Toyota Hilux GR-S soon to be unleashed on Mzansi

The wait is almost over for the most powerful production version of South Africa’s most popular bakkie, the Toyota Hilux GR Sport (GR-S).

Plans to initially out the Toyota Hilux GR-S “around May” was thwarted by a shutdown of Toyota’s Prospecton assembly plant following severe flood damage in April.

With all assembly lines up and running again following a gigantuous clean-up and restoration process, the hot Hilux is scheduled to go into production next month. The first units are expected to go on sale in October with pricing to be announced at a later date.

The Toyota Hilux GR-S will produce 165 kW of power and 550 Nm of torque – 15kW/50Nm more than the 2.8-litre mill in standard guise.

Unlike the first Toyota Hilux GR-S of which only 600 models went on sale in 2019, the new edition will not be a limited edition.

The first version featured suspension upgrades and GR Sport decals, but had the similar power outputs to the standard Hilux.

ALSO READ: Toyota Hilux GR-S release delayed due to flood damage

“The GR-S will slot in between the Legend and the Raider. There will only be one model which will be automatic and also 4×4,” says Riaan Esterhuysen, Manager Marketing and Product Communications at Toyota Motors South Africa.

“This will not be a limited edition and will be a permanent fixture in the line-up. The number of units that will be built will depend entirely on customer demand.”

The new Toyota Hilux GR-S will overtake its great rival the Ford Ranger in power output, but not for long. The most powerful version of the current generation Ranger is powered by a 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel engine which produces 157kW/500Nm.

The landscape will change when Ford rolls out the new Ranger line-up which will feature a new 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel model that will produce 184 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque.

The 190 kW Volkswagen Amarok V6 TDI is currently Mzansi’s fastest production double cab. The new generation which will be built alongside the Ranger by Ford in Silverton, will share the new 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 with its production twin.

All bets might be off when the new Ford Ranger Raptor arrive. This beastly machine is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 petrol engine which produces a whopping 292 kW of power and 583 Nm of torque.

For more information on the current Toyota Hilux line-up, click here.