Honestly that engine, although famously mythologised by clarkson etc. as being nigh-indestructible, is horrendously bad on fuel economy and rather underpowered

Honestly that engine, although famously mythologised by clarkson etc. as being nigh-indestructible, is horrendously bad on fuel economy and rather underpowered on top of that. At least this is the case for the Tacoma pickup version of that aging mill, and 4Runner which is sold in the states. Maybe there are other options for the Hilux in Europe but it's really time for Toyota to recognize that rather fewer than 1 in 10 Hilux owners are going to be driving the trucks off of cliff faces or across the polar ice gaps, and the putative trade off of reliability and durability for fuel economy needs to be revisited in light of how the thing is actually used.