Hilux 48V an impressive mild hybrid bakkie first step
Look closely at this Hilux, and you may notice the 48V on the side. Sorry, no, that doesn’t mean it’s a V12. That V stands for volts. Yip. This is the first hybrid Hilux. Even if they don’t call it as much.
The 48V adds 12 kW and 65 Nm of electric power. It harvests brake regeneration through a belt-driven motor generator. 48V also adds an advanced start-stop system, a lower 600 rpm idle, and subtly improved acceleration. And we reckon better consumption on 2.8-litre auto Hilux Raiders like this, as well as Legend and Fortuner models.
Hybridisation brings many advantages to Hilux 48V
Added to Hilux’s 2.8 GD6 turbodiesel, the new 48V starter generator ups total power to 162 kW and 565 Nm. The hybridisation comes courtesy of a belt-integrated 12 kW and 65 Nm starter-generator mounted to the 2.8-litre turbodiesel four-pot. More a helper than a hybrid per se, it’s totally seamless and operates completely in the background. You hardly even know it’s there.
The electrical gubbins are coupled to a 7.6 kg 48V battery sitting under the rear bench seat. In typical Toyota hybrid style, the lightweight cell charges up under deceleration and braking and deploys a 5% efficiency boost under power.
Toyota claims hybridisation not only brings a more comfortable drive to the Hilux in traffic, thanks to quicker throttle response and a quieter stop-start-up, but it also improves off-road ability. That’s thanks to electric power delivering smoother acceleration on tough terrain and the regenerative braking system improving stability on hill descent.
You do feel that 48V electric energy at work
Other 2024 Hilux enhancements include waterproofing improvements to allow wading at depths of up to 700 mm. And if this Raider looks different, you’re right too. This is the recent facelift. We quite like it. Hilux 48V hauling ability remains unchanged. Toyota also claims an unchanged 7.4 litres per 100 km and 195 grams per kilometre CO2 for the 48V. But we think they’re just being coy on that.
On the road, the first thing you notice about driving 48V is that start-stop system. It’s brilliant. Probably the best we have driven in any car, and that includes some pretty sophisticated kit over time. It responds instantly to throttle input from standing idle and seamlessly hands over to good old position power as soon as that is ready. Impressive.
It may be slight, but you feel that electric 12 kW and 65 Nm at work, especially on pulling away, and also when driving slowly. More so while doing a little off-road work. 48V was also quicker than the last Rader we tested back in 2019. For the record, that bakkie ran to 100 km/h in 10.19 seconds, did the quarter-mile in 17.1 seconds at 130 km/h, and pulled from 80 to 120 km/h in 7.83 seconds. Compare those numbers to what 48V achieves in the block below. And also consider. So is the new 48V system in the Hilux? We’d say definitely so.
All the Raider bells & whistles, and 48V more
For the rest, It’s a Toyota Hilux 2.4 GD-6 Raider double cab. Pretty much the absolute acme. The Raider has always been the business, but as with all things, the most important Hilux of all just got better with time. It’s the bakkie that runs the country. Only now the farm manager to the plumber, the security boss to the contractor supervisor, and you can have it with a handy hybrid lick, too.
Set apart by this ultimate handsome Hilux face with sculpted headlamps and an edgier trapezoidal grille and integrated bumper, the Raider has its own signature look. More practical graphite-coloured 17” alloys running pliant 265-65-R17 rubber.
Don’t forget Toyota’s latest seamless 8-inch floating screen. CarPlay and Auto mirroring infotainment. It packs Google Maps and Waze, as well as Apple Music, JOOX, Spotify, and SoundCloud music streaming, and a reverse camera too. Wireless telephony is supported via Bluetooth with a USB input.
Is 48V just a Hybrid Hilux toe in the water?
It’s also fully safety specced and has all the necessary bells and whistles too. Like standard air-conditioning, cruise control, and a cooled glovebox, 12 and 220-volt accessory jacks, never mind Toyota’s. Sound like the real deal Well, it is!
Significantly, however, the way we know Toyota, this little toe in the water is just the start of a whole new, more electrified future for the Hilux. It adds both efficiency and a performance boost thanks to that additional electric output while also bringing a bucketload of other advances.
If we think this is good, just imagine how good it will be when the New Hilux arrives, plausibly in December for an early 2026 SA release, perhaps even complete with Toyota’s 240 kW and 630 Nm I-Force Max hybrid. Now that would really be something. In the meantime, however, the Raider 2.8 GD6 48V does the hybrid job very well. For what seems to be just a toe in the water. – Michele Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 48V DC Raider
Engine: 162 kW 564 Nm 2.8-litre turbodiesel I4 mild hybrid
Drive: 6-speed automatic RWD
Payload 865 kg
Braked Towing 2750 kg
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 4.09 sec
0-100 km/h: 9.75 sec
0-120 km/h 13.46 sec
0-160 km/h 26.29 sec
400m: 16.8 sec @ 134 km/h
80-120 km/h: 6.89 sec
120-160 km/h: 12.83 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 175 km/h
Fuel: 7.4 l/100 km
CO2: 195 g/km
Range: 1075 km
Warranty/Service: 3y 100K/3 service 90K km
LIST PRICE: R785K
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