After an outcry following its launch last year in Australia, the widebody Toyota Hilux GR Sport III has officially debuted in South Africa.
Now similar to the model showcased in Australia, the most aggressive looking Hilux ever made is likely to see its stock increase further.above the GR Sport not only ended almost four years of speculative report, but also the prospect of a Hilux directly aimed at the Ford Ranger Raptor.
In this regard, the launch route from Gqeberha to George was anything but a drive up the N2 as it also included gravel, witnessing the shocking state of the Bloukrans Pass on the Eastern Cape side, and taking part in some dune driving on a section of privately owned beach.Before this though, there is the issue of styling that necessitated the call for Toyota to avail the GR-S III rather than prevailing with the less dramatic GR-S II.
Besides the 20 mm hike in ground clearance compared to a regular Hilux, the GR-S III also gains standard rock sliders and improved approach and departure angles of 30° and 26° respectively. Inside, the Hilux GR-S III’s bespoke touches are more restrained than exterior, but also less showy than that of the GR-S II.
Remaining are the red seatbelts, alloy pedals, gear shift paddles, the Toyota Gazoo Racing plaque at the base of the gear lever, and two buttons marked Eco and PWR. Indeed, while a few bog-downs did occur, albeit due to a lack of momentum, staying in the tracks while keeping the revs-up in low range, and then scaling a towering dune proved no worry as the GR-S ultimately felt capable enough where a standard Hilux might struggle.
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