1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
TOUGH AS 01.
Page 56
Page 58
Page 59
Page 63
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
BOOTS!
Witness this: elderly Hilux drowns in the Severn Estuary. is driven into trees, down steps, set on fire and then has a caravan dropped on it. More than it took to kill Rasputin. More than enough, you'd think, to kill an old vehicle. But no: and we'd guess that someone in Top Gear's production team is still driving the beast even after its death defying performance on the programme a couple of weeks ago.
Rather more worryingly,it also showed that the Hilux is the vehicle of choice for rebel armies and gun-toting mercenaries. So there's absolutely no doubt that it'll fit right in to CM'S long-term test fleet in embattled South London.
However, our new test vehicle is much younger that anything Top Gear has had it's hands onand a lot smarter too. In the 30 or so years since its launch it's gone through many guises, but the current model is one which, besides its undoubted load carrying ability. is good looking enough in its double-cab guise to park alongside the other sports utility vehicles in the school car park.
Ours, unfortunately, had been the victim of a CM staffer's earlier attempt to recreate Jeremy Clarkson's Hilly( demolition derby, if only in a minor way.A close encounter with a parked truck (reportedly due to some confusion about the handbrake) left our poor pickup looking a little battered about the front. but in true Hilux fashion it made no difference to the way it drove. Not that looks are really the issue here: we're interested in this pickup's day-to-day performance when it's lugging loads around and that's where it really scores.
Productivity
With a class leading fuel economy result round our Kent route-and in a vehicle that's only covered 1,200 mileswe can't wait to see how much better it gets as our Hilux loosens up.We've tested this model before (CM 15 August 2002), but we've managed to squeeze even more miles to the gallon out of the common-rail engine this time round, achieving 36.3mpg —more than 3mpg better than our previous result.
That didn't comes as too much of a surprise because Toyota has developed one of the most advanced common-rail engines on the market. A 25-litre turbo-diesel engine is pretty ubiquitous in this sector, but this one out-performs the competition by a inile.A laden Nissan Navarra Outlaw 4x4,for example, achieved 31.8mpg (CM 31July) ,while the Mitsubishi L200 managed only 27,9mpg, and the Ford Ranger Super Cab recorded a thirsty 263mpg (CM13 March).
At 1,045kg and 2.17m the Hilux's payload and load volume compare favourably with its rivals, As with these competitors. if you need more loadspace and less passenger space you can have a single cab, or the compromise "two plus two" cab.
On the road
The Hilux drives better when it's loaded,as you'd expect from a pickup. And, also to be expected from a big four-wheel-drive vehicle, it feels a bit twitchy when running empty, with steering on the light side. Conversely, load it up and you're into territory where the Hilux is much happier with a much smoother ride.
Whether it's carrying a load or not, we did find it a tad sluggish at lower revs. When we were pulling out ofj unctions, for instance, we found it was best to leave plenty of time to get out and get going—not for us, the smell of burning rubber.
Once we were up and running the Hilux was happiest when it was running at more than 1,800pm, when the engine really began to show what it could do; aside from our concerns about pulling away quickly the Hilux has a good turn of speed.
There's a fair degree of wind noise in the cab, and a somewhat irritating tapping noise emanates from the engine at one particular point when you put your foot down. Gear changing, though, is smooth and easy, and the Hilux managed to zip along the motorway at 70mpg at 2,000rpm. This is a willing work horse; ask for a bit more speed or a bit more power and you'll get it on all but the longest of hill climbs.
Talking of long climbs, we completed the long drag up the M20 in 2min 39sec (just about average for this class) and maintained 70mph in fifth gear by keeping the pedal to the metal. Our other test-route hill climb. on the A20, was rather stymied by a sedate Rover in front of us, but the Hilux performed well, and the brakes were more than capable of stopping us on the way down the other side. This range-toppingToyota comes with ABS as standard —still fairly rare in the sector, but welcome, given the inevitable compromises of on-off road suspension and tyres.
We came back from our two-hour test route feeling fresh: the Hilux is a comfortable vehicle to drive, requiring little effort when fully loaded.The seats provide plenty of support. although the headrests on the driver's and passenger's seat are mounted a bit too far back to provide whiplash support in the event of an accident.
And while the dash is well laid out, the digital readout on the Sony CD/radio produces a constant and distracting stream of wibble when it's switched off. Switching it on seems to require a degree in engineering (or at least a close look at the instruction book) and some very nimble fingers if you want to change radio stations, We also found the dash-mounted handbrake a little old fashioned; it demands some assertive action to ensure it's off (and properly on!). In the eight months that we've had it, our long-term test Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 311 CDI has clocked up more than 19,000 miles across mainland Britain.
When we put it through our rigorous test procedure we were impressed by its stylish new look, subtle interior and fuel consumption.With next to nothing on the dial we were surprised to see that 31.3mpg eclipsed its nearest competitors.
That fuel figure has since risen to 33.2mpg: around the near 90 miles of our Kent test route that equates to a saving of 0.751it of diesel. Not much, but taken over the 19,000 miles that we've covered, it comes to a saving of 159 litres, which is more than £120.
The driveline has improved in line with fuel consumption; it's already feeling nicely run in which is a credit to Merc's engineering.
Mercedes replaced the original in-house CD player with a Sony but apart from that we finished with the same van we started with. Our only reservation continues to concern the three seats. Mercedes suffers like the rest here, as an otherwise roomy cab offers minimal legroom for the unfortunate middle passenger. Laden, mpg Our advice is to leave April results the middle seat unoc31.3 cupied if at all possible.
We would also appreciate an elec tric nearside mirror, if only to save the driver time and hassle making sure it's always properly adjusted — although it never will be right for all situations as it isn't really big enough. Electric control makes it a much more versatile tool, especially when reversing into yards and delivery bays. The shelf over the windscreen is one of the best things van manufacturers have created. It frees up plenty of space in the cab for the driver by keeping his maps and jacket up and out of the way.
Other neat touches include delivery security: you can lock the cab while you unload from the rear.The driver can also control security with a switch in the cab — a small red light confirms that the rear and side doors are locked. •