Born Tough. Styled Legendary

You don't test a Hilux – you live with it. Over 2 000km of Garden Route beauty, corrugated De Hoop gravel roads, Klein Karoo mountains and Lekkerwater sunsets later, the Legend 55 lives up to the name it carries. Reliable, unshakable and still the bakkie you'd trust when the road disappears into the horizon

- Words by Dieter Losskarn

WE HEADED SOUTH down the Garden Route with the Hilux Legend 55.

From the coastal splendour of De Hoop Nature Reserve and an overnight stay at the stunning Lekkerwater Beach Lodge (which remains one of SA's most beautiful shore stays) through to Wilderness, then back inland through the Klein Karoo. Roughly 2 000km of tar, gravel, coast and canyons — the Legend 55 handled it with calmness and reliability.

Let's talk specs. The Hilux Legend 55 is powered by the trusted 2.8-litre GD-6 turbodiesel engine, delivering 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque, paired with a six-speed auto. We are obviously in the top-of-the-range 4x4 double cab (no half measures here). Though the prototype initially teased a wide-body version, the production Legend 55 retains the standard track and body width; Toyota opted to reserve the wide-body components for the higher-performance Hilux GR-Sport.