Hilux. The Benchmark. Rebuilt
OUR NEW TOYOTA HILUX
Our friends at Pukekohe Toyota and Toyota NZ have kindly provided us with a Hilux which is perfect for our activities in the outdoors; towing a boat, heading into the hills or along a beach. We can get all our gear plus two deer and three wild pigs in the back. Today’s Hilux models are a combination of the rugged 4WD which has such a strong history in this country, combined with sedan-style comfort, acceleration and power on the motorway and fuel economy which just seems to get better and better.
Driving the new Hilux is like driving a luxury car. The 6-speed transmission is so smooth and the all-new engine so quiet that it purrs and hums, and the extra torque when you want to take off is impressive. Just a touch on the pedal, and it leaps away. With smarter fuel efficiency the fuel gauge hardly moves, and I am looking forward to putting it through its paces in the hills. They tell me the chassis is much stronger, and the 4WD control is all push button.
Our mates at Toyota Accessories went overboard with the bling – check out the bull bar! This all new Hilux is one smart looking fearsome beast of a truck!
People ask : What is your most memorable road trip?
When you head out into the outdoors every trip is great. But I remember one where we were with a group of the Crusaders (a lot of the footy boys love their hunting and fishing) hunting in the hills out of Kaikoura. I had three of the boys in the back and they weren’t heroes, just young guys starting out on their careers and I heard one of the boys say: ’You know you’ve really made it when you get on Outdoors with Geoff.’ I was really chuffed.