As I sit here in a hotel room in Orange NSW, trying to get this article written in time, it’s dawned on me that I have so much to say about the 2023 Toyota GR Sport HiLux. But I can’t. Not just yet anyway. I’ve quite literally just attended the official vehicle launch, and while I’d love to give you all my thoughts on the new off-road focussed Lux, you’re going to have to wait until next week when the embargo lifts. Fair is fair.
In the meantime, we are able to discuss the features found in the new GR Sport HiLux. Here are most things we know about it so far. And we can’t wait to give you the full run down very soon. Until then, here we go.
It’s expensive
Are you sitting down? The 2023 Toyota GR Sport HiLux will cost… $73,990. That’s not as big as I thought, but it’s still nothing to sneeze at for a dual-cab ute. Is it worth the money? Well, that’s what we are here to find out.
It’s taller
20mm taller to be precise. This is courtesy of KYB shock absorbers, taller front coil springs as well as slightly taller leaf springs in the rear. We aren’t allowed to comment on the performance of this suspension yet, but stay tuned for my full review coming out next week.
It’s wider
And in a good way. Toyota hasn’t just slapped on some wider wheels and called it good. Nope. There is a wider rear axle housing (so why can’t they make the 70 Series rear housing wider). As well as longer lower control arms in the front with longer CV axles as well. The figure Toyota has provided us with is 70mm wider than the previous HiLux. To make this all legal, you can see the rather large fender flares Toyota has installed onto the 2023 GR Sport HiLux.
It’s got more power and a nicer interior
Toyota is telling us power figures are up 10% on the GR Sport HiLux compared to other models. Quoted outputs are listed as 165kW and 550Nm. This has been achieved via an ECU tune, pushing more boost and boost pressure through the 2.8L turbo diesel engine. It’s the same mechanically, just been refined. We’ll report back on how this feels from the seat of the pants in our full upcoming review. Also, take a look at those seats! The interior is looking… wait wait, you’ll have to wait for that sorry.
Off-road friendly
GR Sport HiLux receives a suite of off-road-focused goodies. Toyota tells us this is their off-road HiLux, with the Rogue being used for urban adventure… whatever that means. As such, the 2023 GR Sport gets heavy-duty rock sliders (Toyota calls them Rock Rails), a tub liner, an alloy bash plate at the front, and the previously mentioned taller KYB suspension. There are also rear-rated recovery points and something I adore seeing, disc brakes on the rear end. Interestingly, there is no front differential lock with the 2023 GR Sport HiLux, which I feel is a real letdown. But we’ll get into that more with my full upcoming review.
Full review to come
We are, like the rest of Australian motoring outlets, unable to discuss our impressions of the vehicle until next Thursday. Rest assured, we’ll have a World’s Shortest Car review video, and a full long-form written article on the 2023 Toyota GR Sport HiLux coming your way soon.
