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Updated 2024 Toyota HiLux ute officially revealed with facelifted design and 48V tech, will it be enough to steal the crown back from the Ford Ranger and fend off the Isuzu D-Max?

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Toyota calls the changes to the HiLux 'significant design and feature updates'.
Toyota calls the changes to the HiLux 'significant design and feature updates'.
Chris Thompson
Journalist
2 Feb 2024
3 min read

Toyota Australia has released its first images of the updated 2024 HiLux ute, a design that should see it through to the end of its current generation that has been around since 2015.

Two photos of the updated 2024 Toyota HiLux, which is confirmed to arrive in showrooms from March, were revealed overnight along with a brief rundown of the changes being made to the ute.

Of course, key to the updated HiLux is the addition of a 48-volt electrification system - which Toyota is not calling a 'mild hybrid', unlike its rivals - that will be standard on Rogue and automatic SR5 double-cab variants, while being optional for 4x4 SR double cabs.

Toyota Australia claims the 48V system improves the "smoothness and fuel economy" of its 2.8-litre turbo-diesel-equipped HiLux utes by approximately six to 10 per cent, depending on the variant, compared to the current HiLux.

"Introducing 48-Volt technology on double-cab HiLux models is an exciting step forward, improving fuel efficiency while still providing performance and capability that the HiLux is known for," said Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley.

Styling changes are mainly found on the HiLux's front end, where the grille and bumper have been modified for the new version, while a black honeycomb mesh grille is added to WorkMate variants.

SR variants gain a silver lower bumper finish, SR5s score a black upper grille, tinted LED headlamps, as well as gloss black fog lamp bezels, exterior mirrors and door handles.

All SRs also gain two front and four rear parking sensors, while those with 48V gain dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, automatic power windows and carpet floor mats.

The SR5, Rogue and GR Sport also gain a wireless charging pad up front and two rear USB-C ports.

Toyota Australia hasn't yet confirmed pricing for the updated range, though it's expected engine specifications for the 2.7-litre petrol, and 2.4 and 2.8-litre diesel engines will remains the same aside from the addition of the 48V system in some cases.

Styling changes are mainly found on the HiLux’s front end, where the grille and bumper have been modified for the new version, while a black honeycomb mesh grille is added to WorkMate variants.
Styling changes are mainly found on the HiLux’s front end, where the grille and bumper have been modified for the new version, while a black honeycomb mesh grille is added to WorkMate variants.

Toyota is particularly careful to avoid calling the 48V HiLux a mild hybrid, something the brand's rivals do with the system, as Toyota only defines a hybrid as a system where the electric motor can work with or independently of the combustion engine.

"Most of you have called it a mild hybrid. We don't, and there's a reason we don't," Hanley said during a 2023 presentation.

"That's because in the Toyota world, hybrid refers to a system where the engine and the electric motor can both propel the vehicle either together or independently. That's not the case with the electric motor for the 48-volt system.

"We never put that in our press releases; we've never mentioned the word 'hybrid' in that car."

Hanley also told media upon confirmation that the 48V system was coming that development of the drivetrain upgrade has been underway locally since the start of the decade.

"Our Australian engineers have done an incredible three years of local development, testing and evaluation of the 48-volt system," he said.

"They have confirmed it is already 100 per cent - not 99.8 - 100 per cent suited to Australia's harsh conditions and customer demands."

Chris Thompson
Journalist
Racing video games, car-spotting on road trips, and helping wash the family VL Calais Turbo as a kid were all early indicators that an interest in cars would stay present in Chris’ life, but loading up his 1990 VW Golf GTI Mk2 and moving from hometown Brisbane to work in automotive publishing in Melbourne ensured cars would be a constant. With a few years as MOTOR Magazine’s first digital journalist under his belt, followed by a stint as a staff journalist for Wheels Magazine, Chris’ career already speaks to a passion for anything with four wheels, especially the 1989 Mazda MX-5 he currently owns. From spending entire weeks dissecting the dynamic abilities of sports cars to weighing up the practical options for car buyers from all walks of life, Chris’ love for writing and talking about cars means if you’ve got a motoring question, he can give you an answer.
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