New Toyota GR Hilux: V6 diesel coming only in bakkie’s ninth generation?

A fresh report out of Australia suggests the rumoured V6-powered Toyota GR Hilux is likely to arrive only in the Japanese bakkie’s ninth generation.

Late in March 2020, speculation arose claiming a full-fat GR Hilux was in the pipeline, with power likely to come from a “high-torque” V6 turbodiesel engine expected to be debuted by the new Land Cruiser 300.

Now, however, CarsGuide reports the GR-badged Hilux is “unlikely to arrive in the vehicle’s current iteration”, with buyers expected to have to wait until the bakkie’s next generation rather than just the upcoming facelift (which itself is set to bring a more powerful version of the 2,8-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel unit).

From what we understand, the ninth generation of the Japanese firm’s Hilux is scheduled to hit the market only in 2023.

So, what sort of power is the GR Hilux expected to offer? Well, in the Land Cruiser 300, the rumoured V6 will almost certainly generate higher peak outputs than the 195 kW/650 N.m V8 it replaces, which in the Hilux would be enough to eclipse the current Volkswagen Amarok V6.

In January 2020, Toyota applied to trademark the “GR Hilux” nameplate in Australia despite the Japanese firm insisting it had “no plans” to offer a high-performance version of the bakkie just yet.

Interestingly, late in November 2019, Toyota in South America whipped the covers off an updated version of the familiar GR Sport bakkie, ditching the four-cylinder diesel engine for the familiar petrol-powered V6.