50 years a Legend

First launched in 1969, the Hilux has gained a lot of popularity in South Africa and has since become the best-selling bakkie. To celebrate this achievement, Toyota created the Legend 35 which arrived in 2004 and of course the popular Legend 45 which arrived in 2009. Now there is a new Legend on local soil, the Legend 50 which celebrates 50 years of Hilux.

The looks

While for the most part, the Legend has all the elements from a Hilux, there are a few styling upgrades to set itself apart from its siblings. Upfront you will find a gloss black upper and lower grille with a Legend 50 moniker featuring offset to the left. The foglamp surrounds are garnished with a silver vertical strip to match the silver bumper guard. Flanking the grille is LED headlamps with daytime running lights.

The first thing you notice on the side is the Legend 50-specific two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels and as you carry on looking you will find the chrome mirrors and door handles and the blacked-out steps. At the rear, you will find smoked taillamps, black bumper, heavy-duty tonneau cover, low-profile towbar and Legend 50 badging on the tailgate.

This minimalist approach is something I have always admired from Toyota, instead of taking it too far, they just make small and taste full changes.

The interior

The seats have perforated black leather with contrast stitching and there is a chrome strip that extends across the dashboard further enhancing the gloss black trim found around the cabin. In front of the driver is stylish white-faced dials with orange needles and a 4.2-inch TFT Multi-information Display. This display switches in between audio, compass, navigation prompts, trip info and fuel consumption with a flick of a button on the steering wheel.

The facia is now also adorned with an enlarged 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and sits flush with the dashboard, still featuring is rotary dials for the radio. While the Legend 50 is still very much a bakkie on the outside, the inside has become a lot more SUV-like. A little less rugged and much more refined. This has truly become a vehicle that is very capable off-road and comfortable when commuting on road.

The drive

Commuting with the Legend is like commuting with an SUV, comfortable, confident and spacious. There is 130 kW and 420Nm on tap from the 2.8 GD-6 motors which came mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The diesel came in a 4×4 configuration with all of its traditional capabilities and more. Off-road it confidently illustrated its capabilities as I only had to engage diff-lock when things got really tough. Over the test period, the Legend 50 did manage a commendable return of 7.5L/100km fuel consumption figure.

Verdict

Every step of the way the Legend stepped up to do what I needed from it and that is why I enjoyed my time behind the wheel. There are other bakkies that offer better off-road handling, a more sophisticated drivetrain and some even more features but at the R593 800, the Legend 50 will, in my opinion, remain at the top of the sales charts as it perfectly blends everything you want from a vehicle into one good looking package.