SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Face of the conqueror: 2018 Toyota Hilux Dakar 2.8GD-6 4x4 dual cab m/t

Bask in reflected glory

Pics by Toyota@Motorpress
Posted: 5 July 2018

The numbers
Price: R601 100
Engine: Toyota 1GD H1, 2755 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Power: 130 kW at 3400 rpm
Torque: 420 Nm between 1400 and 2600 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 180 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 9.1 l/100 km
Tank: 80 litres
Payload: 815 kg
Tare: 2100 kg
GVM: 2910 kg
GCM: 5850 kg
Maximum towing mass (braked): 3500 kg
Turning circle: 12.8 metres
Ground clearance: 286 mm
Approach and departure angles: 30 and 26 degrees
Wading depth: 700 mm
Rear axle articulation: 520 mm
Warranty: 3 years / 100 000 km
Service plan: 9 services / 90 000 km, at 10 000 km intervals.


When a local motorsport stable has stepped up to the podium eight times, in the world’s toughest off-road race, you can forgive it for bragging – just a little. Fans are eager to spread the word too, so to accommodate their wishes Toyota SA released a celebratory limited edition called Hilux Dakar.

Six thousand (1000 extended- and 5000 double-cab) examples will be made available in nine configurations including 4x2, 4x4, manual transmission and automatic. Eight versions use the 2.8GD diesel motor while one sports the top-gun, 4.0 petrol V6 in automatic and 4x4 only. Although 6000 units might not sound like everyone’s idea of a “limited edition,” one needs to remember that there are lots of fans out there. It would also be unfair to deny any of them a chance to bask in reflected glory, wouldn’t it?

But should you have the idea that the four-litre, 4x4 model mentioned above is a straight copy of the Dakar hero machine, we must puncture your balloon. Vehicles built for Rally Raid events such as Dakar are generally not too closely related to that which can be bought off the showroom floor.

Most begin as a tubular space frame that is then covered with a composite skin fashioned to look somewhat like the showroom vehicle. Innards like brakes, suspension, fuel tanks, steering gear, gearboxes, cooling systems and differentials are usually bought in from specialist manufacturers. Toyota Gazoo and Hallspeed, however, use local components where possible, modify imported equipment or build their own.

About the only inflexible requirement is that vehicles should be fitted with in-stable engines. Toyota’s Dakar cars, for example, used five-litre, naturally aspirated V8s from Lexus while MINIs opted for meaty BMW turbo-power.

Hilux Dakars are easy to pick out of a lineup. A large and prominent trapezoidal, honeycomb grille, finished in glossy black, incorporates two horizontal bars signalling strength. Surrounding this is a dark grey, three-dimensional frame styled to blend into the LED head lamps. A glossy black accent strip across the bonnet’s leading edge adds interest while a stylised Dakar insignia on the lower left of the grille reminds us what this is all about. 

Matching gloss-black lower grille and LED fog lamp surrounds offset a metallic grey “skid plate”. The black theme continues with similar treatment for door- and tailgate handles, mirror caps and Dakar body decals.

Interior treatment includes black hood lining, metallic black trim accents and black leather upholstery with grey stitching - to create a special ambience. The instrument cluster features orange needles and white-faced gauges with gear motifs. Also model-specific is satellite navigation. The package adds, on average, R17 666 to the price of an equivalent Raider.

Three buttons across the console are marked iMT, Eco and Power. The first one means Intelligent Manual Transmission and its job is to match revs to make gear shifting smoother, particularly on downshifts, where careless use of the clutch could lead to a sudden spike in engine revs.

The Eco button works like most others. It softens accelerator responses to, hopefully, make it easier to drive economically but its effect is minimal. Use it only if it makes you feel more righteous.

The Power button is like the familiar Sport selector but with a more vigorous response than you ever experienced previously. It is borderline vicious and would perhaps be best kept for when you desperately need action.

Normal mode, with neither button selected, felt tame and disappointing with hardly any acceleration power on hand in top gear at 120 km/h. Revs at that speed are about 1800 – well into the torque band that is strongest between 1400 and 2600 rpm. Perhaps the software engineers could add a bit of boost to Normal mode? That would make the car nicer to drive and the transition to Power less scary.

Moving on, Toyota’s research indicated that most potential buyers (65 percent) would take them off-road. That’s encouraging because we all know that 4x4 Hiluxes are very competent in the boonies. A detail that caught us out, though, was that selecting 4Lo requires an extra step that isn't needed on other 4x4s; apart from stopping and putting it into neutral before turning the selector dial, you also have to push the clutch pedal in. Not doing that prevents the function from selecting and you will be subjected to annoying beeping sounds and a flashing text (4Lo) message as you continue your journey in 4Hi. We just wonder whether this extra step is necessary in light of most users’ experience?

Practical points include a bin with lockable tailgate and four lashing points on the inside. It’s close enough to 1.5 metres squared and loads at a height of 89 centimetres. That could be awkward for shorter users but is a side effect of the car’s 286 mm ground clearance. Despite sounding as if it could be top-heavy, Hilux’s behaviour on gravel roads is better than many journalists still describe it. Although still obviously a pickup, its ride has improved greatly.

Rear seat space is not as generous as in some of its competitors, but our 6’1” tester fitted quite comfortably. Three head restraints, as many belts and a pair of ISOFix mounting sets are included. These, unusually, share a common top tethering point.

Convenience features seldom seen in light commercials are a fold-down armrest with cupholders and a pair of hooks to hang small rubbish bags on. While talking convenience someone, one day, is going to remind makers of big, tough 4x4s that women drive them too. Time to put a mirror on the driver’s side sunvisor, we think.

Other items include climb-in handles at every doorway, a full set of panic grips and a 220 Volt, 100-Watt power point in the front armrest box to go with the 12V/120W sockets up front. Air controls are straightforward and the ancillaries accessed via touch screen are easy enough to master. Fit and finish is up to the expected Toyota standard.

The press material states that this vehicle will resonate with image-conscious drivers who like to be seen appreciating the firm’s winning ways. Others would just save the extra money and maintain a low profile. It takes all kinds.

Test unit from Toyota SA press fleet

We drove an automatic Raider in 2016

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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