Toyota Bundera Reviews

Toyota has whipped the covers off an updated HiLux GR Sport in Europe, with the model scoring increased ground clearance, wider front and rear tracks and revised suspension and damping to deliver what the brand calls “the best driving HiLux yet".But before were get too excited, Toyota in Australia tells us it isn’t aware of any plan to update our HiLux GR Sport, instead suggesting that the new model “introduces many of the features already available in Australia”.Billed as the Toyota HiLux GR Sport II, the European model does feature a lot of the upgrades already present on our hardcore HiLux, but the biggest discernible difference is the ground clearance.While Australia’s GR Sport is listed at 265mm, the V2 model increases that numbers to 323mm. It shares the same wider front and rear tracks, by 135 mm and 155 mm respectively, and the new information out of the Europe promises revised suspension and damping.“The suspension system has been revised with a 70 mm increase in the width of the front arms, the adoption of a lighter, tubular anti-roll bar and repositioning of the spring and damper assemblies further outboard. At the rear the axle has a new square cross-section and the dampers have been repositioned, to the outside of the vehicle’s frame,” Toyota Europe says.“Measures to gain a smoother and more stable ride over any terrain include new monotube dampers with large-diameter (46 mm) pistons in place of the previous twin-tube units. These provide better performance and faster response in tough conditions.”The Toyota HiLux GR Sport in Australia isn’t going anywhere — though a new model is reportedly earmarked for 2026.“The HiLux GR Sport being released in selected European markets introduces many of the features already available in Australia, such as the wider tracks and the 48V technology, although there may be some market-specific differences in specification and trim,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide.Change is coming to the HiLux, though, with reports the 2026 update will include a GR Sport version that won't just feature key upgrades to improve its capability, comfort and cabin technology, but could also feature the thumping 2.4-litre i-Force Max hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Tacoma as an engine option.

The Ford Ranger might have found itself back on top of Australia’s sales charts in March, but a dig into the numbers reveal cracks in the sales ambitions of the Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.

Could the Australian car industry have been saved?

Next year is shaping as one of the biggest, and most important, in Toyota's history, with fresh reports pointing to an avalanche of new products including an affordable LandCruiser, the updated Toyota HiLux and new RAV4 Hybrid.

The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) of Australia has condemned a rumoured plan by the Coalition to scrap fines for carmakers that exceed emissions targets under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) scheme, should Opposition Leader Peter Dutton win the federal election in May.According to a report by The Australian, Coalition sources said they have secured the support of the automotive sector in a move that is aimed at undermining Labor’s claims that the cost of petrol and diesel cars would not increase under NVES. The full policy is expected to be detailed closer to election day.EVC CEO Julie Delvecchio said the potential policy shift would give manufacturers a free pass to continue selling more pollutive cars, while failing to bring the cost of electric cars and hybrids down for consumers.“Removing penalties in the efficiency standard will mean one thing: Australians will be locked out of the savings that come from switching to an EV - up to $3000 a year that could be in their pocket - simply because the most fuel-efficient vehicles will never reach our shores,” said Delvecchio.The EVC has maintained that the NVES has delivered lower costs for consumers since it was implemented on January 1, with the number of EVs and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models on sale in Australia now exceeding 120 models, including Australia’s first EV priced under $30,000 – the BYD Dolphin.“No penalties means fewer fuel-efficient vehicles and higher running costs," Delvecchio added.“While it's still early days, the NVES is already proving essential in expanding consumer choice, lowering fuel bills and driving competitive pricing for EVs and fuel-efficient cars.”The NVES was devised with the aim of encouraging car brands to progressively sell more fuel-efficient vehicles in Australia or face a $100 fine for every gram of carbon they exceed over the limit for each vehicle sold. Australia is often cited as one of the last developed nations globally – alongside Russia – to adopt a vehicle emissions standard.Emissions targets are set at 143g/km for passenger vehicles and a more lenient 210g/km for light commercial vehicles, which includes Australia’s popular ute segment. Fines aren’t enacted until 2028, with the emissions threshold lowering each year.Despite demand for EVs falling 19.9 per cent in March compared to the same time last year, PHEV sales increased by a staggering 380 per cent off the back of the Fringe Benefits Tax exemption concluding on April 1.Demand for petrol-hybrids, meanwhile, has climbed by 34.8 per cent compared to March last year, while petrol and diesel sales have fallen by 9.8 per over the same period.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which represents several of Australia’s top-selling car brands such as Toyota, Mitsubishi and Ford, has been critical of the NVES from its inception.CEO Tony Weber said that falling consumer demand for EVs this year reflected the government’s failure to account for consumer demands when devising the scheme.“We are at a critical point in transitioning to a lower-emission vehicle fleet. But the reality is clear: Australian families and businesses are not shifting in large numbers to EVs,” Weber said.“The Australian automotive industry has long advocated for an ambitious and achievable emissions standard. Once again, questions must be asked about the Government’s modelling and in particular their assumptions about consumer acceptance of new low-emissions technologies.”In a statement on the NVES, Sean Hanley, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations for Toyota, Australia’s top-selling car brand, said it supported the NVES but that the targets would be difficult for manufacturers to meet.“The targets within the NVES are very challenging, particularly for commercial vehicles,” said Hanley.“We have no intention of discontinuing vehicles popular with the Australian public. We also recognise we have a duty to customers who need 'tool of trade' vehicles.”Despite its passenger line-up only consisting of hybrid powertrains, the majority of which sit under the first phase of the NVES’ emission targets, Toyota sells several best-selling SUV and ute models that breach the targets, such as the HiLux, LandCruiser and Prado.Its 22-model rich line-up also only includes one EV, compared to several other Chinese brands that have arrived in Australia more recently and only carry EVs or PHEVs, such as BYD.Mitsubishi Australia, whose President and CEO Shaun Wescott serves as Deputy Chair of the FCAI, echoed support for the NVES but said that consumers would benefit from its reform.The brand sells one of the country’s most popular PHEVs – the Outlander PHEV – but is yet to offer an EV in Australia.“There are notable challenges in aligning the policy’s ambition with market realities and practical constraints. Automotive manufacturers face several hurdles, including market gaps in certain vehicle segments, constraints of designing and bringing new cars to the Australian market, and a slowing consumer uptake of EVs due to concerns about limited charging infrastructure,” said Mitsubishi's Government Relations Manager, Yarik Turianskyi.Ford Australia, which generated 89 per cent of its sales last year from the diesel-powered Ranger ute and Everest SUV, said it would work with whichever government won the election on the NVES, but voiced similar concerns to Toyota and Mitsubishi.“We recognise the importance of an emissions scheme for the country, and we continue to engage with industry and the government to make sure our voice is heard when it comes to creating a supportive ecosystem, and other measures,” said a Ford spokesperson.“We know that NVES will be a challenging transition for the industry and for us. We will do the same with whomever forms the government after the upcoming election.”The Albanese government has said it plans on reviewing the NVES periodically from 2026.For Julie Delvecchio, ensuring penalties remain for car brands who breach the targets is integral to Australians realising long-term cost-of-living relief, while ensuring the transport sector meets its government-mandated targets of net zero by 2050.“Without a strong fuel efficiency standard, Australia risks once again becoming the world's dumping ground for fuel-guzzling, polluting vehicles. Some manufacturers may prefer a toothless policy, but Australians would pay the price for such short-sighted changes.”

The interior of the eagerly awaited next-gen Honda Prelude has been revealed thanks to a Japanese YouTuber who has given us a glimpse into the cabin.When the Prelude concept made its debut in 2023 at the Tokyo mobility show it had blacked-out windows so the interior remained a mystery. It’s also highly unlikely it even had a finished interior at that point.Now thanks to Japanese YouTuber Unadon we’ve been given a guided tour inside the two-door 2+2 seater sports car and it's not quite as groundbreaking as we hoped.If anything the cabin, dashboard, controls and instruments are much the same as the cockpit in the current Honda Civic.Sure the new Prelude’s cabin is sporty and the two-tone sports seats with embossed Prelude headrests look modern and luxurious, but the climate control dials, honeycomb mesh air vents and steering wheel will all be familiar to anybody who has bought a Honda in the past few years.The rear seat is more or less a hard grey-coloured featureless bench without any form of obvious lateral support or even moulding for rear passengers.It’s unlikely the back seats will ever house the two people they’re designed to accommodate given the lack of space back there with the heavily sloped roofline and limited legroom. Unadon discovered how cramped it is when we ventured back there. There are also two ISOFIX points if child seats need to be installed.Unadon also gives us a look at the boot under the Prelude's liftback tailgate, revealing a small but deep area behind the rear seats that appears to be about 200 litres in capacity. He also folds the rear seats down to open up even more load carrying space.The Prelude, which is expected to make its European launch by the middle of 2025, will be hybrid only and use a petrol-electric system similar to the unit in the Civic. A manual transmission won't be available either.It's still not been confirmed for Australia, but our fingers are crossed.

The Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and Toyota LandCruiser Prado were among the big movers of Australia's new-vehicle market in March, as the overall sales decline appeared to slow.

One of the oldest vans on the market is showing no sign of retiring anytime soon with the LDV G10+ appearing to have been given a substantial facelift, which includes new safety tech, a large media screen, new styling and features.The new version wears a $1500 price rise, which still undercuts rivals such as the Toyota HiAce and Ford Transit by a sizable margin.Importantly, it's clear the new G10+ has been fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which was a large oversight in its spec previously. This change would ensure the G10+ would meet the new 2026 minimum safety standards requiring AEB come as standard on all new vehicles.Lane keeping assistance and forward collision warning will also join rear parking sensors, a reversing camera driver and passenger airbags, plus electronics stability control as part of the van's new safety suite.Other new G10+ features CarsGuide spotted include a 12.3-inch media screen, replacing the previous 7.0-inch display. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is also standard, so is digital radio, air conditioning and power windows. It was also noted that the brands website now only lists diesel variants, which could indicate the petrol engine has been dropped, at least initially. The latest price data shows the new G10+ has also increased in price. The entry six-speed manual 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is now $38,937, drive-away, which is a $1579 increase on the previous model. Meanwhile, the G10+ with the eight-speed automatic is now $39,463 (also up by $1579). For context, Toyota’s HiAce (the most popular vehicle in the segment) starts at a list price of $48,886, while the Ford Transit begins at $56,590.Images also reveal a slight redesign to the front of the vehicle with a new look honeycomb grille and restyled front bumper, as well as a tweaked dash layout. Measuring 5167mm end-to-end, 1980mm wide, 1938mm tall and with a one-tonne payload capacity the G10+ is considered a medium-sized van. It has been on sale in Australia for a decade this year, yet it still remains one of the most-bought medium sized vans on the market with 2843 sales in 2024.It appears LDV still sees a place for the G10+ to live alongside the new and more expensive Deliver 7, which was once touted to replace its aging sibling. The Deliver7 arrived towards the end of 2024 with a price of $44,726 driveaway, although it was headlined primarily by its electric eDeliver 7 spin-off, which wears a competitive price-tag of $67,358 (drive-away).

Toyota buyers around the world are facing extended delays on delivery of their newly purchased cars due to a rise in the popularity of hybrids. We asked Toyota Australia if the shortage affects us here, too.The delays are all down to a shortage of components for hybrid vehicles which have become popular following several years in which fully electric vehicles went through a boom, only for interest to start tapering off.The surge in popularity for hybrids has forced Toyota to rush to meet the increase in demand with the company saying it would boost production. Toyota also released a statement appearing to play down the matter. "Currently, the production capacity for hybrid parts and components from our suppliers and our in-house parts manufacturing is line with our annual production plans and our vehicle assembly capacity," it said.A concerning factor is that the shortage of parts affecting vehicle delivery time is widespread. Hybrid stock is low in the United States, Japan, China and Europe according to a report from Reuters news agency.Australia has also seen an increase in demand for hybrid vehicles with last year’s total sales up by 39.9 per cent on 2023 and while there is still a growing appetite for electric cars here, the uptake appears to be slowing with 2024’s total up by 10 per cent.The news appears to support Toyota’s long held view that despite an interest in fully electric vehicles consumers would return to hybrids. Toyota Australia has long maintained hybrids would become the preferred choice over electric cars. The company has only one electric vehicle - the bZ4X - on sale here, while the rest of its range is almost entirely hybrid including the RAV4, Kluger, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Yaris and Yaris Cross. CarsGuide asked Toyota Australia if the current hybrid shortage would affect local buyers.“Hybrid-electric vehicles account for more than half our sales this year,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson said. “Supply is healthy, both now and confirmed for the coming months. Customers placing an order today can expect to receive their vehicle in less than four months on average.”Currently wait times are nothing compared to how long customers were waiting on cars in 2022 when COVID-19 and a semi-conductor shortage blew delivery times out to a year for certain in-demand Toyota models.  

One of Toyota's most senior global executives has outlined the big changes coming to the brand's most popular hybrid vehicles, and laid out a timeframe of exactly when to expect them.