Toyota updates HiLux and Fortuner for 2022

TOYOTA Australia has rolled out a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it update for its HiLux and Fortuner families, with small improvements to the standard equipment list accompanying similarly minor increases to retail pricing.

Toyota Connected Services, the company’s suite of telematics technology, is now standard on all HiLux and Fortuner variants, bringing the ability for drivers to request emergency help from a Toyota call centre via an ‘SOS’ button in the cabin.

In the event of a serious impact, such as one resulting in airbag deployment, the system can automatically call the emergency services and relay the vehicle’s position.       

Stolen vehicles can also be remotely tracked through Toyota Connected services, however this capability, like the system’s SOS function, is dependent on the car being in an area with sufficient 4G and GPS coverage.

The only other range-wide change for the HiLux is the substitution of the high-profile roof antenna that sat just above the windscreen with a more aerodynamic ‘shark fin’ type that Toyota says should be less prone to damage from overhead objects.

Stepping up to the updated HiLux SR5 yields an upgrade from single-zone climate control to dual-zone. The same upgrade has been applied to GXL and Crusade versions of the Fortuner as well, both of which made do with just single-zone climate control previously. 

At the top of the range, the HiLux Rogue gains a panoramic view camera mode, which stitches together vision from multiple cameras to present a top-down view of what is around the vehicle to aid parking or off-roading.

The Fortuner Crusade is the biggest beneficiary of the MY22 update, adding blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert to a safety suite that already includes autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and active cruise control. Like the HiLux Rogue, a panoramic-view parking camera is now standard on the Fortuner Crusade.

A minor additional change to the Fortuner’s spec sheet would be difficult for even the most ardent egghead to pick out; for the entry-level GX, an instrument cluster dimmer switch has been added.

These spec upgrades are in return for small bumps to retail pricing, all models rising by at least $635 and bringing the price of entry to the HiLux family to $24,225 before on-road costs for the HiLux Workmate 4x2 petrol single-cab chassis.

HiLux SR5 variants jump by $760, now starting at $54,450 plus on-roads in SR5 Hi-Rider 4x2 dual-cab form or $58,680 for its 4x4 equivalent, while the Rogue’s retail sticker increases by $1210, now $70,200 + ORC.

The HiLux Rugged X remains at the top of the totem at $70,750 before costs, a $760 increase over last year’s price tag.

Meanwhile, the SR+ grade has been quietly discontinued for the 2022 model year.

The Fortuner continues with a three-variant line-up, with similar price movements to its HiLux cousin. The base-grade GX rises by $635, the mid-spec GXL is up by $735 and the flagship Fortuner Crusade increases by $1535.

GX Nav and GXL with Premium Interior option packages remain, although pricing for those variants were yet to be locked in at time of publishing.

All other specifications for the HiLux and Fortuner remain the same. A 122kW/245Nm 2.7-litre petrol four-cylinder continues to serve as the entry point engine in the 4x2 HiLux Workmate, with a 100kW/400Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel available in 4x4 Workmates and 4x2 Workmate Hi-Riders. 

SR and SR5 variants take power from a 150kW 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, which was introduced to the HiLux range in August last year and generates 420Nm of torque when paired with a six-speed manual, or a far more sizable 500Nm when equipped with a six-speed automatic. The same engine is also standard-issue in the range-topping HiLux Rogue and HiLux Rugged X.

All engines are available with either a manual (five-speed for the 2.7L petrol, six-speed for the 2.4L and 2.8L diesels), or a six-speed automatic. The Rogue and Rugged X are strictly auto-only.  

With 4x4 ute sales going gangbusters right now, the HiLux has been moving plenty of metal for Toyota. So far this year 25,772 HiLux 4x4s have rolled out of showrooms, with 4x2 variants adding another 6914 units on top of that.

In the popular 4x4 pickup category, those numbers equate to a 33.3 per cent rise on the model’s sales performance at this time last year – just slightly behind the segment average of 35.6 per cent growth.

And with 32,686 HiLux sales to date in 2021, the nameplate accounts for just over 24 per cent of total pickup and cab-chassis sales so far. Nearly one out of every four utes sold in this country is a HiLux, but according to Toyota there are more sales being left on the table due to supply constraints at key component suppliers in Taiwan.

“We anticipate some ongoing impact to overall supply in the coming months, due to COVID-19 restrictions, whereby supply of components sourced from Taiwan for Thailand HiLux/Fortuner production lines are being impacted, causing some interruptions,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson told GoAuto.

The Fortuner isn’t quite the sales darling as its HiLux cousin. Like the ute category, the large SUV segment is also experiencing substantial sales growth this year – and so too is the Fortuner, having racked up a 49.3 per cent increase in sales volume over this time last year, well ahead of the segment average that is up 34.0 per cent.

However, with just 3663 Fortuners sold year-to-date, the HiLux-based SUV only accounts for 3.4 per cent of the segment – a far cry from stablemate Prado’s 18.3 per cent market share.

Nevertheless, the 2022 update confirms that the Fortuner still has a part to play in Toyota Australia’s SUV strategy as a seven-seat diesel alternative to the petrol-powered Kluger, and a more affordable option to the crowd-pleasing Prado.

2022 Toyota Fortuner pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs

2022 Toyota HiLux pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs