The
Ford Ranger and
Toyota Hilux have been at war for ages. There are followings on each side who will wage social media wars in defense of their preferred bakkie brand. In recent years we have seen some performance versions of these vehicles come to market.
Ford has the mighty
Ranger Raptor and
Toyota has the
GR Hilux. Now though there is a new, more performance orientated
GR-S Hilux. Here are 5 things that you need to know.
1. What is GR and how do I identify what is what?
The
GR product hierarchy comprises four levels; represented as a pyramid, the first layer is
GR Parts which allows customers to inject their normal model variant with
GR flavour, followed by the
GR-Sport moniker which offers cosmetic and dynamic handling enhancements, think
Corolla Cross,
Hilux,
Land Cruiser 300.
The third tier is occupied by fully-fledged
GR performance models which includes
GR86,
GR Yaris and
GR Supra while the fourth and final layer is
GRMN - which represents the highest level of performance tuning.
2. Great looks
The
Hilux GR-S features a unique design, which blends the concepts of toughness and sportiness. A large and prominent black front grille, horizontal cross bar and
Toyota lettering announce its presence. Special treatment has been applied to the LED headlights, alongside vertically-stacked air ducts with integrated LED fog lamps.
Keen observers will note that the bumpers are based on the
Raider model design, rather than
Legend variant. Most notably however are the wider black overfenders with contrasting inserts. This helps give the
GR Sport a more aggressive appearance. Black mirror caps, black door handles, black side steps and rear styling bar with
GR branding - create a sporty contrast. Customers can also opt for
GR optional side decals on the doors to further add to the visual drama.
3. It’s a sporty affair inside
Design changes to the interior include a new instrument cluster with metallic bezels and red needles, bespoke leather-trim steering wheel with red contrast stitching and sporty aluminium pedals with rubber inserts.
GR branding has also been applied to the Push Start button and centre console.
Striking carbon-fibre trim replaces the brushed finish in Legend models, which is complemented by red accent trim signaling the
GR-S' performance credentials. The racing-inspired front seats feature
Alcantara inserts,
GR badging on the headrests, red accent panels plus power adjustment for the driver's seat.
4. When the going gets tough
Under the skin, new monotube shock absorbers are paired with stiffer coil springs to deliver improved high-speed stability and handling response. The wheel and tyre package features bespoke 17" alloy wheels in a Titanium finish - while the tyre package has been revised with taller profile 265-65-R17 rubber, to offer enhanced off-road performance.
5. It’s all about performance
While the
GR-Sport nameplate normally represents cosmetic and handling enhancements, the
Hilux variant has a trick up its sleeve in the performance department too. Power output has been increased to 165kW, a 15kW increase over the Legend model and torque has been ramped up by 50Nm to a peak of 550 Nm. This has been accomplished via a special
ECU calibration which interfaces with the revised 6-speed automatic transmission mapping and lock-up control - to ensure optimised power delivery. These improvements result in a 0-100 km/h sprint time reduction of 0.65 seconds. Top speed is quoted as 175 km/h.
Only one drivetrain configuration is offered in the form of a 4x4 transaxle mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with Auto LSD function.
Model Line-up & Pricing
Hilux GR-S 2.8 GD-6 4x4 6AT - from R 865,400
Credit: Justin Jacobs
