Celebrating 50 years of Toyota Hilux in South Africa – The Legend 50 and Hilux GR-Sport

By Chad Luckhoff

We drive the new Toyota Hilux Legend 50 and Hilux GR Sport across Southern Africa noting the specific changes to both versions on a three-day excursion into three countries.

The Toyota Hilux is a staple on South African roads. It's entrenched in the hearts of many South Africans whether you're a current owner, a former owner or just an enthusiast. It's a South African icon, mobilizing thousands, helping their businesses, allowing them to explore more corners of the country. Just about everyone has a Hilux story.

There's no denying that the Hilux is a massive success for Toyota as well and last month alone they moved over 4000 units. They celebrated 35 years of the Hilux in SA with the Legend 35, reprising the theme with the legend 40 and again with the Legend 45 in 2014. Five years down the line and they're marking half a centenary with the new Legend 50.

In true iconic, Southern African fashion, we spent several days crisscrossing Southern African borders with the Legend 50 and the new Hilux GR Sport, on the tarmac and gravel paths of Botswana, Zimbabwe and even venturing into Zambia (albeit with a different form of transport). The time behind the wheel allowing us to reacquaint ourselves with the legend that is the Hilux.


The Toyota Hilux Legend 50

All the Raider models receive the Legend 50 treatment, from manual Single Cabs through to the 4.0 V6 4x4 Double Cab – our chosen whip was the 2.8 GD-6 4x4 double cab with a manual gearbox.

While not a performance or drivetrain package, the Legend 50 celebrates the heritage of the Hilux with a host of cosmetic and tech enhancements to make the experience that little bit sweeter. Blacked out upper and lower grilles set the tone with the fog lamp surrounds receiving a similar treatment. These surrounds are then edged with either a white or red detail stripe, depending on the vehicle body colour. LED headlights and daytime running lights are standard fare but are offset by the Legend 50 badge in the grille.

Chrome mirrors and door handles grace the sides with black protective mouldings on the Xtra Cab and Double Cab variants while a tonneau cover and black styling bar with Legend 50 detailing grace the load bin.

A black bumper at the rear and smoked taillights complement the standard fitment tow bar while the whole ensemble rolls on a set of Legend 50-specific 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/60R18 AT tyres.

Black leather adorns the interior of the Xtra and Double Cab models, lined with blue stitching and offsetting the chrome garnish that has been added to the dashboard. The white-faced gauges have a mechanical look and feel to them and still features the 4.2-inch information display in the centre.

The big change is the fitment of the new infotainment system that answers our calls for a tactile interface. Where previous units were fitted with full-touchscreen items, the new infotainment (which can now also be found on Fortuner models) has two banks of buttons for shortcuts and track skipping while a physical tuning and volume knob rest in the lower corners. This 8-inch unit features DVD, USB, Bluetooth and Aux inputs but still lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Legend 50 also gets smart entry and push-button start.


The Toyota Hilux GR Sport

Gazoo Racing. It may have an unconventional name but it is one that is steeped in racing pedigree. As goofy as the name sounds, there's nothing goofy about the way they execute modifications and upgrades.

Formed in the crucible that is motorsport, the Gazoo Racing department offers several different tiers of upgrade. We drove the Toyota Yaris GRMN and walked away suitably impressed with the thought and consideration to creating a well-rounded package, one that feels more than just an afterthought.

GR Parts offer cosmetic upgrades and forms part of the lowest GR tier. Above this is GR Sport that focusses on suspension upgrades. GR is one level higher and caters for performance upgrades while the GRMN tier tops the hierarchy and is the complete high-performance package.

The Hilux GR Sport is Hilux offering with suspension changes and tweaks then with GR having changed the front end to incorporate monotube shock absorbers, stiffer front springs and revised suspension geometry to provide additional stiffness and damping while feeding more information through to the driver.

This has proven to be rather effective and the GR Sport was my pick of the bunch, offering much-improved steering feel both on the road and off it, only mildly compromising on ride comfort.

In order to retain as much ride quality as possible, Toyota has fitted the GR Sport with slightly smaller 17-inch alloy wheels. Toyota has not changed anything on the rear suspension, allowing the GR Sport to retain its full load rating and practicality.

Visually, the GR Sport is striking with its Gazoo Racing livery. In addition to the decals, the front grille is redesigned to incorporate a nameplate badge up front and Gazoo Racing badge alongside it. The bonnet is black, but this is only noticeable when selecting the white or red GR Sport as the black one sees it blend into the bodywork. White fog lamp bezels offset the black grille, as do the black mirrors and door handles.

Branded side steps and black over-fenders are complemented by the aforementioned black alloys wheels and GR decals. The rear bumper gets black side pods and the tailgate gets GR badging. The taillights are smoked, as with the Legend 50, and a GR Sport styling bar and rubberized load bin complete the look.

The interior gets a dash of colour with a red accent stripe either side of the steering wheel along with red stitching on the leather and GR embroidery on the seat backs. Just below the gear lever, you will find a GR plaque with the unique model series number. This has been included because the GR Sport is limited to only 600 units.

The GR Sport also gets the new infotainment system.


Verdict

The Legend 50 will undoubtedly move in significant numbers as enthusiasts clammer to get hold of one of these iconic vehicles. The Legend 45 remains a popular used car buy and allows sellers to ask higher-than-average prices for the privilege.

It still drives as well as a regular 2.8 GD-6 but just feels that little bit more special. The infotainment is a wonderful upgrade and the Legend 50 stands out from the crowd in a subtle yet stylish manner.

My personal pick is the GR Sport. It's racy looks aside, I appreciated the improved feedback which allowed me to tackle the dirt and gravel with confidence.


Pricing

Legend 50

Single Cab
Hilux SC 2.8 GD-6 RB Legend 50 MT - R 472 000
Hilux SC 2.8 GD-6 RB Legend 50 AT - R 491 100
Hilux SC 2.8 GD-6 4X4 Legend 50 MT - R 537 700
Hilux SC 2.8 GD-6 4X4 Legend 50 AT - R 557 100

Xtra Cab
Hilux XC 2.8 GD-6 RB Legend 50 MT - R 511 100
Hilux XC 2.8 GD-6 RB Legend 50 AT - R 530 200
Hilux XC 2.8 GD-6 4X4 Legend 50 MT - R 578 800
Hilux XC 2.8 GD-6 4X4 Legend 50 AT - R 598 200

Double Cab
Hilux DC 2.8 GD-6 RB Legend 50 MT - R 579 100
Hilux DC 2.8 GD-6 RB Legend 50 AT - R 598 500
Hilux DC 2.8 GD-6 4X4 Legend 50 MT - R 647 600
Hilux DC 2.8 GD-6 4X4 Legend 50 AT - R 668 800
Hilux DC 4.0 V6 4X4 Legend 50 AT - R 712 100


GR Sport Limited Edition

Hilux 2.8 GD-6 4x4 GR Sport AT - R 707 400