In a bid to tackle Ford’s formidable Ranger Raptor (and my 2022 Car of the Year), Toyota created the HiLux GR Sport. And it is hideous.
Looking for all the world like a HiLux that’s spent too much time in Chernobyl, the GR Sport boasts a wider track (extended 140mm front and 155mm rear), beefed-up suspension, and bigger disc brakes among a raft of other changes. The end result is a car that makes a naked mole rat look like a miss universe contestant.
They’ve also coaxed more power from the impotent 2.8-litre diesel engine so that it now produces 165kW (224PS) and 550Nm… which is dismal, especially when you consider the Ranger Raptor’s twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine churns out a whopping 292kW (397PS) and 583Nm. In terms of outright grunt, it’s David vs the Iron Giant.
Inside, Toyota has added some GR-branded glitter to the turd that is the HiLux’s dungeon-esque interior. The end result is a cabin that looks about as inviting as Siberian prison in winter.
There’s no word on the price yet, but expect it to be far north of the $70,200 before on-roads sticker price of the current HiLux range-topper, the ‘Rogue.’ If you buy one of these over a Raptor then you are dingleberry.
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