In Cars, International News, Toyota / By Matthew H Tong / 12 September 2017 6:32 pm / 34 comments

The Hilux is one of Toyota’s most successful models ever, with global sales tallying at 17.3 million units since it first debuted in 1968. It’s on sale in approximately 180 countries, but not in Japan since 2004. Well, that’s about to change now.

Effective today, the Toyota Hilux rejoins the Japanese domestic market with the new 2GD-FTV 2.4 litre turbodiesel as its sole beating heart. Two variants – X and Z – will go on sale, sharing the same electronic common-rail direct injection four-cylinder producing 148 hp at 3,400 rpm and 400 Nm of torque from 1,600 rpm. The six-speed super ECT automatic is the only transmission available for the pair.

Both twin-cabs variants are part-time four-wheel drive, featuring the same 4WD transfer dial as well as ECO and POWER drive modes for on-the-fly operation. Buyers can choose up to five colours, including Nebula Blue Metallic, a striking hue missing from our local palette. The cabin is all black and the seats are wrapped in cloth. Optitron instrument cluster with coloured multi-info display is exclusive to the Z variant, while the X settles for a more basic instrumentation.

It’s equipped with safety features such as pre-collision system with pedestrian detection collision avoidance that recognises both humans and cars, as well as lane departure alert.

The Toyota Hilux X is priced at 3,267,000 yen (RM125k) while the Z costs 3,742,200 yen (RM143k). They’re fully imported from the Ban Pho assembly plant in Thailand, and Toyota plans to shift 2,000 units in Japan annually. Back in Malaysia, the Hilux starts from RM87k for the single cab 2.4 MT to RM130k for the double cab 2.8G AT.

GALLERY: JDM Toyota Hilux Z

GALLERY: JDM Toyota Hilux X