The all-new 9th generation Toyota Hilux is a thoroughly modern pick-up with EPS and an electric powertrain option.
The Toyota Hilux has long dominated the pick-up truck segment. It’s the number one choice for many customers as it delivers the best blend of durability, spare parts pricing and availability and just overall rugged and simple character. Over the years, competitors have been pushing the pick-up truck game forward and now Toyota are forced to answer with more modernised 9th generation Hilux. So, have they struck a good balance between simple and futuristic? Let’s find out.
Starting with some fundamental changes to the Hilux: the power steering unit. Gone is the tried and tested hydraulic power steering unit and in comes an electronic power steering (EPS) motor. Some competitors have indeed moved to an EPS, as it has a number of benefits including less sapping less power from the engine, and being lighter to operate. However, purists will argue that hydraulic power steering is more ‘foolproof’, hardy and simpler to mend. We’re sure Toyota has found a way to make an EPS that’s worthy of the Hilux name. After all, they already put an EPS in the Land Cruiser last year with the 250 generation.
The other thing to note is that Toyota are bringing an all-electric powertrain option to the Hilux in this genration. They haven’t talked about the specifications of this powertrain, the battery size, chemistry, supplier are all details that are still hidden to the public. It’ll also be interesting to see what kind of pricing Toyota can achieve with an electric pick-up truck. Electric vehicles can ‘bend the rules’ in the passenger car market, resulting in very good value for money cars like the e.MAS 5.
However, in the commercial vehicle market, taxation is already relatively low in ASEAN, so electric pick-up trucks tend to be more expensive than their diesel counterparts. Just look at the JAC T9 EV pricing and you’ll understand what we mean. Perhaps Toyota’s messaging around the electric Hilux will revolve around maintenance cost benefits.
We mention these two items up front – the adoption of the EPS and the availability of an electric powertrain because these appear to be the two areas where Toyota has really moved the Hilux forward. In other aspects, it’s still very much a very grounded vehicle. The new Hilux features engineering work from the Toyota teams in Thailand and Australia and was a project under the Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle (IMV) project.
It’s still sitting on a body-on-frame design for maximum off-road articulation, towing and payload capacity but Toyota has worked on improving body rigidity, refining suspension tuning. We see a number of variants being shown upfront including a ‘Prerunner’ and ‘Overland’ model. The 9th gen is also shown with ‘2.8’ badging, indicating the return of the 2.8L 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine.
The new Hilux is fitted with Toyota Safety Sense 3 (TSS 3) with features such as enhanced pre-collision and lane-keeping functionality. No doubt the new EPS system plays a big part there. Besides that, it also gets a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) and Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM). The infotainment unit is also larger and more capable than ever.
Look forward to more details on the 9th generation Toyota Hilux, including a planned FCEV version that were sure no one will purchase. The new Hilux will go on sale in Financial Year 2026, which should be some time after March.
