Safety aids keep Hilux on even keel

After 28 years Kiwis are still in love with the Toyota ute. Photo / Supplied

A year after Mitsubishi introduced it to the New Zealand ute market on the Triton, market leader Toyota has caught up and added electronic stability control to top 4WD models of its Hilux.

Although the technology is an important safety aid for utes, they've been slow to get it, compared with cars.

The system is particularly useful for taming the light rear end of an unloaded ute, which can easily break away on loose or wet surfaces.

Toyota's system, like those of its rivals, is bundled with traction control, which significantly improves the truck's off-road abilities.

The changes to the 3-litre SR5 automatic double cab come as part of an upgrading of the evergreen ute, New Zealand's top seller for 28 years.

It also gets larger front brakes, which in turn required fitting 17-inch alloy rims that fill out the wheelwells much better than the previous 15-inchers.

For those who might want to press on without electronic intervention, the stability and traction controls can be turned off with a switch held for three seconds or more when the ute is stopped. Alternatively, just the traction control can be turned off. However, in 2WD and 4WD high-range the traction control will turn itself back on at speeds above 50km/h.

And when the vehicle is braking or sensors detect the tail swinging, stability control will spring back to life even if turned off.

Normally, stability control works by applying braking and reducing engine power, but when low-range gearing is engaged for off-roading, the Hilux's stability control is automatically turned off and stays off. That's because momentum is often required to get a vehicle through an obstacle.

Despite the current model having appeared in 2005, Hilux gives away little to its rivals either on or off the road. The high-end SR5 is partly aimed at the urban-suburban market so the cabin is car-like and comfortable. There's even adult-sized room in the back seat.

The 2982cc turbodiesel is neither the newest nor smoothest ute diesel around, but its 126kW of power and 343Nm of torque are sufficient to provide excellent performance, with surprisingly short highway overtaking times, even when the tray is well loaded.

The SR5 auto's rated at 9.3 litres per 100km overall, one litre more than the manual.

Bottom line:

Hilux is still on its game but a bit pricey at $62,890 for the SR5 auto. Stability/traction aids are worth having.

Torquing it up

There's been a torque war going on among Japanese diesel utes and, right now, Nissan's Navara ST-X is champ with 450Nm. Hilux is near the bottom of the heap. Torque is the twisting power produced by the engine. In simple terms, torque gets the vehicle moving and horsepower (kilowatts) keeps it moving. Lots of torque helps the ute haul heavy loads. Figures are for automatic-transmission versions.

Nissan Navara ST-X 450nm
Ford Ranger/Mazda BT-50 380nm
Mitsubishi Triton 356nm
Toyota Hilux 343nm
Holden Colorado/Isuzu D-Max 333nm

Alternatives

Plenty of choice here. Prices are for top-model diesel automatics. Specification levels vary. The Nissan is somewhat larger than its rivals. Hint: Those annual Fieldays specials will be starting any day now.

Nissan Navara ST-X $62,800
Ford Ranger XLT $57,745
Mitsubishi Triton GLS $56,160
Holden Colorado LT $54,600
Isuzu D-Max LS $54,590
Mazda BT-50 SD-X $54,695