2026 Toyota HiLux: Fresh Aussie Design, EV Power, Same Old Grit

Daddy’s Toyota HiLux is back — bigger, brasher, and finally wearing an Aussie face that doesn’t look like it was signed off by a committee of pocket-protected accountants. For years, HiLux has traded punches with Ranger for top dog, but newcomers from China have been giving both a well-deserved kick up the tray.

The 2026 model was penned in Altona, giving it a front end that’s part Cybertruck, part sumo wrestler in Lycra — Toyota calls it “Cyber Sumo”, and somehow it works. Slim headlights, a chiselled jawline, and a body that looks ready to shoulder-barge its way through a Bunnings carpark full of Rangers and D-MAXs.

This isn’t just a facelift; it’s a desperately needed rethink. Word is the new Hilux will be on the same platform as the current Hilux rather than the Prado/Land Cruiser platform. The new look gives it a broader stance, cleaner lines, and a jawline sharp enough to slice through the Ranger-vs-HiLux pub debate. It’s a completely different take to the American Ranger — bold, tough, and equally at home out bush or in the ’burbs.

But underneath that chiselled shell lies the real story: Toyota’s finally dragged HiLux into the 21st century. Electric power steering (hallelujah!), a reworked chassis, and the most advanced safety tech ever fitted to a ute — this is not your dad’s diesel dinosaur.

For the first time, HiLux ditches the hydraulic steering for a fully electric setup, tuned by Aussie engineers who actually drive on corrugations. The result? Feather-light steering in the city, rock-solid at highway speeds, and no more bone-jarring kickback when you hit a pothole. No more fighting the wheel on rutted tracks, and blessedly, no clumsy braking disguised as a “lane departure” feature. It’s civilised but still macho — like a hairy-chested tradie in a tux.

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That new steering unlocks Toyota’s latest ADAS wizardry, and at long last, HiLux has caught up. There’s proper lane-tracing assist, adaptive cruise that behaves itself, and a lane-keeping system that doesn’t panic when you breathe near a white line. The steering works with you, not against you — finally making long drives safer and less stressful.

Add to that a Multi-Terrain Select system and Multi-Terrain Monitor with cameras under the belly, and you’ve got a ute that sees more than most drivers. It even shows what your wheels are up to while you’re crawling over boulders — or sneaking through the caravan park after dark. All tuned for Aussie dirt, dust, and rogue kangaroos.

The usual (insert eye-roll here) 2.8-litre turbo-diesel soldiers on with 150kW/500Nm and a creaking old six-speed auto. It’s joined by Toyota’s mild-hybrid 48V tech for smoother take-offs and better fuel economy, so they claim. But the real jaw-dropper is the incoming HiLux BEV, the first-ever electric version, landing in 2026 with dual motors and zero tailpipe emissions. Then in 2028, a hydrogen fuel-cell HiLux joins the lineup — perfect for fleets, couriers, and miners chasing green cred with grunt. It is a delightful 2 fingers up to the demented conservative governments which held Australia back for a decade. They said Labor was trying to take away the ute and steal people’s weekends, Toyota calls that nonsense out and gives buyers a choice instead.

Inside, it’s plush-ish with hints of Prado: a 12.3-inch screen, proper ergonomics, digital cluster, and a centre console wide enough for elbows of all sizes. Toyota’s finally ditched the tacky plastic-fantastic vibe for something more grown-up, though it still feels tough enough to hose out after a weekend away. It’s not as glam as the Chinese interiors, but that’s probably what tradies prefer — less gloss, more grit. Four Utes feature in Australia’s top-ten sellers so the leisure market is arguably as important as the tradie/farmer buyer. Will this interior be enough?

There are still leaf springs out back and drum brakes on most variants, which feels like a stubborn nod to tradition. Plenty of components carry over from the outgoing model, so the question remains: is “mostly new” enough? We called Hilux out for being drab, expensive, and poorly equipped when compared to the new brands offering hybrid and PHEV options. Their interiors are comfortable and modern more akin to passenger cars than farmers’ tools so the full story won’t reveal itself until we know what we’re getting for the money. Hilux still vastly out-performs when it comes to resale too.

Even so, the 2026 HiLux feels like the future. Still unbreakable, still dependable, but now armed with brains, brawn, and battery power. It’ll handle the worksite, the bush, and the Bondi carpark — all without breaking a sweat.

And yes, it’s still the ute everyone else will be chasing — just now, with steering that won’t.

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