2027 Subaru Brumby, Toyota HiLux-style? Update on ute successor straight from Subaru's Australian boss, but could it be more like a Ford Maverick than a more rugged Isuzu D-Max rival?

Subaru has confirmed that it is investigating different avenues back into the ute market, as the eternal search for a worthy successor to the now-legendary Brumby/BRAT of nearly half a century ago continues.

However, while yet another collaboration with Toyota is likely given the latter’s 20 per cent stake in the Subaru Corporation, a version of the recently-redesigned Toyota HiLux has been ruled out.

According to Subaru Australia General Manager, Scott Lawrence, there is no current or planned discussion around Toyota’s existing ute out of Thailand for one very important reason.

Add CarsGuide as a preferred source in Google Search

Read More About Subaru Brumby

“It's a common question, both from journalists and particularly regional areas online,” he told CarsGuide with a sigh at the recent launch of the seventh-generation Subaru Outback.

“It is an interesting proposition. What I would say is we need to do what's right by the brand. And many people would say, ‘grab a HiLux, you know, and talk to Toyota about a co-brand,’ as if it was that easy.

“But I don't even know if that is right for the brand.”

Lawrence reckons there needs to be considerable planning, design and engineering input from both parties right from the very beginning, leaning on each of their respective strengths and experiences, for any tie-up to work successfully.

1978 Subaru BRAT

1990 Subaru Brumby

This has not been the case for the current-generation of HiLux, which is a substantial facelift of the previous iteration launched all the way back in 2015.

“With the collaborations between Toyota and Subaru, in fact, all brand collaborations, need to be equal,” he believes.

“It needs to be input from both sides. Subaru has got great experience in building awesome cars with capability, and Brumbys comes to mind as one that you still see driving on the roads today.

Toyota monocoque ute render credit: Theottle

“There is discussion around Subaru Corporation as what that looks like in the 2020s, so it is a live discussion. Would I love a commercial ute? Yes, but it needs to be right. It needs to be Subaru.

“So, the ultimate question of a co-brand collaboration, of course there are always discussions. But, I think that the big question is, what is Subaru’s territory in the commercial space? And there's lots of exciting discussions going on, but nothing, nothing is shared at this point.”

Asked if the rumoured dual-cab ute based on the next-generation version of the Toyota Corolla Cross or coming Toyota RAV4 redesign is a perfect project for such a collaboration (and basis for a future Subaru Brumby), Lawrence was a little bit less forthcoming.

Ford Maverick Tremor

“So, the question is, do I see a future for a monocoque style ute?” he said.

“That is a really fun conversation and discussion, of ladder-frame versus monocoque. There is the Ford Maverick in the US, of course. (But that is) a much smaller segment, with very few players in that space.

“That is a discussion. That is a discussion, yeah. But again, there is nothing more I can share in that space.”

So, no chance of a rebadged Toyota HiLux – at least not in the current iteration.

And possibly a collaboration on a monocoque-bodied dual-cab ute in the vein of the Ford Maverick, shared with Toyota, and possibly based on either a Subaru Global Platform or Toyota New Global Architecture toolset as per the Toyota Corolla Cross successor.

Surely that would be the closest we would get to a modern-day Subaru Brumby!

Watch this space.