By Dave Abrahams
Prospecton, Durban - Toyota has sexed up its entry-level Hilux SRX bakkies with a cosmetic parts-bin makeover, using mostly Raider components, to differentiate them visually from the two plain-Jane 'industrial' variants at the bottom of the Hilux pecking order.
The most striking change is that they've gone 'wide-body', incorporating the flared wheel arches from the Raider models with a new, wider front bumper design - which adds 55mm to the width of the bodies of the SRX single-cab and double-cab bodies. The Xtra cab models have always come with flared fenders - so all three are now the same width at 1855mm, not counting the side mirrors.
Those mirrors are also now sourced from further up the Hilux hierarchy, and come with built-in indicator repeaters, although they're still finished in matte black, rather than body colour.
Wider track
Finally, those hunky wheel-arches would look a little silly over the formerly standard steel rims and 225/70/R17 rubber, so SRXs now come with Raider-spec 17” alloys shod with 265/65 all-terrain takkies; the alloy rims also have 20mm more offset to clear the suspension, so the SRX now has 40mm extra track width front and rear, as well as standing 18mm taller on the bigger tyres.
Other than that, the Hilux SRX range remains unchanged in terms of engines, drivetrain and model derivatives, and still do everything it says on the tin - they just do it with a bit more flair, if you'll forgive the pun.
PRICES
Single cab
2.7 VVTi SRX 4x2 - was R322 700, now R332 700
2.4 GD-6 SRX 4x2 - was R333 100, now R343 200
2.4 GD-6 SRX 4x4 - was R395 700, now R406 100
Xtra cab
2.4 GD-6 SRX 4x2 - was R347 700, now R354 800
Double cab
2.7 VVTi SRX 4x2 - was R385 800, still R385 800
2.4 GD-6 SRX 4x2 - was R432 100, now R442 700