The limited-edition Hilux Raider X makes a lot of sense
Toyota’s revved-up Raider 2.4 GD-6 4×4 has all the upgrades of a lifestyle bakkie without the unlimited price tag.
It’s about as common a fact that South Africa is a bakkie-mad nation as it is that we are unbeatable in the Rugby World Cup. Following the dovetailing of bakkies from single-cab workhorses to double-cabs and supercabs in their segment categorisation over time, thanks to their makers constantly narrowing the gap between utility vehicles and passenger cars, it wasn’t long before another sub-division was born in the last decade: The lifestyle bakkie.
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These are utility vehicles that provide all the off-roading goodness as any of their other four-wheel-driven ladder-frame chassis brethren, but with an even stronger emphasis on comfort, ease of use and fitment of appearance-enhancing accessories.
On the sales charts, the venerable Toyota Hilux – now in its eighth generation and introduced in 2015 – continues to top the figures month after month. This is despite the second-gen Ford Ranger, introduced at the end of 2022, having moved the game on as the definitive lifestyle bakkie.
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As one of several responses, until the ninth-generation Hilux arrives later in 2024, Toyota has taken to sharpening the lifestyle appeal of its current Hilux offering. But it comes with a twist – and it’s a good one.
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Instead of piling the accoutrements onto a range-topping 2.8-litre model and slapping it with a seven-digit price that’s out of reach for most bakkie buyers, Toyota has opted to replace the more affordable Raider GD-6 2.4 4×4 models with a new version called the Hilux Raider X Limited Edition, which retains the aforementioned model’s mechanicals, thereby keeping it within budget for many aspiring buyers.
Available in manual (R674 800) or automatic (R706 300) guise, both versions produce 110kW and 400Nm (from just 1 600r/min), while delivering a money-massaging 7.7L/100km and 7.6L/100km of average fuel consumption.
The Hilux Raider X can be identified by 17-inch black alloy wheels, matte black fender protectors with red insert detailing, a chrome grille inset bar with Hilux badging, a louvred rear styling bar and an integrated tonneau cover protecting a rubberised load box. The latter is accessed by an easy opening and closing, spring-assisted tailgate for one-handed ease of use.
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