Never Gonna Give You Up...

A big and lazy diesel engine, a manual transmission, and selectable 4x4 drive make for maximum simplicity and a lot of engaging fun. We drive the Hilux and see how it fits into the local urban and suburban scenario. How does it fare? Let's find out

- Jim Gorde

THE TERM "LIVING LEGEND" IS NORMALLY accorded to a different species but, like Rick Astley, the Toyota Hilux makes a point and a good one, with an enviable history and desirability factor that set it apart from the rest. The fact that it is a pick-up truck helps it stand out head and shoulders above the rest without a shadow of a doubt. So, what makes the Hilux all that awesome? We drove the automatic version in Rishikesh early last year and, now, we get to sample the good ol' manual version, with that incredible turbo-diesel workhorse of an engine, around more familiar territory in the city of Pune.

For a truck, the Hilux is quite accommodating, to say the least. It's easy to get comfortable in, five adult passengers can be seated in comfort for drives short and long, and it has all the goodies and equipment of a proper premium SUV-being a Fortuner with the third row replaced by a truck bed measuring 1,450 x 1,450 millimetres. The ladder frame remains with the body on top, but the rear suspension is a set of leaf springs. More significantly, the wheelbase is 340 mm longer and the overall length is, thus, 5,325 mm-making it more than half a metre longer than the Fortuner. Plus, it has a generous ground clearance as well as approach and departure angles.