COME BACK KING?

The ninth-generation Toyota HiLux has been unveiled, and we were lucky enough to get an early look at it – plus a test drive – in the lead-up to its official reveal.

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The Toyota HiLux held the mantle of Australia's bestselling 4x4 for decades, and for a few years even topped the overall new-vehicle sales charts. That changed with the arrival of the current-generation Ford Ranger, which has taken Toyota's title and run to the hills with it.

With this latest HiLux, Toyota is hoping to reclaim the top spot. But has it equipped the enduring midsize ute with the armoury needed to win that battle? Let's take a look.

NEW BUT NOT NEW

Despite what many predicted and hoped for, the 2026 HiLux is not an all-new model.

Not long ago there were credible reports doing the rounds that the next-generation HiLux would ride on the same TNGA-F platform that underpins the Toyota LandCruiser, Prado and Tundra models, as well as Toyota USA's midsize HiLux equivalent, the Tacoma pickup.

Those reports have proved wrong, and instead Toyota has continued with its conservative don't-fix-it-unless-it's-broken mantra, retaining the current chassis, suspension design and powertrain from the outgoing N80-series HiLux.

REFRESHED CHASSIS

The ninth-generation HiLux rides on a ladder-frame chassis that's essentially a carryover item, with the same hard points and mounts, but it's been significantly modified with extra welding and strengthening at key locations such as the suspension and body mounts. The front end has also been reworked to accommodate the latest crash and safety equipment.

The adoption of electrically assisted power steering (EPS) has allowed Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) to introduce proper lane-keeping and collision-avoidance technology as part of its Toyota Safety Sense suite of ADAS functions, which are now standard across the HiLux range. On models with multiple drive modes, drivers can also vary steering feel by switching between Comfort and Sport.