Toyota Australia has announced a safety upgrade to the popular HiLux ute range. The brand has included autonomous emergency braking as standard on all HiLux variants.
Along with the aforementioned AEB which also incorporates day and night pedestrian detection and day cyclist detection, high-speed active cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assistance and road sign assist are all included as part of the Toyota Safety Sense package.
The move brings the HiLux into line with current versions of the Ford Ranger, SsangYong Musso, Mercedes-Benz X-Class and Mitsubishi Triton.
Improving the HiLux’s standard safety package will allow the nation’s best-selling vehicle to retain its five-star ANCAP safety rating. The ute was last tested in 2015, under the old protocols.
The additional safety kit comes with a price increase of between $800 and $875 depending on the variant.
Along with the safety upgrade, Toyota has also made some minor changes to the WorkMate grade line-up. The standard 4x2 single-cab cab-chassis and double-cab 2.4-litre turbo diesel models have been discontinued and replaced with WorkMate Hi-Rider versions that feature the same body and engine configuration with a ride height raised to the same level as HiLux 4x4 models.
Changing to a Hi-Rider configuration for these two WorkMate variants also means they gain a new six-speed manual gearbox to replace the previous five-speed transmission.
To accommodate the new road sign assist system that is able to recognise speed limit signs, WorkMate models also get an updated instrument cluster incorporating a 4.2-inch multi-information display.
The upgraded HiLux is priced from $21,8651 for the 2.7-litre petrol 4x2 WorkMate manual single cab chassis to $64,4901 for the top-of-the-range 2.8-litre turbodiesel 4x4 Rugged X automatic.
Updated 4x2 and 4x4 HiLux single and double-cab versions go on sale on July 8, with Rugged, Rogue and Rugged X models available from August 1 and HiLux extra cab variants on sale from August 26.
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