Why We Desperately Want The 2023 Toyota Hilux GR Sport In America

While many of us are still daydreaming about the fantastic, ultra-reliable Toyota Hilux and praying that Toyota brings it to the US, Toyota has just dropped a bomb in Australia in the form of the all-new Hilux GR Sport. A more off-road-focused version of the already capable and ‘invincible’ Hilux, the new Toyota Hilux GR Sport gets a host of add-ons, visual tweaks, and mechanical upgrades over the standard version of the truck. And before you upscale your prayers, we are sorry to disclose that Toyota is not bringing the Hilux GR Sport to the US.

Designed and engineered exclusively for unabashed driving over sand tunes and off-road terrains, the Toyota Hilux GR Sport could be a great alternative to the awesome 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. However, instead of bringing the Hilux GR Sport, Toyota will continue to make the Tacoma TRD Pro the exclusive-for-America alternate to the former. It is the second GR offering from its global line-up that Toyota will not launch in the US after the drool-worthy GR Yaris hot hatchback. Here’s why we are extremely upset.

Related: The Next-Gen Toyota Tacoma And Hilux Pickups Will Have A Lot In Common

The Toyota Hilux GR Sport Has A Tall And Intimidating Road Presence

Dimensionally, the Toyota Hilux GR Sport is 209.5 inches long, 74 inches tall, and 79.5 inches wide, which makes it around 4.7 inches wider and 2.6 inches taller than the standard Hilux. These dimensions also make it 4.3 inches wider and 2.4 inches taller than the full-blown Tacoma TRD Pro on sale in the US. Talk about intimidating road presence, and the Toyota Hilux GR Sport is marginally inching ahead of the Tacoma in its best-for-off-road version.

Apart from the marginally better dimensions, the Toyota Hilux GR Sport also gets a range of cosmetic enhancements, which make it look more aggressive than the standard Hilux. The Dakar-inspired look of the Hilux GR Sport comprises a more aggressive-looking grille at the front, with gloss black surrounds and wide-looking Toyota lettering at the top of it.

The front bumper of the Hilux GR Sport also looks tweaked with revised fog lamp housings, a heavier and more purposeful-looking silver skid plate, and a large bash plate underneath the engine. Other factors contributing to the more muscular appearance of this pumped-up Hilux include new 17-inch black alloy wheels with stock all-terrain tires and black cladding over the wheel arches and lower corners of the front and rear bumpers.

The Hilux GR Sport Gets An Added Dose Of Sportiness For Its Cabin

The Toyota Hilux GR Sport features an all-black cabin, which is already a great first sign to introduce it as a sporty vehicle. Lending a nice contrast to the all-black interior of this new version of the Hilux are the red stitching on the upholstery and red seatbelts, along with silver accent pieces all around.

In addition to this sporty combination of the black interior with red highlights, the Hilux GR Sport also features aluminum pedals and GR branding on the steering wheel garnish and headrests. Other than these, it retains the features list of the standard Hilux, including an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, powered driver’s seat, and dual-zone automatic climate control.

More Torque, More Off-Road Worthiness For The Toyota Hilux GR Sport

Toyota has retained the 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine from the previous version of the Hilux GR Sport for this new model, which produces 221 hp and 405 lb-ft. The additional 36 lb-ft makes this engine the highest torque-producing diesel engine in the history of Hilux, even more than the 265 lb-ft produced by the 3.5-liter V6 of the Tacoma TRD Pro. Even the 6-speed automatic transmission of the Hilux GR Sport has been tuned to deliver sportier shifts, with the Hilux GR Sport getting paddle shifters as standard.

To make it more off-road worthy, Toyota has widened the track widths of the Hilux for this GR Sport version. While the front axle width is 5.5 inches wider, the rear axle width is 6.1 inches more than the standard Hilux. Next in line are the off-road spec suspension with monotube dampers and stiffer coil springs, and redesigned wishbones to take off-road beatings more seriously. The Hilux GR Sport is also equipped with a reinforced rear axle, larger-sized disc brakes and skid plates, rock rails, and red-colored recovery tow hooks.

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Does The US Need The Toyota Hilux GR Sport?

We have all grown up watching the impeccable Toyota Hilux evolving all these years. And we were awestruck when Topgear conducted those famous ruthless endurance tests, which gave it the title ‘invincible’. However, it has been a long time since Toyota pulled off the Hilux from the US market, despite it being a decent seller for the Japanese carmaker.

While the new Hilux GR Sport is nowhere in the launch plans of Toyota for the US, there is no need for another vehicle that is very much similar to the already-on-sale Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. The range-topping, off-road-oriented version of the Tacoma is as good as the Hilux GR Sport, if not better. Though for those who prefer the instant surge of a diesel engine over the gasoline-powered V6 of Tacoma, the Toyota Hilux GR Sport can make them yearn for more.