‘Condor’ returns as Toyota Rangga SUV becomes production reality

Described as a concept at the time of its unveiling in Indonesia exactly two months ago, Toyota has officially put the SUV version of the Hilux Champ into production as the locally named Hilux Rangga.

Son of Condor

Seemingly little changed from the “concept”, the production version adopts the Hilux Rangga name similar to the bakkie version without wearing the SUV suffix or being called an MPV.

The indirect replacement for the Kijang, later known as the Kijang Innova but better in South Africa as the Venture, Condor and in bakkie guise, Stallion, the people-carrying Rangga is the work of Indonesian firm New Armada, who have produced bus bodies in the country for over five decades.

Space for seven

As with the concept, the production Rangga, now classified as a UV or utility vehicle rather than a bakkie, shares the same appearance up to the front doors, before differing from the B-pillar back.

Besides the latter having required redesigning, the roof has been extended and a custom canopy with a pair of doors mounted on the chassis in place of the bakkie’s loadbin.

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Along with the addition of side windows, the custom lid sports a tailgate and required special wheel arch modelling to clear the rear wheels. Taillights, different from those of the bakkie, roof rails and alloy wheels rounds the Rangga’s exterior changes off.

Inside, and as with the concept, the Rangga SUV provides seating for seven in a 2+3+2 configuration, however, no further details were provided as to the interior or spec.

In concept guise though, it reportedly featured a touchscreen infotainment system, rear air-conditioning vents, rear parking sensors, a reverse camera and dual front airbags plus ABS.

Petrol or diesel but no 4WD

Up front, no details were also provided about the Rangga SUV’s powertrain, though expectations are it will simply be carried over from those powering the Hilux Rangga bakkie.

This means either the normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol producing 102kW/183Nm, or the 2.4 GD-6 turbodiesel that pumps-out 110kW/400Nm.

In both cases, drive is routed to the rear wheels via a respective five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.

For other markets…

Set to go on-sale next year with pricing to the announced then, the Rangga SUV has already been mulled as heading to other markets, most noteworthy the Philippines, where reports of it becoming a production model emerged earlier this month.

In that market, it will most likely wear the Tamaraw name similar to the bakkie, with the same 2.4 GD-6 engine developing 110kW/343Nm connected to the five-speed manual and 110kW/400Nm when paired with the automatic.

…but not us

For the moment, neither the SUV nor bakkie versions are destined to arrive in South Africa despite Toyota South Africa Motors admitting it remains interested.

“Right now, we don’t have approval to manufacture it in South Africa and we don’t have immediate plans to launch it either. But it is not something we are discounting,” Toyota South Africa Motors President and CEO, Andrew Kirby, told The Citizen at the launch of the new Land Cruiser Prado in Mozambique in July.

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