Toyota Hilux V6 SR5 2005 review

And you need a cowboy hat, of course. No HiLux worth its salt would be seen being driven by someone not in a cowboy hat.

OK, that part's not true. You don't have to be a cowboy but it is fun to play dress-ups. But it's not as though you're roughing it in a HiLux – they are built with comfort and looks in mind.

This is no clapped-out ute. This is a sleek, classy vehicle that just happens to have a tray on the back and be much bigger than the other cars on the road.

Explore the 2005 Toyota HiLux range

• Toyota Hilux SR5 extra-cab 2005 review
• Toyota HiLux manual 2005 review
• Toyota HiLux 2005 review: snapshot
• Toyota Hilux 2005 review
• Toyota Hilux V6 SR5 2005 review

The chrome trim looks awesome and the inside could not be more comfortable. All the mod cons are at your disposal. And there's another benefit to the HiLux ... it's a boy magnet.

Fellas find out you're driving one and everyone wants to come to check out your car.

Sadly, next to this beast, you pale into insignificance.

You can preen and pose all you like but the guys are only interested in torque, pull and acceleration.

Funny thing about having a ute. All of a sudden you're everyone's best friend ... then it hits you – they want you for your car and its ability to fit stuff in it. I only had the car for a few days, yet I still found myself helping a friend move house.

Like the perfect accessory, the HiLux goes with everything. You can dress it up or down. Chuck a kelpie in the back (chained up, of course) and its the perfect knock-around machine.

But put on your little black number and the HiLux steps up a notch.

The HiLux ads show cars getting out of its way and while the shower head at Semaphore didn't bend Uri Geller-style at my passing, traffic certainly does clear out for you. It may have something to do with the sheer size of you. It's a big car. My little Ford Fiesta looked hilarious beside it in the driveway ... talk about a size complex.

But, I have to admit, I did find the massiveness of the HiLux a bit of a pain at times.

Finding a car park at Marion shopping centre on a Thursday night is hard enough without having to find one HiLux-sized.

But, like all fashion accessories, sacrifices have to be made.

And the extra time in the car park does give you more of a chance to make eyes at that cute boy checking you out ... no, it's the car he's looking at, isn't it? Well, I'll take whatever looks come my way.

LOVE IT LEAVE IT

Toyota Hilux 4x2 V6 Extra Cab SR5

Price: $37,420

LOVE IT

RIDE 'em, cowboy. This not-so-little baby is just plain fun. It takes you back to your dress-ups days, running around the back yard on your hobby horse

LEAVE IT

SIZE isn't everything but it does matter ... finding parks long and wide enough can be a problem as can getting into tight parking spots.