 Despite the fact that the HiLux is first and foremost designed to be a work ute, it’s an incredibly popular 4WD, and rightfully so. Available in a number of body and tray configurations, the HiLux suits many people – from tradesmen to farmers, tourers to hardcore 4WDers, the mighty ’Lux has a finger in every pie.
As well, there’s a mountain of gear available. From easily sourced spares to crazy upgrades from both local and overseas manufacturers, it is limited only by how far your wallet can stretch.
If you’re serious about your 4WDing, then the picks of the bunch (and the focus of this article) are the pre-October 1997 models. These have the highly desired live front axle on all but the top-of-the-range SR5. The SR5 has lots of urban goodies like power-everything, but it comes with the on-road biased, independent front suspension. The rest of the ’Luxes have a leaf-sprung solid axle at both ends. The third-generation HiLux started life back in 1989 and ran through until 1997 when the new, IFS-equipped model took over the reins.
WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?
Leaf-sprung HiLuxes are very agricultural in their design, and built to keep going at their job all day long rather than ferry people around in comfort. There’s not a huge amount of room inside for tall people. Ironically, this problem of lack of headroom stems from their impressive factory underbody clearance. The high floor inside means you sit with your knees closer to your chest than in most cars. Think of it like sitting on a beach chair as opposed to a recliner.
It’s not all bad, though. There are plenty of less comfortable vehicles out there. The interior layout is very functional, and driver visibility is well above average for a 4WD. Factory seats are pretty ordinary, but swapping in some nice SR5 bucket seats is an easy upgrade. Air-conditioning has always been a costly option on Toyotas, even right up until recently, so if it’s on your want list then pay attention whether it’s already fitted.
With leaf springs at both ends, ride quality is somewhat lacking, especially with the beefy leaf packs Toyota loves to use. The steering lock is limited on the live axles compared to the IFS version, but manoeuvrability is still quite good. That’s largely thanks to the fact that the HiLux isn’t as big as many 4WD wagons out there.
The HiLux is all about versatility, and in that aspect it excels. You have the choice of a single-cab with massive flat tray, an extra-cab with tiny back seats and longer wheelbase, or a genuine four-door dual cab for the whole family. Most dual cabs come with style-side trays that can be fitted with canopies for safe storage of gear.
Build quality is typical Toyota inside and out, with everything well put together. It’s little wonder they’re so popular. However, that popularity has a downside, and it’s a pain in the hip pocket when looking to score a used bargain. The HiLux has a resale value bettered by no competitor, and it shows in the prices that examples are still fetching today.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR?
Neglected suspension bushes express their agony by groaning and moaning. This is especially evident on vehicles that have been worked hard
Mounting plates that attach the leaves to the diff can wear into a rounded, wrap-around shape if lots of hard driving has been done. You can buy kits to fix the problem, but if it’s had such a hard life, then look further for more worn parts
With extreme abuse, the front shock mounts can crack and even come away from the chassis. It’s not too common, but worth checking for
Corrugated roads can result in the weight of the battery cracking the supporting panel that holds it up. A five-second check is all it takes
Swivel hubs don’t last forever, and although they aren’t too expensive to rebuild, it’s easier to not have to. Look for runny grease around the swivel balls or on the ground – usually that’s diff oil mixed with grease, and means the inner axle seals are shot
MECHANICALS
Considering that the HiLux is designed to carry heavy loads, you’d think it should be the one with power to burn... ahh, nope. If you want spirited performance look elsewhere or consider improving what comes up front in the engine bay.
What does come under the front, though, is the choice of two highly dependable engines, albeit underpowered either way. Least common is the 2.4L 22R petrol four-cylinder; it’s an ageing design of an engine, with its single overhead cam set-up fed via a traditional carburettor that lends itself to only 76kw @ 4800 rpm maximum output. The old style four-cylinder is fairly torquey in the way it drives and you get little benefit from wringing its neck too hard. With the big price difference between petrol and diesel, though, it’s still a viable choice of engine at the moment.
The other option, and the one that seems to be under nearly every third-generation HiLux bonnet, is the 2.8L diesel four-cylinder known as the 3L. The 3L sums up what light-truck diesel engines used to be: noisy and torquey but slow and very, very reliable if serviced properly. It will happily pull a load all day, every day, but it doesn’t like hills, with a maximum power of 60kw @ 4000rpm. You need to know how to work a clutch to own a HiLux, with the only gearbox being a fairly light-duty five-speed manual. Keeping it simple and reliable, the need for 4WD will require manual locking of the hubs, and transfer activation is via the traditional floor-mounted ‘stubby cooler storage stick’.
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