We’d rather this than a HSV ‘look-at-me’ pack, no?
When the Ford Ranger Raptor made its local debut, there were questions tossed around to Toyota, specifically if they were going to respond in kind and come out with some kind of TRD-badged Hilux. They instead refreshed the Hilux lineup and introduced new variants that sort of addressed the threat, but halfheartedly at best.
It seems that at the Tokyo Auto Salon however, Toyota’s showing something that we think would be a more earnest response to Ford’s ‘super ute.’ The Toyota Hilux Black Rally Edition will be making its debut at the January show and from these early release photos, it looks pretty tempting.
Toyota was light on the specifics but it’s clear that the Hilux Black Rally sports a plethora of TRD-badged enhancement parts, like skid plates, a bed bar, and even a dual-exhaust system. There are also red highlights on the fascia around the fog lights, black wheel arch flares, and mesh grilles.
There are also heavy-duty side-steps, black alloys, decals, and black doorhandles.
In addition to the Black Rally, Toyota also showed off a bunch of other Hilux variants that’d been tricked out, though it’s unspecified if these cars will be joining the Black Rally at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Some of them sport things like red TRD-branded bash plates, different grilles, and unique alloys.
What’s pretty clear is that these cars, if they do indeed all make it to 2019 TAS, show off exactly what Toyota’s got in mind insofar as TRD’s involvement in the Hilux goes. We’d like to think that the Hilux is perfectly ready & prepared for TRD treatment, but perhaps Toyota’s waiting for the right time to unleash a proper ‘retaliatory’ model.
Perhaps. We can wish.
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