Toyota has a busy 2022. A minimum of five product launches are part of the action plan, and one of them is already amongst us – the updated Camry Hybrid. What you see here is the second offering. It’s called the Hilux. Toyota has started accepting bookings for the pickup, while the launch event is scheduled for March 2022. The minimum token amount is Rs 50,000.

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way first. The Hilux will be assembled alongside the Fortuner and Innova Crysta at Toyota’s plant in Bengaluru. Also, the pickup borrows the platform and several other bits and pieces from the other two models listed above. And the newcomer is big, as it measures 5,325mm in length, 1,855mm in width, and 1,815mm in height. To put those numbers in perspective, the Hilux is over half-a-metre longer than the Fortuner and just as wide.

Toyota has devised three variants of the Hilux – STD MT and High MT and High AT. Both come with the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel mill that powers the Fortuner with 201bhp/500Nm (420Nm with MT) on tap. Like the Fortuner, the Hilux has two transmission options – a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter. No matter which engine-transmission combo you choose, a 4×4 system will accompany that by default.

Features? The list includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone automatic climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps and DRLs and a tyre angle monitor. Other features, such as leather upholstery, active traction control system, seven airbags, auto-dimming IRVM and a limited-slip differential, are also part of the package.

The Hilux will come with a 3-year/1 lakh km warranty as standard. And yes, those who want can also purchase an extension on that. Toyota says that deliveries will commence around the same time as the price announcement. Expect the Hilux to start north of Rs 30 lakh. As for the rivals, it has just one – the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross.