The Toyota Hilux GR Sport Is the Coolest Pickup We Can't Have
The GR Yaris isn't the only performance-oriented vehicle Toyota won't bring to the United States. The Hilux GR Sport, unveiled Monday, is a sporty off-road-focused pickup truck with a bunch of performance-oriented upgrades designed for high-speed dune running. No, it's not coming here.
In addition to the tough "Dakar-inspired" design, the Hilux GR Sport gets a handful of mechanical improvements to ensure its legendary reliability off-road. There's a wider track, an improved suspension with stiffer springs and monotube dampers, redesigned wishbones, and bigger disc brakes all around. They're shrouded by 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. Outside you'll also find a skid plate, rock rails, and rear recovery tow points painted in red.
Like most overseas pickups, there's a diesel powerplant underneath the hood of the Hilux GR Sport. It's a 2.8-liter turbocharged inline-four making 221 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque—the most of any diesel-powered Hilux ever. It's paired with an automatic transmission and a 4WD system.
While Toyota doesn't sell the Hilux in the United States, we do get the Tacoma and the Tundra, which both have their own TRD-branded off-road-ready trims. Still, we can't help but reminisce on Top Gear's Hilux torture test—which saw the truck survive everything from a wrecking ball to being water-logged—and wonder why it wouldn't sell that truck here in America. We'll just have to keep dreaming.
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