We have a sexy Toyota Hilux GR-Sport on our driveway
We waited a while to get our hands on the Toyota GR Sport. It was worth the wait. Meet Hulk. Our medium term test GR Sport entrusted to us for the next few months. First and foremost however, let’s put Hulk to the test to see how he runs. What better an introduction?
Hulk isn’t brand new. He got to us with just under seventeen thousand kilometres on the clock. We prefer it that way. A car a little longer in the tooth is a better gauge on what owners can expect over time. Versus a brand new set of wheels that’s more likely to never test any sort of endurance. Not that we expect any trouble. He’s a Toyota Hilux, after all.
Hulk SALUtes Dakar & the million buck Hilux
Sitting in the middle of the road between the stylised rest of the GR Sport range and the pukka GR cars, Hulk benefits a raft of unique design and dynamic features to position the Gazoo version as the hero model in the Hilux range. The big news is under the bonnet. Power is up fifteen to 165 kilowatts. Torque jumps 50 Newton-metres to a 550 Nm peak.
The second GR iteration of South Africa’s best-selling vehicle, this one follows on the original 2019 GR Hilux. It joins the local Gazoo range alongside the GR Yaris GR86, GR Supra, Corolla Cross GR Sport and Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport. They will be joined by the all-new GR Corolla within a week. This one celebrates Dakar. Hulk also arrived in the very week that the Toyota Hilux finally breached the million rand selling price mark. This one isn’t quite there yet!
That courtesy of factory tweaks that include special ECU calibration to interface the engine upgrades to revised 6-speed automatic transmission mapping and lock-up control for optimised power delivery. Hilux GR Sport also gets aluminium paddle shifters on the steering wheel for manual shifting. Toyota promises that these improvements result in the bakkie’s 0-100 km/h sprint time being slashed, while top speed is quoted as 180 km/h.
Half a second quicker than the Legend
So we strapped our VBox to him at the soonest possible convenience and set out to check just how much quicker that fifteen kilowatts and fifty Newton Metres makes Hulk versus his humbler kin. Precisely half a second. That’s how much quicker this bakkie is versus a regular Hilux Legend to 100 km/h. It’s also a second faster zero to 120 km/h and six tenths nimbler between 80 and 120 km/h. So yes, that extra GR grunt certainly makes a difference. We will test him again. After spending more time with Hulk, we feel he has more in him.
Hulk is just a tenth of a second shy of Auto’s existing 4×4 drag strip king, the 3-litre Mazda BT-50’s 9.25 second 0-100 run. Which makes Hulk the second-quickest turbodiesel 4-pot double-cab bakkie we have ever tested. Good, hey. Effortless to drive, there’s oodles of grunt, especially at the bottom end. In other words, perfect as a tow vehicle. But more about that next time. Hulk’s first mission will examine his tugging abilities in the finest detail.
For now, rest assured that those power gains tied into this bakkie’s transmission tweaks make for further gains over a really solid base. Its uprated auto mode transmission mapping is notable how it holds onto the selected gear for longer. And how it assists with downshifting under engine braking. Featuring flappy paddle gear selectors on the steering wheel, Hilux GR Sport comes only in 4×4 get-up with an auto LSD function.
more to HULK than just power
Staying under the skin, Hilux GR Sport’s uprated and performance tuned monotube shock absorbers and stiffer coil springs bring improved high-speed stability and handling response. Bespoke titanium finish 17″ alloys get taller profile 265-65-R17 rubber for enhanced off-road performance.
Drive Mode Select Power and Eco modes tailor the GR Sport’s power delivery and engine response. Power mode maximises increased power and torque outputs. Braked towing capacity remains a heady 3,500 kg, with a payload of 790 kg for a of 5,850 kg maximum GCM. As noted, more about that next time. The trusty 80 litre fuel tank remains.
The Gazoo Hilus is set apart by a large and prominent black grille with bold chrome Toyota lettering on a carbon-fibre pattern horizontal cross bar. Those LED headlights also get special treatment. They sit above vertically stacked air ducts with integrated LED fog lamps on Raider design bumpers.
Anticipating a whole lot of GR Hilux fun
We will spend time glossing over the rest of Hulk’s upgrades, virtues and advantages, and the rest as we go because we are only just getting to know him now. Come back in a couple of weeks for the next episode of Auto’s extended test of the coolest version of South Africa’s favourite car. We’re expecting it to be pretty revealing. And a whole lot of fun! – Michele Lupini
Testing & photography: Giordano Lupini
LONG TERM INTRO: Toyota Hilux 2.8G D-6 DC 4x4 GR Sport Engine: 165kW 550Nm 2.8-litre turbodiesel I4 Drive: 6-speed automatic 4x4 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 @ 134km/h 80-120 km/h: 6.16 sec 120-160 km/h: 13.24 sec Odo on Arrival: 16,876 km Odo Now: 17,035 km CLAIMED: VMax: 180 km/h Fuel: 8 l/100km CO2: 210 g/km Range: 1000 km Payload: 790 kg Max Towing: 3500 kg Warranty/Service: 3y 100K 9s/90K km LIST PRICE: R945K RATED: 9
