Toyota Hilux (2025) 2.8 GD-6 48V double cab 4x4 Raider Review
The higher-specified Toyota Hilux models got an additional hybrid boost last year, and Raider models also gained loads of new goodies. We're driving the 2.8 GD-6 48V double cab 4x4 Raider around town and the countryside to find out what kind of commuter it makes.
While we wait with bated breath for the new model to launch (hopefully in 2026!), the latest Toyota Hilux Raider 48V 4x4 reaffirms its dominance in the bakkie segment with "new-energy efficiency", rugged capability, and a price tag that undercuts many of its rivals. But is that mild-hybrid system all it's cracked up to be?
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Styling
The Hilux Raider maintains its muscular, no-nonsense aesthetic but also gains a brand-new blacked-out honeycomb grille, LED headlights, and skid plates for off-road durability. Black 17-inch alloy wheels (265/65 R17 tyres) and black side steps (standard!) balance functionality and style, allowing shorter individuals to easily slide into the passenger seats. New LED fog lamps and taillights modernise its look, while the black door handles and rear latch look more ready for serious work than the previous chrome ones. Our test model also had a sports bar and nudge bar fitted to look extra menacing.
Read our Hilux Raider 48V launch report review from 2024 here.
Space and Comfort
The Hilux interior may be getting a little long in the tooth, but after spending hours in the daily school traffic, I realised once again why South Africans can't get enough of this bakkie. Everything just works! From an infotainment perspective, it may not be as technologically advanced as the fancy-pants Ranger and Amarok, but you need hardly any brain cells to operate the controls. General ergonomics score top marks.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, but you have to plug in your phone via the one USB-C port. Bluetooth can also be used for wire-free usage. Once I employed Bluetooth, I was duly impressed by the JBL sound system's quality; the young ones fought over who gets to play their respective Spotify favourites. And, if you have to charge a laptop, there's a 2-point plug hiding in the central armrest cubby.
Related: Toyota Hilux GR-Sport III Review (2024)
Should you need to plug in more devices via a portable USB charging hub, there are 2 x 12V sockets below the climate controls, and thankfully, you don't have to freeze while your partner is perfectly comfortable; each front occupant chooses their temperature of choice. On hot February days, I appreciated the ultra-potent air-con that cools the entire cabin within two minutes, even after baking in the sun. The air vents are perfectly positioned, blowing on your face or body, not your hands or elsewhere.
Related: For Ranger Platinum review (2024)
The rear seats (with 3 x 3-point seatbelts!) offer enough support, and the new leather covers enhance the leisure bakkie vibe. Plus, there's a central armrest with cupholders for the rear passengers. Three adults will easily fit across the back seat side by side, with decent legroom.
The driver will be thrilled to hear that their seat gets 8-way power adjustment and a push-button start, teamed with keyless entry for easy access or to lock the bakkie when their hands are full of Woollies bags.
Electric seat adjustment for the driver is a luxury that is now a standard feature in the 2.8-litre Raider.
The Drive
Let me start by saying how I love that leather-covered steering wheel; it's the perfect thickness and design, plus the leather feels like excellent quality. Once you press the start button and the refined diesel engine starts up, you can feel that something is different, in a good way! The steering also has a wonderful firmness - none of that over-assisted nonsense found in so many 'SUV-like' bakkies. And the leather-covered door armrests are cushioned for your elbows' comfort.
Related: VW Amarok Aventura video review
As I've previously mentioned, this Hilux gets a mild-hybrid system, not like the big-battery kind employed in the Corolla Cross, which allows the car to be driven on electric power alone at times; this system employs a motor-generator driven by the engine (via a belt system), which charges a compact 48V lithium battery—weighing just 7.6 kg—tucked beneath the rear seats.
I also found the stop-start system to be so seamless that it wasn't the first thing I switched off when I turned the car on.
Performance
While the hybrid system doesn't offer a crazy power boost (the mild-hybrid system offers an additional 12kW and 65Nm only), it makes things feel much smoother, and acceleration is a little better. Plus, the fact that the stop-start system doesn't switch off the air-conditioning when you're stuck in stationary traffic is a godsend.
Other benefits of the 48-Volt MHEV system include a lower idling speed and, therefore, less load on the engine, along with fuel savings. Toyota says that when covering rougher, off-road surfaces, the motor generator enhances the Hilux’s ability to overcome obstacles. Still, we didn't do any serious off-roading, just the normal country dirt roads where the Hilux felt like it belonged.
Power figures are rated at a healthy 150kW and 500 Nm, and thanks to the motor generator, the throttle is nicely responsive, in case you have to put foot and get ahead of an annoying truck or two. Not once did I feel like I needed additional horses under the bakkie's bonnet, and there's not much turbo lag.
This Hilux also gets MTS or Multi-Terrain Select, which helps you easily navigate different off-road surfaces. The Hilux's towing capacity is 3500 kg braked and 750 kg unbraked, and despite the hybrid goodies, it still has a wading depth of 700 mm.
Fuel Consumption
With its innovative hybrid magic, this Hilux doesn't guzzle fuel; it's a relatively moderate drinker despite the heavy all-wheel-drive system that includes the low-range transfer case and the heavy extras like the bull bar. Toyota reckons the average fuel consumption should be plus or minus 8.0 L/100 km, yet our average hovers around 9.2 L/100km, the going rate for double-cabs with similarly sized engines. So yes, there's a fuel saving but it's not massive.
You also have an Eco driving mode for further savings or stick to Normal mode. Sport mode feels quite sporty, which can be enjoyable when you're trying to catch a flight or need a bit of grunt injected into your humdrum existence, but don't expect Ford Raptor performance!
Safety
Toyota doesn't skimp on safety and this Hilux gets seven airbags, traction and stability control, hill-descent control and hill-start assistance, cruise control, a multi-function steering wheel, remote central locking and keyless access, child locks, Isofix on the outer rear seats, automatic LED daytime running lamps (with follow-me-home functionality) and LED front fog lamps, park-distance control in the front and rear, a rearview camera, and an alarm and immobiliser.
Price
The Hilux 28 GD-6 48V double cab 4x4 Raider retails from R876 600. It takes on big-name bakkies like the VW Amarok 2.0BiTDI double cab Life 4Motion at R871 200, the D-Max 3.0TD double cab V-Cross at R873 300, Ford Ranger 2.0BiTurbo double cab XLT 4x4 (R888 500), and the more affordable, newly launched Mitsubishi Triton 2.4D-D double cab Xtreme 4x4 at R849 990. (Watch as we compare the new Triton to the Ford Ranger in this video.)
Buying used? Read our Toyota Hilux 2.4 GD-6 double cab Raider auto(2022) Review
The Verdict
The hardy Toyota Hilux proves you can teach an old dog new tricks. It’s the boss of balance—whether you're in it for the daily grind or weekend thrill-chases, it’s ready to go the distance, and I loved driving it every day. Since one of the benefits of a mild-hybrid system is that it improves engine longevity, it will be interesting to see how these Hiluxes age. Fortunately, Toyota has been building hybrid cars for a very long time.
