Bare Necessities

We take the updated Hilux SRX 2.4 for a spin to see if it’s worth the money upgrading to the higher-spec 2.8, or not

- Andrew Middleton

After its must anticipated launch last year, the Hilux has been selling like hotcakes, and we were adamant that, for the money, the base SRX 2.4 was pick of the bunch. Unfortunately, at launch, the SRX came with steel wheels and a ‘narrow body’ style without flared wheel arches, making it look like a work truck. The other marques jumped at the chance to leverage more volumes in this sector, so Toyota quickly plugged the perceived price/value gap.

The 2017 update has remedied these woes and added 55mm to the body width through flared wheel arches, just like its 2.8-litre ‘Raider’ sibling. Alloy wheels have also been taken from the Raider, along with the shared 265/65 R17 rubber, and anyone who does serious off-roading will not miss the chrome that’s lacking on the SRX grille, mirrors and door handles − all replaced by black plastic items. Fog lights are also missing, and rather sombre blanks take their place. Still, the overall effect is not down market.