BOMBPROOF! TOYOTA HILUX AT REVIEW

The Toyota Hilux is perhaps the only vehicle in the world to have a war between two countries named after its maker.

- SYED SHIRAZ SHAH

(Photos: SYED SHIRAZ SHAH)

Google "Toyota War" and you'll see innumerable pieces on how the Toyota Hilux helped the relatively small Chad forces win the Chad-Libya war in the eighties. Not just that, the Hilux is the default choice of almost all organisations that have a first-responder wing operating in desolate areas. The vehicle has proved to be the most reliable, rugged, and robust of them all and is considered to be virtually indestructible. If there were service centers dedicated to only the Hilux, I reckon them to be empty for most part of the year...

Still, the good chaps at Toyota India thought it to be a good idea to spare a test unit for us auto journalists, so that we can find out how the Hilux would fare in Indian use-cases, which don't usually involve mounting ATGWs (Anti-Tank Guided Weapons) on the vehicle. I tested it for a few days in the NCR, and here's what I found.

This is a big vehicle, ladies and gentlemen. How big? Well, at over 5.3 meters in length, it's longer than the KIA Carnival, and even the Merc S-Class, but shorter than the Maybach, which is over 5.4 meters long. As such, it has tremendous road presence and most other vehicles do move out of your way.

Design wise, it's absolutely simple, without any pretense; however, I would've preferred roof rails to make it appear even taller. Right now, without the roof rails, it carries the aura of a gentle giant, and not of a vicious monster. It's actually surprising how such a small design element can change the demeanour of a vehicle completely.

If you're going all out and buying a truck, you'd want it to look as butch as possible without of course coming under the RTO's radar. The rollover bar you see in the pictures is an accessory.