Always wanted something as gangster as a white Fortuner? Well, this one is even more than that. The Toyota Hilux is basically a Fortuner pick-up truck, now available to buy in India. It happens to be very mod-friendly as well, with enthusiasts importing parts from around the world – after all, the Hilux is a global icon. This particular Hilux comes with tonnes of GR and TRD accessories, making this build cost almost as much as the truck does. The Hilux has legitimate off-road abilities in its stock form, being the truck of choice for adventurers, armies and sometimes even the bad guys. But that just goes to show what an incredibly versatile vehicle it is. This particular one might not have ventured too far out of the city just yet but both the visual and performance mods lend it real cred both on and off-road.
Some trucks just blend in but this Hilux stands out like a diamond in a sea of pebbles. While the Fortuner is 4.8m long, the Hilux stands at 5.3m, making it one of the longest cars on Indian roads. The exterior features a blacked out theme with a GR grille, gloss-black painted roof, door handles and mirror caps. On the front, there’s a light bar (right in-your-face) and headlights get a laser projector upgrade. There are rocker lights on top of the bonnet, on the roof as well as on the sides, which make it a mini-sun with all of it on. It wears black Rays wheels on a fresh set of chunky 18-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres with 30mm spacers. To protect it on off-road trails, it gets a Wurth full underbody protection with recovery hooks for the front and rear end. While the Hilux misses out on a lot of OEM features, the mods on this one certainly fill all voids. It gets a 360-degree camera, electronic trunk shutter, rear defogger and a rear foldable step, for easy access. The most impressive of all is the trunk, which gets a 35-litre refrigerator and two DC charging points. This truck also gets a Tough Dog suspension kit and TRD performance dampers.
You are greeted with an interior that’s like a playground for enthusiasts — complete with all the gizmos and carbonfibre panels you could ever want. It gets a carbonfibre TRD steering wheel, kevlar TRD gearknob, hydro-dipped carbonfibre panels with red accents and a TRD roll-bar. The seats are custom fitted with Terracotta colour Italian leather and the headliner has also been changed to black. The centre console gets physical switches in place of dead buttons, to operate essential add-on features like rocker lights, the light bar, electronic shutter and the refrigerator. The Hilux also gets the Evcx U9 throttle controller for improved throttle response. To support the relay of the 360-degree camera, the infotainment system has been replaced with a 10.1-inch Sony screen and music is blasted inside through a 10-speaker Focal sound system, paired with two Helix four-channel amplifiers and a Rockford Fosgate subwoofer. The entire cabin gets ambient lighting and there’s also a dashcam installed with front and rear visual recording.
The Hilux houses the same 2.8-litre diesel engine that does duty in the Fortuner as well. This one gets a Celtic Tuning stage 1 ECU remap that results in the engine putting out 241bhp (+40bhp) and 540Nm (+40Nm). For improved breathability, there’s a K&N performance air intake system and a custom stainless-steel exhaust end can. The bonnet also gets Toyota gas struts. With tonnes of aftermarket equipment and wiring, there had to be a way to not hamper the car’s OEM electricals, so, this Hilux gets an extra fuse box for all the external electrical accessories like the lights, electronic shutter, DC charging points, refrigerator and the rear-defogger.
The Indian market hasn’t taken to the Hilux like it has to the Fortuner, with an average of only 200 units being sold in a month but with massive ten to twelve lakh rupee discounts that are currently being offered, the Hilux is a steal deal. A modded example like this also shows you how far you can go to personalise it to suit your tastes, whether it’s to get it more capable for off-road driving, make it a more comfy city slicker or just pimp it out to look insanely cool. Which direction would you take your Hilux in?
This car has been modified and built at 4 Seasons Auto in Mumbai. They can be contacted at +91 9820289737.