Toyota Hilux 2.8 D-4D 4WD Invincible

It is not common in the Netherlands, but according to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, it is permitted to demolish buildings with explosives. Industrial ovens can also be cleaned with explosives. Handy to know if your Dasty no longer meets the requirements. We signed a contract promising to ‘use the Toyota Hilux Invincible for the purpose for which it was designed and fitted out’. With a name like that, the pickup begs for the classic TopGear-episode in which the indestructibility of the Hilux was put to the test. As you know, the pickup truck experiment ended on top of an apartment building that was blown up moments later. The Toyota survived it all. Unfortunately we couldn’t find much more than a duplex house in Stipthout that went down with a wrecking ball. So you will have to make do with a normal driving test of this Toyota Hilux Invincible – and take on the immortal aspect.

This Toyota has four doors, but it’s only a two-seater. It was probably too difficult to explain to the Japanese why it is called a gray license plate while the plates are clearly yellow, so Toyota just has the Hiluxen converted in the Netherlands. With the gray license plate, entrepreneurs can purchase the car for business purposes without paying BPM. A company in Middelharnis removes the rear row of seats and places a bulkhead with a window behind the front seats. The rear left side window is completely blinded with upholstery and the right rear window remains clear – very easy for the blind spot with a car of 5.3 meters. In the photos, the Hilux appears smaller, but that’s mainly because it doesn’t have the snub nose like its American counterparts.

The Toyota Hilux is difficult to park

Make no mistake: the Toyota is as long as a Bentley Flying Spur. The turning circle of the Hilux is even larger due to the lack of four-wheel steering. Not so bad in the case of the Bentley, because then you simply have the driveway of your holiday home in Florence enlarged. For the novice gardener who still has a tight parking space at his apartment, it is something to take into account. Incidentally, this is not the largest from the Toyota stable; that is the Tundra, but the brand does not supply it here.

Where the rear seat used to be, there is now a handy enclosed cargo area. The speakers in the back get stuck, so your tools can enjoy your music (and whether you can play MC Hammer). Due to the extra two doors, the body shrinks to a length of 1.55 meters. A small cabin is also available, where the loading platform grows to 2.35 meters.

This is the Toyota Hilux 2.8 D-4D

The drive of this version comes from the 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel with 204 hp and 500 Nm. Not a nice rumble, but nice old-fashioned nailing from under the hood, especially the fans of the engine are very well audible. With the high seat it feels like you’re in a truck – and you can safely find that a bit cool. In terms of performance, the engine is smooth enough to drive to the next job with appropriate urgency. Even after seven 130 driving is fine to do without too many revs. Via a switch you can put the Hilux in two- or four-wheel drive. And then there’s the low gearing for playing in the mud. The machine is a bit slow, but perfectly fine for a workhorse.

In terms of steering you feel like a disc jockey on the pep: you just keep turning. The steering is much less direct than with a normal passenger car. Perfect for off-roading, but on a roundabout it means you can take an extra load. Something that got used quickly enough.

What requires more getting used to is the spring comfort

From the outside you can already see that the back is higher than the nose. With Max’s Red Bull this is an aerodynamic feature, but with the Hilux it indicates that he prefers to be driven loaded. Empty, the car is definitely a bit bouncy behind. Even on the apparently smooth A28, there is a constant slight vibration through the car – even thresholds are just a little less finely absorbed. Why do you think you always see them driving around with heavy artillery on the back on the Achtuurjournaal?

The interior is a great place to be. The Invincible pumps out melodies via a JBL system and a subwoofer provides some support. The materials are mainly hard plastic with a hard plastic finish. Exactly what you want in a work vehicle, we think. We just don’t understand the stitching that runs through the hard plastic.

You only find out by accident that the car does not give a message on the screen if the rear lights do not work, but otherwise we have little to say about the interior. Except one thing. The car was apparently developed during hot summer days in Norway, on days when the sun doesn’t set. In the center of the dashboard is a screen with the brightness of a thousand suns – and it cannot be dimmed. And if that’s not bad enough, the screen also reflects through the window in the intermediate wall in the mirror – and it does that already at dusk.

Choose a less thick version

A solution to this problem is to choose a less thick version, without the screen. For the entrepreneur, there is already a Hilux with a 2.4-liter diesel for only 19,995 euros (30,280 euros in Belgium) – that is only 6,000 euros more than an Opel Combo or something similar. Also practical, but considerably less cool. This Toyota Hilux Invincible with tough bumpers, thicker rims, the 2.8-liter diesel engine, an automatic transmission, leather upholstery and a double cabin costs 42,795 euros (48,600 euros in Belgium).

You can also omit the huge ‘Invincible’ stickers on the back – it’s a bit of a tautology. If you want to drive it as a Dutch private individual, then you are almost 70,000 euros further. Back seat there? Then it costs 108,995 euros, on a yellow license plate. You must find him very tough, because although Toyota has put down an incredibly capable workhorse, it does not feel completely at home on the Dutch roads for that reason. It’s just a little too big, unrefined and uncomfortable. But if you’re looking for a pick-up to drive until the end of time, and especially after, look no further.

Very corn price

You used to be able to pay with Polaroid at selected Citroën dealers in the Netherlands and there are undoubtedly a few trendy dealers that accept payments in crypto coins, such as Bitcoin. In Brazil they also have special payment methods. There, in certain states, you can trade a new Toyota Hilux, Fortuner, or Corolla for soybeans or corn. The condition is that the agricultural products are grown sustainably and legally. How much maize and soy the farmers have to hand over depends on the market price at that time. What is certain is that Toyota Brazil’s next company party will be a movie night with a lot of popcorn. With this action, Toyota wants to give the local economy a boost. Of course it is also a great way to bind customers to your brand. In Brazil, 16 percent of all Toyota sales go directly to the agricultural sector.