offered with a double cab configuration as standard.
On the feature front, the Hilux could get an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, a digital MID in the instrument cluster, cruise control, a multi-function steering wheel, automatic climate control and more. Its safety suite could consist of multiple airbags, hill-hold assist, ABS with EBD, Brake Assist and Vehicle Stability Control.
The Hilux could be offered with the same 2.4-litre diesel engine as the Innova Crysta on the lower variants with a two-wheel drive setup, while the top-end variants could be equipped with the Fortuner’s 2.8-litre oil burner that belts out 204 PS of max power and also gets an optional 4×4 configuration.