2,000 kilometres of towing outs best of Hilux GR Sport
When we introduced you to our new Toyota Hilux GR Sport medium distance test a couple of weeks back, we mentioned that we’d waste no time in getting to know Hulk, as we call him. In fact, that story was written on the road, from the passenger seat of the bakkie. My MacBook fully charged by the two-prong regular voltage outlet in the centre console. Handy, that.
We were pulling through the Eastern Cape at the time, having picked up the race car, loaded the trailer and bakkie back in the Cape, and set off for ‘Slummies sparrows that Wednesday morning. The trailer was easy to hitch thanks to the reverse camera too. It wasn’t a kind trip. Travelling with the bitter cold front as it swept across the country, the outside temperature never passed 9 degrees centigrade all day. It basically rained all the way.
Not the best towing conditions
Not ideal for towing or travelling, but did we notice? No. Not really. Maybe just when we got out to refuel. Now the Polo Cup race car on the trailer, with a set and a half of wheels, and a fair bit of pit kit packed inside comes in at just over two and a half tons. We were carrying a fair bit of equipment and our togs in the bakkie too, so it was pretty well loaded. But still comfortably within its 790 kilo load and three and a half-ton braked towing capacity.
Our braked trailer is a double-axle breakneck device. Loads without a bother and tows a treat with the car parked correctly and securely tethered atop. So well that Hulk hardly noticed it was there. This bakkie’s revised outputs do its real on road performance no justice at all. We’re pretty sure that the increases down at the bottom and towards the midrange, are far more significant than what’s reported up top.
Hilux GR Sport is most impressively torquey and powerful. That becomes ever more noticeable, the harder you work it. Overtaking, even uphill, is just a matter of flooring it. The six-speed auto box and its re-fettled GR logic simply shifts down to the optimal cog and it pulls like a bastard. A hard word to best describe it. But it fits. Makes passing and overtaking so easy. Even fully laden as we were.
Emergency towing braking impressed
One thing we did notice was that the gearbox does not like to shift up once you come off the gas after hard acceleration on tow. It keeps on revving when it should be shifting up. That’s easily overcome, however. Just tug the steering wheel flappy paddle upshifter up and it quicky changes up to sixth and one more tug puts it into Drive. So no need to fettle the stick shifter either.
There’s not much else to report about the towing experience, besides that we were twice forced to emergency brake. Hilux GR Sport, and the whole rig did so without any fuss or bother. Straight, calm, and efficient, albeit with a noisy ABS grind as it did. Handling is stable, there was no trailer sway.
We did miss an auto wiper function that some of Hiluxes rivals offer through the intermittent rain and following and passing trucks on the wet road. But besides that it was luxurious, warm, and comfy throughout the eleven hour pull up and another ten back. Driving easily we ran 13.0 litres per hundred on the way to East London from the Cape. It was more like 13.8, when we pushed a fair bit harder on the way back.
GR Hilux is a master towing machine
If anything, the GR Hilux is a master towing machine. It’s also probably the best of the several different tugs we have yet had the pleasure of pulling our rig with. And that includes some pretty heady V6 and the best of its 4-pot rivals. It may be a little heavier on fuel than some. Yes. It pulls like a bastard!
Best of all is that Hulk is back to normal duty now and sitting waiting in the garage for the next mission. Whatever that may be. Who knows, it could just be a run to the café, fetching the last of the season’s firewood or another adventure trip. Maybe up a nearby mountain and back again.
So watch this space. Whatever it is, we are sure to keep you posted on how well Hulk, our Hilux GR Sport handled it! – Michele Lupini
Testing & photography: Giordano Lupini
LONG TERM UPDATE: Toyota Hilux 2.8G D-6 DC 4x4 GR Sport Engine: 165kW 550Nm 2.8-litre turbodiesel I4 Drive: 6-speed automatic 4x4 Odo on Arrival: 16,876 km Odo Now: 19,535 km Real world fuel: 9.3 l/100km Towing Fuel: 13.4 l/100 km Claimed Fuel: 8 l/100km CO2: 210 g/km Claimed Range: 1,000 km Payload: 790 kg Max Towing: 3,500 kg Warranty/Service: 3y 100K 9s/90K km ROAD TESTED: 0-60 km/h: 4.23 sec 0-100 km/h: 9.38 sec 0-120 km/h: 12.72 sec 0-160 km/h: 25.96 sec 400 m: 16.9 sec @ 134 km/h 80-120 km/h: 6.16 sec 120-160 km/h: 13.24 sec Claimed VMax: 180 km/h LIST PRICE NEW: R865K LIST PRICE NOW: R945K RATED: 9
