The Toyota Tacoma has served as the North American equivalent of Toyota’s international Hilux pickup truck since the early 1990s. There’s a good chance that if you’ve ever visited Central and South America, Africa, or Thailand, you’ve seen one of the Toyota Hilux pickup trucks from any of its eight incarnations navigating the terrain. But will the Toyota Hilux actually arrive in the United States?
Technically, if it does, it won’t be a Toyota Hilux pickup truck. In fact, it would suggest that the Toyota Tacoma might have a diesel engine in the future. While the Toyota Hilux may never be sold in the United States, a diesel Toyota Tacoma may be in the future, according to a recent Gear Junkie post on a new patent and a Toyota film about diesel engines.
In This Article...
Are Toyota Hilux vehicles sold in the US?
Even though the Hilux is no longer sold in the US, its replacement is just as effective. Since 1995, the Toyota Tacoma has successfully replaced the Hilux. And while the Tacoma shares many visual characteristics with the Hilux, it also differs in a few key aspects that make it more appealing to American consumers.
The platforms of the Hilux and Tacoma are quite comparable, although the Tacoma is a little bit broader than the Hilux, making it better suited for the wide roads in America. The Tacoma’s design language has a more aggressive tone, which helps it blend in with other widely used pickup trucks in America.
Hilux has a number of engine options, many of which are diesel options, which is another distinction. Americans don’t seem to buy many light pickup trucks with diesel engines.
Toyota Hilux: Is it the same as Tacoma?
The Tacoma and Hilux are significantly distinct trucks, despite the fact that they may appear to be very similar to a casual observer. The latest generation of each has, however, been available for roughly the same amount of time.
The third generation of the Texas-made Tacoma and the eighth generation of the Hilux, built at factories all over the world, including Thailand, a significant market for the truck, respectively, went on sale in 2015.
Why am I unable to purchase a Toyota Hilux in the US?
The so-called “Chicken Tax” is to blame for the lack of Toyota Hiluxes in the United States. This tax refers to a 25% tariff that the U.S. government levies on imported goods like brandy, potato starch, and dextrin as well as light trucks like the Hilux. If the Toyota Hilux were produced in the United States, it could be sold for a reasonable price and not be subject to the Chicken Tax.
Toyota must produce a truck in the United States in order to avoid paying this tax. The Tacoma is essentially Toyota’s answer to the Chicken Tax.
Therefore, Chicken Tax prevents the Hilux from competing in the American pickup truck market since this tariff drives up the price of the vehicle. On the other hand, you are free to import a Toyota Hilux from someplace else in the world. There are no legal restrictions on purchasing a Toyota Hilux in the United States.
Are the Toyota Tundra and the Hilux the same thing?
Toyota Tundra and Hilux vary in that Tundra is larger than Hilux and, as a result, has a far greater capacity for towing than Toyota Hilux. But for most people, the Toyota Hilux can be a cost-effective choice.
Do Toyota truck sales exist in the US?
It’s strange that the Toyota USA website has an article regarding diesel engines because, well, Toyota doesn’t currently sell any diesel-powered vehicles in the United States.
What does SR5 refer to?
Sport Rally 5 speed is referred to as SR5. Sport, RE (EFI) engine family, and 5 refers to the five-speed transmission in the acronym SR5. The aforementioned response is not entirely accurate, but it is mostly accurate. The term “SR5” typically refers to a specific Toyota trim level with a more aggressive appearance, stronger suspension, and a large range of available options.
What makes the Hilux so trustworthy?
As a result, the HiLux continues to be successful due to a number of factors, including its reputation as a dependable workhorse, Australia’s continued love of four-wheel driving, a vast array of variants, a comprehensive sales and service network, high resale prices, and a large market share.
Why doesn’t Toyota offer diesel motors for sale in America?
It is true that Toyota sold the Hilux in America until 1995, when the Tacoma took its place.
Since there used to be a fair number of them on the highways, the Hilux was frequently referred to North America as just the “Toyota Pickup.”
Why then did Toyota switch to the Tacoma if they had been selling the Hilux up to that point despite the Chicken Tax? Why alter a positive trend?
The United States implemented rules in the 1980s that made it more difficult to import cars into the US market (you can learn more about this in our article on why the Nissan Skyline is illegal in America).
Short version: These legislative amendments added to the difficulties already caused by the feared Chicken Tax, making it more difficult and expensive for Toyota to sell the Hilux in America.
This confluence of elements gave Toyota the inspiration to create a light vehicle that was better suited for the American and Canadian markets.
The Tacoma had a better ride and more comfortable ride than the Hilux, along with better on-road performance and safety features, at the sacrifice of durability and payload capacity.
The Hilux is regarded as the ideal vehicle for off-roading, construction work, and agricultural use in many markets. As a result, Hiluxes were frequently marketed to companies (particularly farmers) who valued toughness, cargo capacity, and off-road performance over creature amenities. The Hilux is still one of the most popular business/commercial vehicles in New Zealand, where we are situated, despite the fact that other trucks (or “utes” as they are called here) offer greater driving dynamics and conveniences.
However, “light trucks (i.e., smaller utility vehicles) are less frequently used as strictly commercial vehicles in the North American market.”
The preference of North American consumers to buy larger trucks for use as agricultural vehicles, “tradesman trucks,” etc.
For the American market, the Hilux had a strange market niche. It was too tiny to serve as a proper commercial or agricultural vehicle, and the majority of domestic purchasers were starting to favor SUVs like the Hilux-based 4Runner.
This is made worse by the fact that the Hilux performs best with diesel engines yet that the American market prefers bigger gasoline engines (at least when it comes to vehicles used for personal transportationwhereas in countries like Australia and New Zealand it is not unusual at all for a family to purchase a diesel car for everyday use).
Our investigation indicates that Toyota does not currently provide any diesel-powered automobiles for sale in the United States due to consumer preferences and requirements for emissions management. The greatest diesel engine options for these trucks, as any Hilux lover will tell you, are another factor working against the Hilux in the American market.
A 4Runner or a Hilux Surf?
The Hilux Surf was introduced by Toyota Motor Corporation in March 1984 and was withdrawn in August 2009. The terms “high and luxury” are combined to form the name Toyota Hilux. A variation of the Hilux Surf offered in North America, Australia, and briefly in the UK is also known as the Toyota 4Runner. The Hilux Surf was produced and distributed exclusively in Japan. There are some significant distinctions between the Surf and the 4Runner. For instance, the Surf has left-hand drive while the 4Runner is right; the Surf offers both diesel and gasoline engines, whilst the 4Runner exclusively offers gasoline engines; the 4Runner is still in production.
Hilux or Ranger: which is superior?
Even if the Toyota Hilux has almost legendary qualities and the Japanese company behind it is reputable, the Ford Ranger still triumphs based solely on specifications. In comparison to its Toyota rival, it provides you with a lot more features and power options at a lower price. The higher grade variations that offer you active and passive car protection include a ton of features. These not only make the vehicle safer, but also easier to drive. Based on what the spec sheet suggests and the Ford Ranger’s more competitive pricing for what the vehicle can provide, the Ford Ranger wins this head-to-head comparison.
Can I purchase a car in Mexico and import it to the United States?
An R34 cannot be registered or operated on public roads in the United States before 2024, according to the NHTSA, and is only permitted for use on tracks. This calls for specific NHTSA approval and the conversion of the vehicle to track-only use prior to importing.
That still leaves one border open, therefore today we’ll talk about how to bring an automobile from Mexico into the country without the use of a professional business. Fortunately, importing an automobile from Mexico is not all that dissimilar from doing it almost everywhere else. The procedures for importing an automobile from Mexico are largely the same as those for shipping one from outside, with the exception of the fact that you can just drive the vehicle across the border.
Let’s take a deeper look at the procedures you must follow in order to legally import and operate a Mexican vehicle in the United States.
Why is the Toyota Hilux so well-known?
In 2010, the Hilux fueled with jet fuel successfully completed an epic 5,900-mile drive to the South Pole without encountering a single mechanical issue. This was done in an effort to surpass the South Pole in addition to the North Pole.
As a result, the HiLux continues to be successful due to a number of factors, including its reputation as a dependable workhorse, Australia’s continued love of four-wheel driving, a vast array of variants, a comprehensive sales and service network, high resale prices, and a large market share.
No rivals in the major Japanese brands have been able to match the overall sales numbers of the Toyota HiLux for decades.
Still, since the 2011 arrival of Ford’s most recent Ranger, there has been activity at the station.
The Ford and Mazda engineers that designed the Ranger in Australia did a fantastic job.
The Ranger might lead in private sales if the fleet and government purchases were eliminated.
As it stands, the four-wheel-drive Rangers edged out the four-wheel-drive HiLuxes for the entire year of 2017 (36,932 to 35,297 sales), with Mitsubishi’s Triton coming in third with 20,513 sales.
With 11,796 two-wheel drive utes delivered as opposed to 5796 for the Ranger, the HiLux struck back.
However, despite the fact that the four-wheel-drive ute category is highly competitive, with competitors from all over the world, it will be decades before Toyota’s legendary HiLux goes out of business.
What is the fuel efficiency of a Toyota Hilux?
Look no farther than the Toyota Hilux for a tough-as-nails pickup truck because it was immortalized in a Top Gear episode when Clarkson tried and failed to kill it. Although the newest model is more plusher, it may not be all that much tougher than that automobile.
The Hilux’s 150PS 2.4-liter diesel engine can tow 3.5 tonnes at its utmost capacity and can yield 40.4mpg in terms of fuel efficiency. It also has a locking rear differential and four-wheel drive as standard equipment, giving it the ability to handle difficult terrain.
For a pickup truck, the interior is pleasant and provides enough space for four adults as well as various smaller storage compartments to keep the cabin organized. While climate control and a reversing camera are included in high-end versions, air conditioning is a common feature.