retracted backrests
- The head restraint for the center seat is manually folded down.
- To fold down that portion of the rear seat, raise the handle on either the left or right backrest.
- Once the backrest lock has been released, it is now possible to manually lower the backrest to its horizontal position.
In This Article...
BabyDrive Verdict
My favorite aspect of the Toyota HiLux was how simple it was and how few alerts and sounds it had. Finally, some tranquility from the past! The HiLux has excellent passive safety features operating in the background, but none of the contemporary alarms or beeps that startle sleeping infants and drive this exhausted mother crazy!!
Toyota abandoned the infant awakened by traffic, engine noise, and jarring suspension on the freeways!
Despite the absence of Apple Car Play, the HiLux has a system that divides the home screen’s navigation and music information equally. It took me a few weeks and several Toyotas to get used to it, but I enjoyed being able to multitask and switch between tasks quickly by selecting the screen’s left or right half as needed.
I could set the sat-nav voice volume to 1 for the majority of the ride and boost it when I reached the point where I needed to hear it clearly.
Only the top-spec version of the HiLux has tie-down points in the tray; other versions do not. The tray of the HiLux will handle any number of shopping bags, prams, strollers, or dogs. However, I found it to be fairly inaccessible with a youngster in tow.
Instead, I discovered that I carried things in the back of the cab’s footwells. Additionally, the flip-down hooks in the backs of the front seats were ideally situated to keep baggage steady.
In fact, the HiLux’s in-cab legroom was worse than that of the much smaller Hyundai i30! There was insufficient room for a rear-facing kid seat to fit behind the front seats due to the scalloped design of the seats, which also made it impossible to wear a ponytail.
The limited space in the cab did allow me to reach back and provide Bub a steady stream of toys and snacks during the trip, though!
The HiLux is required if you want to be able to travel with the globe in the back tray and have a portable playpen. However, the HiLux is actually not necessary if you are a family of three who only wants to transport themselves and a pram around.
Even though there is a central top tether point, it is strange that you can only install child seats in the two outer back seats even though there is an ISO fix for those two seats as well. The top tether straps in the outer seats are fed via a webbing loop, through the headrest pins, and across to the central top tether anchor point. Although Toyota has verified you can only put child seats in the two outer rear seat places, I had originally believed you could accommodate three child seats. This does give a passenger room to sit comfortably between them.
The HiLux was where the Colorado and D-Max were for me. It isn’t as cozy, useful, or enjoyable to drive around town as the Colorado is as a daily driver. In contrast to the Colorado, the HiLux’s doors and windows properly closed.
The D-Max felt more like a vehicle for a family to conduct their weekly shopping than a workhorse! Because they added some hooks and comfort to the cab, the HiLux appears to have been built to do both.
BabyDrive Indepth – Storage
The Toyota HiLux has four cup holders in the front. The central console has two moulded plastic ones that fit a takeout coffee cup but rattle a little. These are located in front of the gear lever. With the exception of the fact that the bottle obstructs the air conditioning settings on the center dash, I found that these ones were the best for carrying a sizable refillable water bottle.
A takeaway coffee cup fits neatly in the additional two cup holders that extend from the dashboard’s ends. I like that they are entirely out of reach of the main console so that curious tiny hands in the back cannot access them and unintentionally touch them and get burned. Speaking of burning, the fact that these cup holders are situated directly beneath the air vents means that they may quickly chill my hot tea to a drinkable temperature!
The door pockets were smaller than I had anticipated for a car this size. They could fit my wallet and iPad, but they were too tiny to fit anything else, and they weren’t lined as the Amarok’s were, so the items rattled when the doors were opened and closed.
The door handles have roomy wells where you could store your keys and other items while getting Tulsi into and out of her car seat.
A sizable slanted ledge behind the two cup holders in the center is perfectly situated to store a phone because the USB port is above it. It has enough room for my phone, glasses, and wallet.
Another sizable well in the plastic may be found on the opposite side of the gear lever. This was practical for the keys, but it could also accommodate a phone.
There are a few storage spaces at the front of the cab of the HiLux. Despite appearing modest for such a large vehicle, the center console box included a padded armrest cover and a three-prong 220V plug outlet similar to those used at home, allowing you to plug in devices that don’t have a USB or 12V car charger.
In the HiLux, there were two glove boxesone above the other in its customary location. The smaller of the two is a fair size and can store my wallet, my iPad, my phone, and three manuals.
The front interior lights are aligned with a single glasses case that is suspended from the ceiling.
In the front of the HiLux, there is no secret storage beneath the seats. Two tiny compartments, one carrying the breakdown equipment, are located behind the back seats.
Back seat passengers have map pockets that are only 1/3 the size of an iPad, thus they cannot possibly be used to conceal the device. A fold-out plastic hook that can support a 4 kilogram load is located above them. These hooks came in incredibly handy since I discovered that I carried bags, groceries, and other items in the footwells in the back rather than on the tray, and by attaching them to the hooks, they wouldn’t slide around.
Two grocery bags could fit in each footwell, so you could fit four across the back floor.
The back door pockets are identical to the front ones and can accommodate an iPad, a wallet, and a large reusable water bottle.
The middle back seat has a fold-down armrest with two cup holders. The molded plastic forms would take a huge coffee cup or a very large water bottle but are too big to hold a baby bottle or sippy cup since they rattle about in it.
The HiLux’s tray can accommodate 29 shopping bags. There are five bags across the back of the cab, five deep, and two extra bags can fit in front of each of the tire arches.
The tray has enough storage to accommodate any size dog, stroller, pram, and a week’s worth of groceries for the family. I had more trouble accessing it than anything else. For someone my height, getting to the tray is difficult (162cm). The surface of the tailgate undulates, and when you climb up so it really hurts your knees! I discovered I had to bounce up into the tray to utilize anything deeper than the first one or two shopping bags!
It was simpler to post items into the tray than it was to draw items out by reaching over the depth of the tailgate. Everything I placed there required me to climb into the tray because I could not in any way reach over the sides.
When I went grocery shopping, I discovered that it wasn’t very handy to leave Tulsi in the cart while I put my groceries into the tray of the HiLux. Instead, I had to buckle Tulsi into her car seat while I placed everything into the tray in case the cart moved while I was up there. For a little girl who gets bored in the car easily even at the best of circumstances, spending an extended period of time in the seat while the car is still going is absolutely not a smart idea! To solve this issue, I discovered that I carried my purchases more inside the cab.
An huge rubber pad that lines the tray’s bottom serves as a great surface for retaining stuff and prevents it from moving around. It shields the tray’s floor and is simple to clean with a hose.
On the tray, diaper changes in an emergency might be a little challenging. The tailgate’s uneven surface injured my knees when I climbed into the tray, so a baby would not feel comfortable lying on it for a last-minute diaper change. The back seats are preferable because they are leather and easy to keep clean. They could also easily roll out.
BabyDrive Indepth – Noise
After becoming a father, I quickly realized that there are some noises and sounds I could live without if it meant that my child would stay asleep.
That frequently my crying, upset infant is a bigger distraction when driving than, say, not having a lane departure warning.
Which is the safest option if my kid is distressed by the lane departure warning beeping?
It’s at this point that I believe we need to be able to strike a balance and decide when we may turn off the alerts or switch to something else, like a vibration in the steering wheel or possibly a flashing light?
Many of these noises are a result of the development of technology, particularly those associated with alerts and safety measures. These all have their place in my opinion.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that I spend a lot more time in locations where young children congregate, such as parks, beaches, play areas, swimming lessons, childcare facilities, etc. I’m more conscious now that I need to triple check for little children when I’m reversing or maneuvering in the parking lots since they may be running about behind me or in my blind area. I adore reverse cameras for this, but I detest their beeping noises!
I enjoy the peace of mind I get from the cameras and sensors paired with my personal view from windows and mirrors because I don’t trust cameras alone. Since having a child, I have been much more alert of safety and potential mishaps or hazards.
The level of the sat-nav voice could be adjusted from 1 to 7, but it could not be silenced. Since 1 was practically silent, I used that level for the majority of my trip, turning it up to 4 when I reached the point where I required direction.
The sat-nav is on the right side of the media home screen, while the audio information is on the left. It bothered me in the previous Toyotas I drove, but after driving the HiLux, I was able to appreciate its beauty. Perhaps it just takes five weeks to get used to this. I was able to move between the two systems while I was driving thanks to the split home screen, which also provided both pieces of information at a glance. For example, if I wanted to change songs, I simply pressed on the left side of the screen, and audio went to full screen.
I was familiar with the route for the majority of the trip, so I didn’t require a full screen of sat-nav; the basic visual was sufficient. By the end of my time with the HiLux, I truly loved this system, even though it took me four Toyotas to get used to it.
Although the HiLux lacks Apple CarPlay, its system is still quite simple to operate. The first time I plugged it in, the children’s songs I had playing on my phone didn’t work. It took some time for everything to come together because I had to first choose Audio and then choose my phone. After the first time, it became straightforward and, if audio was chosen, music would start playing as soon as I plugged in my phone.
There is no baby waking up in a Toyota since the media system lacks a welcome tune. However, the volume settings from the prior trip are remembered, so when I next got into the HiLux with Tulsi, the radio was shouting at me because I had been listening to it loudly while traveling alone!
A baby who is sleeping may be disturbed by the loud gears and minor thud of the HiLux windows. To prevent the back passengers from fiddling with the windows and doors, you can lock them all from the driver’s door, but neither lock on their own. The doors open and close quite quietly, however closing them causes a bit of a thud that rattles anything in the door pocket.
Unexpectedly for a car this large, the doors close rather effortlessly with a gentle close. You can enter and exit while the infant is sleeping without fearing that the doors will be too noisy. The windows work similarly; their mechanism isn’t too loud, and I didn’t hear them make a loud noise when opening or closing.
You want to be able to enter and exit when the baby is sleeping without having to worry that the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!
The HiLux engine vibrates and makes a lot of noise while it is idle. It sounds and feels very much like a vehicle. When the engine is accelerating up slopes, it is quite noisy. Tulsi was severely bothered by the road noise and accelerating engine noise on highways, which caused her to awaken from her slumber. At slower speeds, I discovered that the road noise was much less annoying in the town.
The dashboard has a small screen that illuminates the position of the backseat passengers’ seatbelts and sounds an alarm if they unbuckle them.
Without setting off an alarm, the driver can unbuckle and open the door; but, if the driver attempts to maneuver the vehicle while unbuckled, the alert will go off. There is an alert that plays if you choose anything other than park, but since that was the only alarm we found, we can overlook it.
Since becoming a mother, I have spent a LOT of time parking my car somewhere with a great view and leaving my daughter in the backseat to sleep. I must keep the air conditioner and engine going in hot weather, but I do like getting out to have my cup of tea in the fresh air while appreciating the fact that my limbs are no longer attached to such dangling child. This test is crucial because I’ve discovered that sometimes when I’ve took off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine was still running, a car’s BEEPING alarms have held me captive! (I don’t have a nasty mother, I just stand outside the car!)
BabyDrive Indepth – Car Seats
I operated the five-seat, dual cab HiLux, which has four doors. I had originally believed that three child seats could be placed across the back row, but Toyota has subsequently verified that only the two outside rear seats may accommodate kid seats. I equipped both outside seats with rear-facing Infasecure Kompressor 4 child seats and rear-facing Mountain Buggy Protect newborn capsules. Between them, there is space for a passenger to sit.
The back seats’ extremely flat seat bases and the lack of fussy shape and stitching, in my opinion, make it easier to install child safety seats.
Both of the ISO Fix points are located in the back’s two outside seats. The HiLux has a single metal top tether point that is situated right behind the headrest of the center seat on the vehicle’s frame.
To this upper tether point, both child seats are secured. To connect to the single top tether point, you thread the top tether strap through the woven loop strap in the headrests of the two outer seats, between the prongs of the headrest, and along the backs of the seats.
There is no proof that a single top tether point can support the weight of both child seats when they are mounted on it. Or imagine what would happen in the event of an accident to a child seat that was attached from the side like that.
It is not tested to see how a kid seat would move in the case of an accident when tethered at the side like this. It would be illegal to use a single top tether anchor point in an automobile. My first worry would be that the headrest’s prongs would be under a lot of strain.
Utility vehicles are now exempt from the same legislation as cars because they are thought to be used for work purposes and are not subject to the same testing requirements. If they were the most popular vehicle sold in Australia in 2016 and 2017, it seems to reason that they would be utilized for family transportation, require the same safety testing, and be subject to the same legislation.
I figured that at 162 cm, I wouldn’t be able to reach up into the HiLux to put Tulsi in her car seat, but it was fine from the outside and inside, and I found it convenient to be able to reach in at standing height rather than stooping to put Tulsi in.
Due to the harsh weather in Australia (scorching sun and pouring rain), you might find it occasionally simpler to buckle Baby into their seat from inside the vehicle. If it’s hot outside, you can turn on the air conditioning to chill the car while you secure the kids in, or you can find cover from the rain to avoid getting wet while you do it if it’s raining. Therefore, it’s crucial to test whether installing Bub is simple from any direction.
The HiLux lacks headroom, which did make it feel a little cramped, but with only one kid seat installed you have room to feed Bub in the back. Given the limited space in the front when rear-facing child seats are installed, feeding would be more difficult in the front.
The leather seats in the HiLux model I drove were easy to clean, and there was little stitching that could trap crumbs or other debris.
BabyDrive Indepth – Drive & Comfort
Although the headrests prevent a ponytail, the HiLux’s front seats are cozy and simple to adjust with the electric controls at the side of the seat.
No new mother has ever stated, “I spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too!”
I found the backrests in the rear row to be comfy despite how straight and upright they are.
Legroom is clearly a sacrifice in the HiLux. I could fit comfortably in either of the front seats at 162 cm with a rear-facing child seat installed behind me. For my husband, who is 184 cm and had a rear-facing child seat behind him, there wasn’t enough room in the front, so he had to ride in the back instead. In that regard, it is not particularly well thought out. Legroom in the cab has obviously been sacrificed in favor of the tray in such a large car!
Although I also thought the back seats were pleasant, my primary issue as a passenger was the visibility.
The HiLux’s major rivals, the Isuzu D-Max and Holden Colorado, lacked a steering wheel that could be fully adjusted inward and outward as well as up and down. The bottom of the steering wheel is made of a matte-silver plastic plate with an extremely sharp inside edge that looks and feels really cheap. Although it’s a little detail, I caught it after only a week of driving the car, so I know it would irritate me a lot over time!
The accuracy of the cruise control was good, and it was quite easy to use. You must only use the speedo in the HiLux because there is no digital speed display at all, which feels very antiquated.
Since there are no vents for passengers in the back seats, it was a good thing that the HiLux’s two tiny central air conditioning vents in the front did a nice job of cooling the back of the cab. For front passengers, I used the two larger vents on either end of the dashboard.
The air conditioning’s temperature, though, looked a touch off. It worked best for me to set the thermostat a few degrees lower than I typically would to chill the cab and a few degrees higher than I normally would to warm the cab. The controls were straightforward, accessible, and easy to use. The air conditioning wasn’t “huffy” at the higher fan speeds, which is a problem I occasionally had with the air conditioning in other cars.
The windows on the HiLux I was driving were tinted, but I discovered that the sun was very bright through them, so I had to add window coverings to the window next to my daughter. It was especially unpleasant on the back windscreen because it was flat, but I was unable to get a shade to stay there.
The driver has poor visibility out of the back windscreen, especially with the child seats in place. I could see the sky in the rearview mirror but not the road at all! I experienced the same issue with the side windows, which made it quite challenging to switch lanes on the highway. In the HiLux, a blind spot alert would have been much appreciated.
When maneuvering and parking, you must also rely heavily on the reverse camera because you have no visibility from the back below head height. This makes it challenging to rely solely on camera judgment because I prefer to be able to confirm with my own eyes.
Although the HiLux lacks parking sensors and has a rather retro feel, I must admit that I really like the silence. With the camera as my guide, I found parking front-in to be much simpler than parking in reverse due to the very low visibility. Even then, sensors wouldn’t have been helpful because they most likely would have only added to the stress of the situation by waking my child.
Tulsi had an excellent vision out the windows from her rear-facing kid seat when the sun wasn’t in her eyes, but sight for rear passengers facing forward is really poor.
Only the front passenger’s vanity mirror is present, and there is no lighting. Two inside lights in the front can be turned on and off with a button or you can program them to turn on when the doors open. The single glasses holder is where they are placed.
Tulsi dislikes driving in the dark, so if it becomes dark while we’re moving, I reach back and switch on the interior light for her. So it’s crucial for me to be able to access the back ceiling light. Additionally, if I’m driving home and it’s almost time for bed, I DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT HER TO SLEEP IN THE CAR AS EVEN A 5-MINUTE NAP IN THE CAR MEANS OVER WITH MATINEE TIME!!! To avoid the darkness and to attempt to keep her awake, I lean back and turn on the light. Along with shouting and singing hysterically!!! Additionally, having lights above the doors, where the handles are typically located, is helpful. When vision is bad, these are useful for placing babies in their car seats because you can do it without having to reach across them to a centrally located light, etc.
Driving the HiLux in town is far preferable to doing it on the freeway. The suspension on the freeway is noisy, and you can really feel all the bumps and joints in the road, which several times woke up my infant daughter.
Parking has low visibility, especially while parking in reverse because you must rely heavily on the camera. which fortunately is included as a default in all models.
To assist you in boarding the HiLux, handles are located above each door as well as on the door pillars.
In the back of the front seats, there are hooks for hanging bags, and there are two hooks above the headrests in the back, where you may place a few baby toys for rear-facing infants to play with.
Under the air conditioning controls on the central dashboard are two 12V plugs, and in the central console box is a 220V three-prong plug socket. Neither the tray nor the back of the cab have any sockets.
The HiLux’s interior is straightforward and attractive overall. Most of the surfaces are made of silver and black plastic, all of which are wipeable.
Fantastic rubber floor mats could be found throughout the HiLux! It’s a wonderful touch that the two in the front were kept in place using a plastic lock system to prevent them from shifting under your feet.
There are two large mats in the tray’s floor and one long mat that extends the entire width of the back of the cab. All of these are fantastic since they can be cleaned up quickly.
The HiLux has keyless access to the cab, which is always convenient when you have your arms full of kids and their belongings! However, I discovered that opening the tailgate required two hands, which was absolutely impractical when carrying a baby and several luggage.