Legend 50 and GR Sport for the 50th anniversary

The Legend 45 was the last of the limited-edition models to be released, that is until 2019. To celebrate 50 years of the Hilux, Toyota South Africa has revealed the Legend 50 and the Legend 50 GR Sport to the local market. The outside of the Legend 50 receives gloss black-out treatment on the upper and lower grille with matching fog-lamp surrounds whereas the GR Sport was fitted with its own unique grille. Small silver accents can be found close to the fog-lamps on the Legend 50 to match the lower bumper guard which is finished in the same silver while those same accents come in either white or red, depending on the body colour of the vehicle, on the GR Sport. At the rear, you will find smoked tail-lamps above the blacked-out rear bumper and additional GR Sport decals on the premium model while at the front of the vehicles, LED headlamps with daytime running lights.

On the sides of the bakkie, the black protective mouldings and side steps in addition to the chrome mirrors and door handles sets the Legend apart from standard derivatives while the GR Sport continues with the blacked-out theme on the mirrors and door handles. At the rear, a low-profile tow bar comes fitted as standard. Fitted to each corner you will find Legend 50-specific two-tone 18” alloy wheels while the GR Sport comes fitted with GR-Sport specific 17” alloy wheels. On the interior, you will find black leather with blue perforation on the seats and contrast stitching to both the double cab and the single cab Legend variants while the GR Sport derivative comes unique with red interior accents and red contrast stitching in addition to the GR Sport embroidering and branded production plate. Fitted to the instrument cluster surrounded by gloss-black panel trim you will find a 4.2-inch TFT Display with which the driver can access vehicle information with the use of steering wheel control.

The facia on both models includes a larger 8.0-inch display fitted flush, and can be controlled using the touch screen interface or the rotary dials. The infotainment also comes with USB, Bluetooth and Aux interfaces and features satellite navigation, DVD and a reverse camera. Adding to the list of technology included on the Xtra cab and double cab derivatives is the new Smart entry or rather keyless entry and push-button start. ABS, VSC, EBD, Brake Assist and Hill-assist Control come fitted as standard on all new Legend models.

Connecting this technology to the road is the upgraded and tuned suspension from Gazoo Racing. Even though monotube shock absorbers are fitted, the revised damping and increased spring rates produce a sporty ride quality without sacrificing ride comfort. The leaf springs were left unaltered to retain the original payload capabilities.

The single-, Xtra- and double cab models will be available with the Legend 50 modifications. The single cab and Xtra cab derivatives will be powered by a 2.8-litre diesel engine able to produce 130 kW and 420 N.m of torque coupled to the manual transmission while the automatic transmission will see to it that the torque increase to 450 N.m. The double cab Legend 50 can be specified with either the same 2.8-litre diesel engine or a 4.0-litre V6 which exclusively comes with 4×4 and an automatic gearbox. The GR Sport derivative which will be limited to 600 units, comes fitted with a 2.8 turbodiesel engine delivering 130 kW and 450 Nm, coupled exclusively to a 6-speed automatic transmission and a ‘switch-on-the-fly’ 4WD transaxle.

Driving impression

Legend 50

Not much has changed under the skin of the Hilux Legend 50 and on the tar roads of Botswana, which are surprisingly good, the Hilux went about its business with little effort.

However, on our journey, we navigated some gravel roads which as you can imagine were not as well kept as their tar road alternatives. The Hilux Legend 50 is able to deal with the ruts and bumps with ease; however, the slightly softer suspension does tend to cause the car to float a bit, especially at speed. The steering could also be considered slightly vague with little feel, that said, the Legend 50 balances on the road and off-road driving performance admirably.

The Hilux GR Sport

Now the Hilux GR Sport is not a Ford Ranger Raptor competitor however it does feature slight suspension upgrades which benefitted its off-road abilities.

My first experience was on tar where I instantly noticed the ride to be much firmer than that of the Legend 50. The Legend 50 was better on the tar, but what about the gravel? This is where the GR Sport really comes into its own as I discovered just after crossing over into Zimbabwe where a long gravel road stretched before us. It was littered with rocks and bumps. The upgraded front suspension fitted in the GR Sport dealt with the bumps and ruts much better than the Legend 50; I had much more confidence taking on the gravel surface at speed. With that said, I still found the ride to be harsh and found myself preferring the compliancy offered in the Legend 50.

However, many motoring scribes who also attended the event had different opinions with some preferring the GR Sport, claiming that the ride was more comfortable. In my opinion, I prefer Legend 50 not just for its ride quality but its styling as well.

Pricing, warranty and maintenance

All Hilux models including the GR Sport come with a 3-year/100 000 km warranty. A 9-services/90 000 km service plan is standard on all models. Customers can also purchase extended service plans via their Toyota dealer.