Super-Rugged 2023 Toyota Hilux GR Sport Unveiled in Australia

The Australians are blessed with yet another sporty and rugged-looking pickup in the form of the 2023 Toyota Hilux GR Sport. Dubbed as the boldest and most powerful version of the famed pickup nameplate, the Hilux GR Sport is poised to make its first-ever debut in the Land Down Under, later this year.

For the record, Australia will be the fifth market in the whole world to officially get this rugged Hilux GR Sport, alongside Europe, Thailand, South Africa, and its homeland, Japan.

Just like its compatriot and rival, the Mazda BT-50 LE, the 2023 Toyota Hilux GR Sport is the beefed-up version of its bone-stock sibling, thanks to the addition of off-roading gears and parts. The revamped front fascia features a new bold front grille with ‘Toyota’ lettering spelled out, specially designed in a wind-tunnel to offer maximum cooling for its tuned-up 2.8-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel mill. 

This updated state-of-tune garners the Hilux GR Sport an improved power output of 221 HP and 550 NM. For comparison, the range-topping Malaysian-spec Hilux 2.8 Rogue is only capable of delivering 201 HP and 500 NM, in spite of harnessing the same powertrain as the GR Sport model.

Paired together with the tuned-up powertrain is a six-speed automatic gearbox that has been recalibrated to handle the extra power and sportier driving. Drivers can now shift the auto box with paddle shifters mounted at the Hilux GR Sport’s steering wheel.

Aside from the new grille, the Hilux GR Sport also comes with a wider body, thanks to its flared-out wheel arches and fenders. In place of the normal side-step is a set of heavy-duty ‘rock sliders’ that blends well with its matte black-finished cladding. This ladder-frame 4x4 truck rides on a set of 17-inch alloy wheels, which offers more room to house the thick-walled Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain tyres instead of the bigger 18-inch wheels the Hilux Rogue rides on.

Primed behind each of its front wheels are four-piston brake callipers, painted in GR Sport red. Meanwhile, the Hilux GR Sport rear brakes sport single-piston ‘floating’ callipers, just like the ones found in the Rogue-spec Hilux.

The GR Sport treatment goes beyond the souped-up powertrain and rugged trims, as this Hilux is granted with a set of heavy-duty dampers, with the rear shocks having been moved outboard of the chassis rail to provide better on-road stability, as well as off-road wheel articulation. These new heavy-duty dampers come with new monotube shock absorbers that can withstand higher damping force and heat-dissipation capacity, thus improving the front-rear suspension balance.

The Hilux GR Sport’s wider stance does not stem from its flared-out body cladding, as its actual front and rear axles are widened by 140 MM and 155 MM respectively, thus providing better driving stability in this jacked-up pickup.

The 2023 Toyota Hilux GR Sport is set to make its debut later this year, with the exact launch date, as well as its price yet to be announced by Toyota Australia, as of writing. For reference, the Aussie-spec Toyota Hilux Rogue variant is currently on sale for about AUS$70,200 (RM208,555) sans on-road costs, while the similarly-rugged Mazda BT-50 LE commands a lower price tag of only AUS$64,295 (RM191,012).

In Malaysia, the highest-spec Hilux currently for sale is the 2.8 Rogue AT, which priced at RM152,880. Should UMW Toyota decide to officially launch the Hilux GR Sport variant in Malaysia, expect a much beefier price tag for it.

Keen to see one of these super-rugged Hilux GR Sport back home in Malaysia? Wouldn’t it be rather reasonable for UMW Toyota to bring this right-hand-drive (RHD) Hilux into our local market? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below…