The Toyota Hilux GR Sport was a star performer at the Rust de Winter Jamboree. Picture: Stephan Reiners
The Toyota Hilux is South Africa’s most popular bakkie and the Toyota Fortuner the best-selling local off-road ready SUV.
Although buyers will think twice before driving their shiny new Hilux or Fortuner straight from the showroom floor into the bush, their vehicles are perfectly capable of handling the harshest overland conditions.
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This was proven again at this year’s Rust de Winter Jamboree. The popular gathering presents an extreme 4×4 test for both man and machine.
Toyota has been the title sponsor of the annual event for more than three decades. As per usual, the carmaker invited the media to partake in the two-day 4×4 extravaganza. The media teams, last month, joined hundreds of privately entered vehicles and were provided with stock standard Toyota Hilux GR-Sport models and Fortuner 2.8 VXes in 4×4 guise.
The event is held over two days. On the Saturday, participants must conquer 10 individual obstacles laid out over a 4×4 course, each presenting a unique challenge for the vehicles, driver and co-driver.
On the Sunday, vehicles complete a timed mountain trail in the Pilanesburg. Here vehicles are given a set of rally-style navigation notes which includes various stops during which additional challenges need to be completed like a general knowledge trivia or the identification of certain trees.
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Now the average privately entered vehicles is anything but standard. We are talking huge wheels, enhanced suspension and every single trail-ready gadget you can possibly think of. These entrants are in it to win it for the huge bragging rights that goes with being the Rust de Winter champion.
The Citizen Motoring must admit that rocking up between these bigfoots in standard spec cars can be quite intimidating. But when the games begin, you realise that a showroom floor Toyota Hilux and Fortuner don’t need fancy fittings.
Once low range is selected, the Hilux and Fortuner can tackle inclines, slopes, axle twisters and mud puddles without any difficulty. Even with the road-specific tyres they are fitted with.
The odd scuff mark on bumpers do occur due to extreme departure angles and unkindly placed boundary poles, but that is a fate not even the most modified monsters can hide from.
The same went for extreme mud traps on a few obstacles. While the media participants’ Toyota Hiluxes and Fortuners got stuck on these, so did most of the vehicles in general. Regardless of their pedigree of their wheels or suspension.
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Overall, the cars handled their challenges much better than the humans at times. Even when the driver and car have the perfect run through an obstacle, the co-driver can spoil the party.
On every obstacle apart from the rally-style speed section, the co-driver much complete a challenge. These vary from building a puzzle or balancing a jug of water – not an easy thing to do with a shaking car – to throwing ring over a cone on completion at the end of the obstacle.
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The mountain trail includes much more unforgiving terrain than the obstacle yard. Here vehicles must descend into dry riverbeds, climb rockery passes or ascent over heart-stopping rock faces. Again, the Toyota Hilux and Fortuner were perfectly capable of conquering the terrain. In taking the right lines and keeping momentum through the obstacles, they came through unscathed.
We doubt that this impressive showing will change any buyer’s mind to take a brand-new Toyota Hilux or Fortuner into the bush after buying it with hard-earned cash. But at least they should take peace of mind in the fact that should they ever need to, their rides are ready to rumble.
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