Hilux 4x4 reviews

[Acer Forestry]

About to a buy a Hilux to replace the old 110, interested in pros and cons of say, the Mark 3's. Seem very sturdy, reliable and relatively free of some of the (loveable?) hassles that go with older Landies. If any member knows of major cons that i may have missed feel free to let me know.

[Paul Barton]

Had one for a bit over two years and loved it. Very reliable and surprisingly cheap to run - I had a 2.4 diesel rather than the petrol.

 

Only negatives that I found were:

1. poorer performance off road with no weight in the back.

2. replaced seals round ball joints as these kept leaking - apparently fairly common.

3. guzzled fuel on the motorway but I expected that

 

I didn't pay much for mine which was a 1990 G reg but it did me proud. Great for ferrying loads of logs, pulling the chip truck out of the mud and pulling over big trees.

[garth mc garth]

mark 3 models are sturdier built than later IFS trucks. better off road with solid axles too.

mark 3 look for rot in the wheel arches, mud can collect behind the plastic arch liner if off roaded alot.

diffs are only 7.5 inch so not as strong as the landcruiser diffs, look for backlash in the driveline if its done alot of towing

suspension wise they are spot on, ride can be a little harsh if u run heavy springs

play in the steering can most of the time be put down to drag link on front axle needing tightening, or spring replacement. dead cheap tho.

engine wise they are pretty sluggish but reliable, i have seen them with over 340k on the clock and running spot on. do however look th the top of the radiator for leaks, where the top section is pressed onto the core they can sometimes leak around there.

[josharb87]

great truck, i had an early mk3 (1989 f reg) 2.4 diesel 4x4

 

2.4D is a fantastic engine

 

genuine parts are dear, so dont go down that route!

 

only thing that wound me up was the free-wheeling hubs, after driving landys, having to get out to get 4wd was inconvenient

 

used to do a lot of motorway miles too-cambridge to guildford and back most weekendss, was comfy enough to sit at 80 although did then make fuel economy high teens!

 

loved it, wouldnt hesitate to get another one

 

sold it with over 160 000 miles

 

no real cons of owning one, although, if i were to be looking at a hilux, id prob go for the mk4 to get front coil springs and turbo if you reguarly tow anything more than 3/4tonne think itd make a big difference

[Billy Goat Gruff]

I have a 110 pick up and also a mk3 Hilux, The landie is better at towing as it has a 2.5 turbo, and will happily pull any thing. The Hilux has a 2.4 non turbo engine and when it's pulling a couple of ton behind, it's a strugle up the hills.

The landie is a pain to maintain, Where as the Hilux never goes wrong, is comfy to drive and cruising to look at jobs.

DO NOT GO TO MAIN DEALERS FOR SPARES, they are three times the price that you will pay on line.

GO TO : http://www.roughtrax4x4.com

These are a specialist Toyota Hilux spares suppliers, and are really cheap and very helpfull, based in Bristol, but offer full on line spares etc.

One Life Live it..... Drive a Hilux

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

great truck, i had an early mk3 (1989 f reg) 2.4 diesel 4x4

 

2.4D is a fantastic engine

 

genuine parts are dear, so dont go down that route!

 

only thing that wound me up was the free-wheeling hubs, after driving landys, having to get out to get 4wd was inconvenient

 

used to do a lot of motorway miles too-cambridge to guildford and back most weekendss, was comfy enough to sit at 80 although did then make fuel economy high teens!

 

loved it, wouldnt hesitate to get another one

 

sold it with over 160 000 miles

 

no real cons of owning one, although, if i were to be looking at a hilux, id prob go for the mk4 to get front coil springs and turbo if you reguarly tow anything more than 3/4tonne think itd make a big difference

 

Second that.

[woodplans]

I have run hilux trucks for the last 4 years, current one is an ozzie import with uprated suspension and a 3.0 Diesel, its a true workhorse. Never had any probs with either, done over 100,000 miles in hilux's. Just make sure you grease the uj's if towing alot or offroad. I agree that it can be a pain to get out and switch the hubs over to 4x4 but its a minor concern. I have been debating a new truck for the past year or so but am loath to part with this one it is bomb proof, i am not convinced that the new models are built quite so well.

[garth mc garth]

i had a mk3 and now upgraded to a mk4 tipper. bloody good vehicles. if the manual hubs thing bothers you then just get auto locking hubs, they not too expensive

[Topcat]

have had a 01 for 5 yrs with 145K on the clock, Good all round motor just sold a 02 to a friend for £2300 + vat. Just did not seem as good to drive as my 01. This is the 3rd one I've had and touch wood never had a major problem.Wish I could have said the same for the disco

[davobob]

Cant go wrong with the mark 3. Had two of them in the past. Only thing to let them down is the leaf springs are a bit soft so they wallow a bit esp after getting out of a landrover. And towing performance isnt great. Apart from that bullet proof.

You should also consider mk 1 D22 Navara which I moved onto from the hiluxs. Good truck, as good a truck as hilux,if not better IMO