2023 Toyota HiLux SR5 (inc. 0-100) on/off-road review: Is this ute still king? 

Quick update on hill descent control. A reader emailed in and explained that according to the manual, hill descent control doesn't work in low range with the rear differential locked, which is why it didn't do anything when we tested it.

Yes I am a multi Hilux owner and I will buy another one. The reason is reliability and the great nation wide Toyota support available, if something does go wrong. While my friends who buy the other fancy brands, keep breaking down with very expensive repairs, my Hilux utes have never broken down. That allows me to travel into remote Australia with confidence. I won't even consider buying anything else. What I have, works beautifully and that is why Toyota are the best selling vehicles in Australia.

Do a test with utes that have at least 300,000 kms. For many of us this is way more important than backup cameras and infotainment systems.

Worked for a construction company here in Uganda that once updated their fleet of mainly hiluxes with rangers. The rangers were more spacious, comfortable and rode better. Problem was they were always in the shop for one thing or the other, mostly electrical. The damn car once left us stranded in the middle of nowhere in northern Uganda. Even spent the night in it. We were rescued the following morning. After the warranty got done, they were all sold off. The company went back to toyotas.

I actually bought a 2018 hilux SR precisely because it lags behind in tech, but you still get the modern drive train. The reason being, it doesn't come with all the invasive safety features and complicated to fix tech that its competitors do. Just an alternative perspective on why the hilux might still be doing well vs far more modern and sophisticated utes. Sometimes modernisation is unwanted.

That reverse test always gets me!!! Thanks for the awesome content all around Paul and your crew!!!

Yesterdays technology at tomorrows price

I’ve got the 2021 SR5+. Best car I’ve had. It’s not meant to be empty. Load it up and it’s rides perfect. Drive it off-road and it’s insane how capable it is. The traction control is epic, I actually prefer it to the rear diff lock. Just needed a bit more throttle in that first instance. I actually can’t stand all the tech coming out the the new cars, it’s making dumb drivers out of all of us. What you get with a hilux is tough simplicity that just keeps going. From one of those annoying ‘Toyota through and through’ people 😂 🍺

Paul, always great reviews. The best to view in my opinion. Thanks

Stop using rear drum brakes on a $60k+ vehicle please Toyota, it's 2022 ffs

“Australia’s top selling car”, this says all about its target market 😂

In Nov 23 I got my new Hilux Invincible which is coming near 6000 km now. My friends find this funy but they know that with my 63 years I am old school and that I go with no compromise. I am driving Toyota now for 35 years and always will 😢 I had a HDJ100 Landcruiser years ago but I love the Hilux more because it is so old school. Well done Toyota, well done 😊

As a people live in southeast asia, even the hilux is outdated compared to another pick up. it's actually better when it comes to reliability and how easy it is to have find replacement parts with affordable price. any mechanic can repair them and don't have to deal with those safety technology that will become an heache once it's old. yes, you don't get comfortability like ford ranger but in exchange you get a pickup that is simple, dependable and reliable.

I bought the bare bones SR as an interim truck until my new car arrived and absolutely loved it. It was rough as guts and handled like a boat load of drunken clowns but it was beautifully built, felt it would last a thousand years and had no carpets which meant I could take it to the beach and hose it out when I got home. And because I bought a manual it meant I could leave the keys in it whenever I took it to the shops because no idiot could drive it. Loved it. Miss it.

Great review of a vehicle that has an engine and some tyres 🤣 My favourite part about the current Hilux is how close it is to an update and I’m hoping that it’s rebuttal to Ford is worthy. It’s about time we had a couple of manufacturers trading blows again.

I'm not a Hilux buyer through and through but love my 2016 Hilux. The drum brakes actually offer good stopping power, excellent fuel economy, and the ride unladen is perfectly acceptable (even in comparison to my wife's Santa Fe which I drive frequently).

Like nearly every other 4wd test out there the Hilux traction control is demonstrated better than rear diff lock only in most situations. I have a 2021 lux and trac control and with good AT tyres and Dobinsons MRR suspension make this vehicle scary capable. In south Africa a 165kw 550nm retuned factory version is out there, I have a similar retune and wow it's transformed.

Enjoyed the honest straightforward review I’m a long time Land Rover person who is about to order a Hilux on Monday. I accept its now rather dated and long in the tooth compared to the competitors. BUT here in the UK the Hilux comes with 10 year (yes TEN years) Manufacturers Warranty, provided I have it main agent serviced every year. With all the “tech” and electronics that’s being loaded into vehicles now, that gives me HUGE peace of mind.

Lane keeping assist is for people who want to change through their 13 ‘driving modes’ while on the move. Just drive the thing 🍻

I bought the 22 model and pretty happy with it. It’s just sits in the garage and used as a touring vehicle,there is some old features in the Ute that’s visible for sure.can be certain when Toyota does update this model it will come with a higher price tag.other than that reliability and holding its value is why I started using Hilux.. I don’t really care for all the mod cons. If I wanted all that rubbish I would of bought a SUV.

@Paul, 26:40 the hill descent control works by braking individual wheels. You cannot activate it with the rear diff locked

Not surprised the tyre lifted on that bouncy road. Poor body control over the sine waves on the road is part of the reason why I sold my 2017 Hilux. Hit some wavey motorway in Central Otago NZ with 400kgs in the back doing 110 km/h and nearly biffed it; after the third bounce I hit the bump stops and the front almost bounced us off the road, couldn't believe it. Being a Yank I always wanted a Hilux (small engine diesels are like a legend in the Rockies), but being a 6'4" Yank the thing almost tripled me, the seating position is death on the knees for tall guys. Never meet your heroes. I think the North American truck philosophy is starting to catch on in Oz, i.e. get a comfortable ute right off the lot rather than buying a 79 series and dumping another $100k to upgrade the GVM, add OME suspension, Recaros, a custom centre console, and still end up with something twice as expensive and half as well equipped as a stock North American truck. Of course Toyota's are bloody reliable, everyone knows it, but it's not 2004 anymore and most of the big players have caught on and are making reliable kit. Also, the same company that makes Lexus can make a comfortable ute (in fact, they do! --> Tundra and Tacoma), they just can't be bothered giving the rest of the world something decent cause everyone keeps buying. Toyota Tacoma with a Hilux diesel? The world would stop spinning. Maybe in 2024... I see the F150 is coming to Australia in factory RHD, only a matter of time before the 2500s and F250s make an appearance and maybe the Japanese truck spell can finally be lifted. 🤠

Hilux Fan In SA. I Am a vehicle Valuator at a pre-owned dealership. Just on the Reliable other UTE in this segment. Not sure on the OZ stats but when looking at the Ford Rangers, they traditionally have had either an engine and or gearbox and or Turbo replaced before 100 000kms. Sometimes milking the max out of a UTE without leaving some buffer in the engine, leaves to much in the driver's hands, with little margin for protection. Also by us the service intervals are shorter on Hilux vs most other brands again just bringing the oversight element back into the Brands control and protection of the brand by doing so to a more considerable degree I believe. Tech is also never compensation for basic knowledgeable skill sets in my humble view.

Just bought A new 2023 hilux. All I can say is I love it. It’s rugged and raw

Paul, I use my ute for work during the week at the farm and use it to go to the city on weekends it’s been eighteen years form my first hilux and have changed it six times.The hilux have been not only reliable but every three years they do some restyle that it just matches the km that I change it. So every three years I can buy a hilux that have some improvement over the outgoing one. It’s marketing that just WORKS. Not ranger, amarok or other Ute have such a sustainable marketing strategy.

Great review Paul. Love your work 👍

Super review

The hilux has reliability and off-road capability’s that no other ute can touch. As a farmer or miner etc it’s either this or the land cruiser

You need to do a comparison/test drive of the Hiace and other work Vans. Please.

Paul Maric 2 things people don't forget. 1. Your New Ranger's diff shitted itself. That doesn't happen in a hilux. 2. The Ranger always fails in off road tests. The Australian outback is harsh. We can't afford our ute to fail at Dingo Piss Creek. We don't want Bradley Murdoch to stop to help us when we are broken down at 2am in the outback.

The bakkie is still the same, except the updated lights. Infortainment system, dashboard, brakes are still outdated. But, we still like it as it is. Lol

Thanks for the honest report Paul - I chose my Hilux for it’s simplicity, reliability, good service culture and running costs - a Ford will never be any of these and I know this can be backed up by fact not just opinion - there have already been reports of the new Ford Ranger digital instruments screens failing and transmission lockup at highway speed - so it’s a no-brainer - hopefully you will avoid these with your new Ranger.

Fantastic review, thank you. Yet again a new year and the same old Hilux. Looks like i'll be sticking with my 23year old Hilux for another year. Agree 100% its yesterdays tech and i'd suggest a full generation behind its competitors. As a Hilux thru and thru I hate to say it but the blue badge competitor is leading the pack. Id like to see the sales breakdown between private, business & mining; i'd suggest that the sales figures are being supported by the mining sector that likes Toyotas, without which the Ranger sales would be outstripping Hilux. Thanks Again

Hi Paul, can you also test the AEB just like you test other features.

It's easy to understand why. There built to work. Give me a Toyota any day . Looking in from Ireland 🇮🇪

Enjoy your reviews, can you please test the SR 4x4 Hilux, can't seem to find any credible evaluation anywhere.

Hi love your reviews on the utes there's one just introduced to our market never seen you mention it or if it's worth mentioning it's GM model would would like to know what you think

In nz if you compare the sr5 cruiser to the ranger sport 3L it’s a $9k difference once you add the towbar and tray liner to the hilux, is the ranger worth it?

They’re showing their age compared to the next gen Ranger aren’t they

I have come from the older model hilux the n70 sr5, and I find surprisingly better than I have imagined. I am a mechanic and I test drove all the Ute's in detail. And the Ford was up there on the top of my list. But after looking at the engine and noticing it was a landrover engine that put me off knowing what goes wrong with them over the passed years. And with the hilux it's simple to fix when in the middle of the bush. Yes I understand that this is my opinion and everyone is different. But I use mine for work everyday sometime 200k a day in it. So I needed something that I know will be reliable. But awesome review. The other item that you didn't mention is the 'SOS' button next to the sunglass holder. I don't know to much about what happens when you press it. Maybe possibly you could do a short video on how that works.? Loving your videos though. 🤙

I own a 2020 SR5 amd quite happy.offroad its a beast.But all i can see has changed is the Apple Amdroid car play .The 360 camera is useless.suspension is very hard compared to a Prado .Rear Disc brakes would be great.I run Nitto Grappler tyres.the standard tyres still do well offroad due to tbe Luxes capability.

14:30 I had a Toyota Hilux 3.0 in Pakistan. We had 80kg of weight welded in the back to get a stable ride

No matter what people say. Hilux can bring a seat and an engine only but will still last longer than any other car of this class. In this world there are 2 types of cars: Hilux and the rest.

And to think this is a fairly high end vehicle in my country, also my dream car/truck

Hi Paul, is that possible to have 100-0 stopping distance test in car reviews?

Pretty old and dated now Paul, even the Chinese utes have more up to date tech. Toyota relying on their reliability to sell them obviously, I think others offer better value for money. Nice review 👍

I'll take dated but reliable over new but failure-prone.

Really interesting Paul, I had my hilux delivered in June this year in NZ. There is something weird to describe, the more you drive it the more you like it. It doesnt have some of the features other utes have/or the looks - namely the new ranger, but you somehow just can feel the toyota reliability and confidence.

Hey Paul, Can you please do a review on the 2023 face lifted Hyundai Palisade. Thanks

More Ranger Raptor content please. You are the only channel which owns one now :)

Do a review of the Hilux GR spot also.

The way I watched the video and the numerous of floors it does has we must admit the Canon is not bad

Great 👍

When reliability/parts availability is a life or death issue you can't choose anything other than Toyota.

One thing it does have over competitors is resale value

Almost same age with the Triton. Great truck, but I'd rather have the latter. Seeing how the Hilux performed off-road, Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD just seemed way better.

We need new toyota hilux. We not using them as working trucks but family car. With that price tag they need to come up with someth8ng special. But anyway I still love it

Hi Paul Thanks for the review. But for me , If I stuck in country side , I prefer the engine is keep running then the fancy Music system or fancy screen.

I wouldn’t buy anything but a hilux We have them at work and they get absolutely flogged and never have the engine turned off for an autonomous mining environment most of them have 300 thousand kilometres on them and god knows how many idling hours from never being turned off and somehow they just s Keep doing what they are mean to do!! We have had all the other manufacturers equivalents on site and nothing else can do the same

Given how bad it was over the sine waves…is there an aftermarket solution to improve it?

They are going back to the 1KD FTV? I thought we are in the 1GD FTV is the current powertrain

My family only buy Toyota cars, I bought my 2016 SR ute with tray back and all accessories for my trade as Carperter 53k and now I’m due for new one. Got quotes for the exact same set up and it’s now 65k for SR Hilux. That is crazy for work ute. They pricing kluhgers for 67k I’ll get one with tow ball and just put all my tools on trailer.

I bought my 2022 Tacoma TRD 4x4 off-road because it was old skool, regular screen, big knobs, V-6 motor & 6-speed manual transmission... that's all i needed & wanted! Just wish it was a Hilux, thx USA 😂

Does the Hiluk come with a 6ft bed with crew cab?

Hi mate. You cover all weak spots which other car experts don't do in their reviews, e.g displaying USD and AUD prices.. everyone in Adelaide likes your work.. cheers.

Great review. I've been waiting for 2 years now for a ute to come to Aus that offers something other than an ICE. Realising that EVs suffer range under load so more in the hybrid mode such as the power plant used in the Toyota Camry hybrid, the 2.5l + electric motor for better fuel efficiency. I dont know why Toyota don't consider that option for a certain segment of the market that a vehicle like that would be suited. I know that a lot of companies are waiting for full EV utes for mining sites to shuttle people around and carry smaller loads shorter distances.

I learned to drive using a work Toyota Hilux bakkie 🤣, asked me if I knew to drive I said yes lol sent me out to the mines with it as an apprentice.

We get it Paul, you love the Rangers, always have and always will. It gets a bit repetitive. I'm not defending the Hilux by any means, I always thought they were a little over priced for what they offer. You're just paying for that Toyota badge at the end of the day. But you could change things up a bit and say for example: "You can't drive this in 4wd high range on sealed surfaces like you can in the MITSUBISHI TRITON, which has been an option since 2009 thanks to their superselect transmission"

Does anyone know where I can get the logo from the tailgate ? Mine came without it.

Hilux lives forever it never dies engine is solid unlike the Ford ranger

What’s the puddle lamp update?

I can not believe how many times I hear car reviews where they say it’s old and out dated 99% off you car review people are City Slickers for someone from the Country this is the perfect car..

Yes there are improved technology and all in cars these days which are really useful if you're a dumb driver. But for a good driver, they don't really matter. So if you're good and confident driver and like that old fashioned man & machine bonding, Hilux is a great buy.

Hilux isn't meant to be a luxury car, it's a reliable workhorse

Still an awesome vehicle Cape Town South Africa u go Toyota

Toyota HiLux is out classed by so many less expensive vehicles you would have to drink the Toyota coolaide to buy one.

Can someone explain why is this a D4d when here in South Africa we have The GD6

plz make a review nissan pro 4x warior in black colour

Hey Paul when are you going to review the new mahindra pik-up-special-edition

Reliable and easy parts. simple.

I'm a Navara d40 user I always love my Navara but hilux is very good cab But I prefer comfortable in Navara

FYI last time I drove a Toyota with adaptive cruise it cut out below 60kph. Just plains dangerous. Other vehicles will continue right down to a stop with press button or touch accelerator to resume. It might be worth you guys checking how the adaptive cruise works too in a test as they are not all good and with most people getting stuck in traffic it can be a real game changer to have good adaptive cruise.

plz review the new my23 Rogue. Hilux does everything well, theres a Toyota in every town, on my fifth hilux in 12 years, never even changed a light bulb - unbeatable, 2021 & 2022 sr5's and a new 23 rogue in the garage right now.

The hilux rogue is still rm35k cheaper than a similar spec ranger wildtrak in malaysia. Tech seems ancient but still best value in segment for malaysia. Wish they the rangers were cheaper here in malaysia 😂

Great review Paul. I like the hilux, even though, like you said, it's starting to feel a bit old but it's just a solid car. They just need to work on the suspension, a lot and add some of the modern features you find in other pick ups. Overall, it is pretty underwhelming but it's still a great car in my opinion.

Definitely won’t buy a different car I’ve had 3 currently the 21 model Yes they are out dated But you just can’t stop them Wish they had a heated Steering wheel I guess simple is best sometimes

Hilux buyer through and through because at the end of the day these vehicles are intended to be used for work and to be reliable in rural areas. I don’t understand why anyone would consider one for daily driving, never going off-road and seeking fancy technology - just get an SUV?

Basically exactly the same as my 2021 SR5 🤣👍🏼🇦🇺

There is no match for the reliability and durability of Hilux. If you take care of engine oil change timing and periodic maintenances, Hilux for go Million miles. and this is the case through out the world. I am watching your review from Pakistan because I am about to buy another Hilux soon. brilliant Review.

in the hill to decent you had to wait a little bit the sight stops beating.

I have a late 2020 SR5 and this is still basically the same. Hardly any upgrades from 2020. Buy anything else. Mines a work car so I didn't have a choice.

Where do you go to flim?

How were the seats? I have a 2018 and they are rubbish. Replacing with the 2023 later this year.

So I got my hilux this year on August 2022 .... 2 months later they release the hiluxes with the new features with *blind spot monitor *rear traffic alert *360 panoramic camera 🤔

I just put an order in for a new hilux reason is I get 21% employees discount but love the v6 ranger

So out dated so 2013. Definitely going for either the new gen Ranger Wildtrack or the DMax X terrain next year. Time to update my 2012 Holden Colorado

Sorry Paul, I normally watch your reviews, but I’m not going to waste my time watching a review of one of the top place getters in the mediocre ute stakes. It never ceases to amaze that this ute sells at all.

When you shift to S the gear stays at 4th Max, you need to dial 1 gear up to 5

Those wheels looks like Previous Ford ranger wild-track ones

Has the DPF been fixed for city driving?