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Toyota has whipped the covers off a vehicle some 10 years in the making, with the brand's new-generation workhorse described as "the most Australian Toyota HiLux ever".
But if you were expecting wholesale changes, new powertrains or even a BYD Shark 6 or Ford Ranger Stormtrak-style plug-in hybrid, you can cool your jets because a lot of the all-new HiLux looks very familiar.
Let's start with the new. Perhaps the biggest news is the introduction of the first fully electric HiLux – so far just called the HiLux BEV – which will arrive in the first half of next year.
The details are a little scant for now, but we do know it will be offered in SR and SR5 trims, both four-wheel drive thanks to an electric motor at each axle. Toyota concedes it will mostly be snapped-up by mining fleets, and perhaps in very small numbers by the buying public, so while it makes a good headline, the really important stuff is what's new on the diesel-powered HiLux.
Elsewhere, the brand is backing biofuels, and has confirmed a hydrogen fuel cell--powered HiLux is coming, too.
Most noticeably, the 2026 HiLux sports an edgy new look, with a clear separation between the upper and lower parts of the front grille – based, says Toyota Australia's design chief, Nick Hogios, on a design theme called 'Cyber Sumo', and intended to "move the needle to a future rather than a current lens".
It was controversial, difficult to execute and the subject of "huge discussion".
"The idea of not having the upper grille clearly delineated by colour and line was a huge discussion point around the world. There were definitely some challenges in order to make this theme work," Hogios says.
"We had to overlay more advanced surface language over the existing tried and tested hard points that make HiLux a HiLux."
Also new is the step into the tray – an idea perhaps borrowed from the competition – with the integrated step now appearing on both sides of the HiLux tray (which has carryover dimensions), as well as new slimline headlights.
What's less new, in terms of the exterior, is essentially the middle of the vehicle. It's the same platform and same wheelbase, and the same door skins as the outgoing HiLux for this new model.
Inside, though, there's a significant amount of change. While Toyota in Australia has copped criticism for its old-school cabin tech in the past, this new HiLux feels a world apart, with all grades getting a new digital instrument cluster (a 7.0-inch screen in the Workmate and SR, and a 12.3-inch screen on SR5 and above). There's also a new 12.3-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both wired and wireless, which further revolutionises the cabin experience.
There are also new seats front and rear, a new dash design to improve visibility, and a new centre console configuration, which is now taller and – the brand says – more comfortable.
Happily, the HiLux retains physical buttons ("people want tech, not annoying tech", Mr Hogios says) with a climate control panel, and multimedia, audio and driver assistance "zones" on the steering wheel.
There's been an engine rationalisation, with all models now powered by Toyota's carryover 2.8-litre turbodiesel, with all from the SR up fitted with 48-volt assistance. That means an unchanged 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque (420Nm with the manual transmission). It also means no petrol-powered model at the beginning of the range. There's also a return of the Rugged X trim, though at the cost of the GR Sport, which has been deleted, at least for now.
Instead, the 2026 Toyota HiLux range steps from the entry-level Workmate to the SR, the SR5, the Rogue and the Rugged X, with cab-chassis and pick-up, 4X2 and 4X4, and automatic and manual variants available.
There’s new suspension tuning range wide, with a light and heavy-duty option, and there’s new mounts and stiffening to reduce road noise and vibration.
The independent coil-sprung front and rigid axle leaf sprung rear suspension in the Workmate and SR trims has been 'revised' as the heavy option, while SR5 and up get a more compliant ride aimed at boosting comfort.
Elsewhere, though, the core figures don't change. Power outputs, towing, tray size and capacity are all carryover. And that, says Toyota Australia's Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, is exactly the point. The brand's most senior executive stressed the model's reputation, while seemingly taking a swipe at some of the newcomer models in Australia.
"The (HiLux) will go fine," he says. "I'll tell you why that car will go fine. Because it's got everything that a ute buyer wants. It's reliable. It's got good quality. It's got a car brand behind it that's trusted. It's got a car brand behind it that can supply parts. It's got a car buyer behind it that's got 280 dealers around the country to where these people go," Mr Hanley says.
"It's a ute. This is what utes do."
