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It's an extremely popular and durable truck, and yet in North America we don't get to have it. Blame it on people wanting bigger and comfier trucks instead of r
by CountHackulus 16y ago
It's an extremely popular and durable truck, and yet in North America we don't get to have it. Blame it on people wanting bigger and comfier trucks instead of real workhorses.
- pepsi_can 16y agoI thought it was known as the Tacoma in North America?
- jakarta 16y agoTacoma looks the same but it is overall weaker than the Hilux
- skorgu 16y agoMy understanding is that the (no longer produced) T100 is the closest equivalent NA gets to the Hilux, it has a fully boxed frame and was offered in a 1-ton form (with larger brakes). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_T100 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_T100
- city41 16y agoAre you sure about that? The Wikipedia articles for the Hilux[1] and the Tacoma[2] make no mention of this. The Hilux article heavily implies the Tacoma is the same truck, just under a different name. Ah way down in the sixth generation section it says: "The Tacoma frame differs from the Hilux frame, although both appear similar from the outside. Both the Tacoma and Hilux variants are sold in Mexico." [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Hilux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Hilux [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma
- kls 16y agoThe Hilux has a solid front axle while the Tacoma has a wishbone suspension, IIRC. The latter while good for high speed travel on road and sand, lacks performance in wilderness and rocky terrain. It is the reason the Hilux outperforms the HUMVEE in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As well the Tacoma does not have a diesel option (one of the main reasons it survived submersion). On another note the Suzuki Samurai is another off-road vehicle that is virtually indestructible.
- HeyLaughingBoy 16y agoWe did for many years. Or to be precise, a version with a slightly different body. Like the article said, that truck was basically bulletproof -- it was a tank on wheels. It was way, way overbuilt for what it was intended to do and that's why they last so long and are so popular with offroaders (the reason I got mine!). Typically the bodies rust out after about 10-15 years but the rest of the truck: engine, frame, driveline, etc is still rock solid so there was an aftermarket industry in fiberglass bodies. I sold mine (1987 4x4) with 130,000 miles on it for about $2,000 in 2005 and it would probably have gone another 100,000 easily with minimal maintenance. The kid who bought it got a hell of a deal (it was pretty heavily modified by the time I sold it) and he was grinning from ear to ear when he drove off. The Tacoma was the "new, improved, bigger version."
- brc 16y agoIt must have been available at some point - because it appears in the Back to the Future series as Marty's truck. Unless it wasn't called a Hilux.
- yardie 16y agoI always assumed it was a T100.
- tnorthcutt 16y agoThe truck in Back to the Future was a Pickup, not a T100: http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/out-of-production-trucks-and-suvs/65821-toyota-pick-up-from-back-future/ http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/out-of-production-truc...
- brc 16y agoBut was it called a Hilux or not?
- tnorthcutt 16y agoNo, the North American (or maybe just US) models were just called "Pickup". What most of the world called the Hilux Surf was called the 4Runner in the US.
- brc 16y agoWell, in Australia the pickup version was always called the 'Hilux'. I know of a plumber with a 1982 model with 300,000kms on it and it's still going strong. The 'wagon' version was also called the '4Runner' in Austraila, but,because of used Japanese imports, you're more likely to see a 'surf' than a 4Runner. I find it very odd that manufacturers seem to always choose a different model name in the USA, despite worldwide success with the original model name. Golf-Rabbit-Golf springs to mind.
- presidentender 16y agoWe did, for some time. A pre-Tacoma Toyota 'pickup' is a Hilux. I drive an '88 and it's still in great shape.
- gonzopancho 16y agoMy wife had an 88 SR5 pickup when we met. Now we have an 88 land cruiser and a 74 fj40
- iouyhtfgyjuhk 16y agoThere is an even more awsome version available in North AMerica/Canada. The Mine car version is built for underground mine use. Basically the original Hilux with sealed bearing everywhere, guards over everything that can break when a rock drops on it, loads of power take-offs and an interior that you can wash down with a hose. It even has cup holders (although not a multi-screen DVD surround sound)
- ajays 16y agoCare to give a link (or an easily searchable name) for this "Mine car version" ?
- skorgu 16y agoNot 100% sure this is the same but it looks plausible: http://www.mobileparts.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=11&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1 http://www.mobileparts.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&ca...
- Luc 16y agoLook for 'mine spec', at least that's what it's called in Australia. E.g. http://www.google.com/search?q=mine+spec+hilux http://www.google.com/search?q=mine+spec+hilux
- maxawaytoolong 16y agoMy uncle had one in the 80s. You can get it in Mexico. It's not that important in the rest of North America because we have legitimate roads that go almost everywhere. When I lived in a driving state, I had a 4WD Tacoma and it was overkill for almost every situation I encountered.
- jcromartie 16y agoFrom what I can tell, up to 1997, the Toyota pickup truck sold in the US was essentially the Hilux.
- brandong 16y agoThe venerable 1st generation 4Runner was essentially a 4th gen HiLux. The original 4Runner is still remembered as an extremely dependable and overbuilt vehicle here in the US.
- rwhitman 16y agoI think they have it in Mexico, or at some point they imported a bunch of them. In my east LA neighborhood I see them all over the place, they are a staple of junk haulers and gardeners