Toyota’s has revealed three beefy looking Toyota Hilux editions for the Australian market: the Hilux Rogue, Rugged and Rugged X.
The trio feature the new Land Cruiser inspired grille that was first seen on the updated
introduced last year, along with numerous other rugged accessories.
Toyota SA is remaining tight-lipped about any changes to SA models, but our guess is that a minor range refresh, possibly featuring the new grille, can’t be too far off.
Given the abundance of wildly accessorised bakkies on our roads, Toyota SA must surely be considering some new editions too, possibly even inspired by these three and the new Thai-market
.
Incidentally, Australia’s sales charts are also topped by the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.
In 2017 the Hilux was most popular vehicle down under with 47 093 sales, followed by Ford’s Ranger (42 728).
By comparison, South Africans scooped up 36 422 Hilux bakkies last year and 32 811 Rangers.
So what’s the deal with these Aussie editions?
Topping the new line-up is the Hilux Rugged X, which Toyota describes as a no-compromise adventure vehicle. Its daring design incorporates a high-tensile alloy bash plate, hoopless bull bar, snorkel, high-strength recovery parts, rock rails and a load-carrying sports bar among other items.
Also splattered with off-roading gear is the Hilux ‘Rugged’, while the ‘Rogue’ is more about style.
"HiLux buyers increasingly demand additional features - in fact, they spend more on accessories than any other vehicle in our range," Toyota Australia’s Sean Hanley said.