Hi sifu2. I'm planning to get the 2.8 L Edition hilux. So far i have read multiple responses & thoughts on hilux. Not much info from real owners to weigh the pros & cons.

Cut the story short, i have some questions below & do share your feedback.
1. Should i wait for the new model? The current model looks fine to me. Not for off-roading purposes. City driving but tough enough to handle road potholes & minor flood.
2. Does anyone know when is the release date for the new 2020 model?
3. Has the driving & comfort improved for 2.8 L Edition? I did a test drive and i love the driving experience. Owners ' driving it for >6 months may have a different view 😂

P/S : i have narrowed down my options from Navara (interior is too simple for the 120k price) & Triton (features are impressive but still a lot of plastic interior finish) . Wildtrak is just too expensive to maintain & after sales service i heard is a nightmare.

how about Isuzu D-Max??

Especially the X-series

This post has been edited by nebula87: Jun 3 2019, 08:34 AM

just buy.

last time i drive hilux 2.5 (company car) and it really tahan lasak.

never gv me problem. can travel everyday more than 100km without problem.

Tempting but the interior is a bit too old school for me. Just my personal preference. The exterior however, is dayum tough.

99% buying. The presence on the road is aggressively commanding which i really like.
Hopefully can get more feedback from hilux owners like yourself.

First off, do you have any experience owning any 4WDs?

From experience of being given one as a company vehicle, the one I was given was a 2.8l 2016 model. It was one of the earliest ones to be registered in the country.

Problems? None up until April when I returned it.

Pros :
1) Reliable and durable.
2) Fantastic offroad.

Cons :-
1) FC a bit on the high side.
2) Underpowered for a 2.8l
3) Unrefined power train, feels very much like a commercial vehicle.
4) Ride and handling felt very agriculture.
5) Kind of expensive to buy.

Worth buying? I wouldn't buy one if I had to pay for it myself

So the ride is still agriculture? I should have test driven it a lot more. Wah... You seriously wont consider to buy one ah? Hehe

Yes, ive driven quite a fair number of pickups. Hilux , Triton & isuzu. But those were the old model. Way 5 years back. So, i like to believe much improvement in comfort & other features for the new ones.

I agreed that it's underpowered being 2.8L compared to navara or triton. Of course ford is on top of the crowd. but IMHO the acceleration is still decent though. FC is quite common for such a big vehicle. I heard Isuzu leads the pack in FC.

Thanks for your feedback.

Yes the ride is still agriculture. Does not appear they have made much progress from the previous gen to the current gen.

The one that made the biggest improvement from previous to current gen is the Triton. Definitely one to consider for its ride and handling. The Navara isn't bad too but I think it should be better considering it utilises coil springs rather than leafs.

That 2.8l is underpowered compared to every other pickup engine on the except those in a D-Max or those China branded pickups. In terms of engine output the Navara is good but you have to buy the very top of the range to get the good power train. The current Ranger has a new engine and gearbox. In terms of engine output and performance this is the one to beat right now.

I was considering a Ranger XLT+ with the new engine and 10speed gearbox, a very good engine and gearbox but it is still the same ole same ole Ranger essentially from 7 years ago. Not a bad thing but the design is starting to date.

Yes I definitely won't have a Hilux if I had to pay my own money for it.

Actually the ride of facelifted limited edition model are more harsh compare to normal model that came with thicker tyre..

The new 2.0 bi turbo wiltrak is tempting too. 10 speed. It's just the maintenance is quite on the high side which makes it less desirable.
Do share should you angkat the new XLT + 😁

Any recomended tyre? I heard the OEM tyre is unreliable.

Btw, do excuse me for asking 4x4 related questions. I noticed the 4x4 group isnt active & surprisingly no hilaks owners club thread.

Decided not to have a pickup, instead bought a Peugeot 3008 as it is more useful for us since we usually carry passengers over cargo.

Got many on FB and many Whatsapp groups too.

The 2.8 roadtax is expensive if you're in Malaya, 2.4 version is good enough. Fuel would be around 10L/100km and maintenance is 5000km interval. Toyota will be the cheapest pickup to maintain so I highly recommend it. Other model spares not so cheap. Avoid FORD at all cost.
Anyway you sure want a pickup truck? Its really bumpy, steering ratio is low and driving one is kinda tiring compared to a crossover/suv.

Go to hilux revo club at facebook, ask them..

If you are talking about underpowered, looked no further than the old 2.5 hilux the one without vnt. I have that and it is like a turtle. Nissan and Mitsubishi generally are weaker built and their weak Jatco transmission. Dmax is quite good but dated. Ford is higher cost but with those twin turbo on 2.0 engine, trust me it won't last for years and years. If I were to choose, I will still go for the Hilux. Unless you are planning to use a vehicle that doesn't reach at least 400000km or more or drive for 10 years or more. You can get pretty much any one of the above.

This post has been edited by SilentForever: Jun 10 2019, 12:22 AM

Most FB whatsapp group for off roads otai2. Not much response on basic queries. Still lurking around and gather basic infos.
I prefer Lowyat / forum because it is more interactive. Will explore other platforms as well.

Noted. Will explore accordingly

Fortunately im in sarawak. Another huge relief on roadtax.
99% sure to get a pickup truck. Hehe.. I kinda like the rough driving experience & the commanding presence.
Does Ford really have poor after sales/ high maintenance issues? I've heard a lot about these issues. I took it out of my checklist since the price which is above my budget.

Tq. Will look into it. Mostly a lot of annoying promo to sell this and that. I should dig deeper.

Based on 177hp at a slightly higher torque for the 2.8L edition, I think it is quite decent. Plus it has power mode (assuming fuel is not a concern)
Dmax is unfortunately outdated. the interior needs a total refurbishment
Nissan has a stunning exterior but interior is also disappointing. Power & comfort is tiptop
Conclusion: hilix 2.8 L edition is still close to my heart and wallet haha
Tq for the feedback

Sarawak just buy the 2.8L. Ford if plan use below 100,000km and drive pasar mall crawler only can la.
I drive 3.0 vigo and it's very useful to traverse Pain Borneo Hellway. Work truck is 12 years old 2.5L vigo and apart from wear and tear items, a gearbox rebuild, and wiring harness change, it's running well. Mileage more than 400,000km.

Definitely painful and hellway bro. Haha
I'm sure you had a wonderful 12 years driving the 3.0 Vigo.
Btw, What tyres are you currently using? I heard the stock ones are unreliable. From what I read, the options are narrowed down to 3.

1. Michelin SUV/LTX
2. Dunlop ATS
3. Bridgestone Dueller

12 years old is the 2.5 commonrail vigo and i only drove it for 2 years now. 3.0 vigo is personal car and thats 5 years old.
Yea the stock bridgestone is not really good in the wet. I just use cheapo GT Radial since used to hentam lubang. I can recommend Bridgestone Dueler AT001 since used on company car and really tahan. My brother np300 running the Dunlop Maxgrip AT5 and it seem to be holding up fine too. It's a good idea to trade in the stock bridgestone tyre as soon as keluar kedai.

Michelin I dont really have experience coz dealer here in sarawak mark up price kaw-kaw.

This post has been edited by marvinben: Jun 10 2019, 02:48 PM

Sarawak road just buy the hilux lah bro, ford too many thing concern about. Service center also slow, too many car sitting waiting for parts. If buy from spare parts shop sure got the parts but still need to order from thai.

The old one can be modified to fit in front intercooler which will add on 20hp with no need of tuning and turbo mod. Thai hilux got this non vnt but intercooler version for low spec hilux previously in their market. So with cost of intercooler (rm800) u can really improve your drive, add on another rm2000 get a alphatech storm ecu piggyback with tuning can get 180hp easily( on wheel ). Current hilux 2.8 hp only below 140hp..

I was just thinking about adding a front mount intercooler and doing a remap. (Proven and trusted tuner of course) gonna wait till I save up more. But they really should bring in the intercooled version last time, its a no brainer for a turbodiesel imo.

This post has been edited by SilentForever: Jun 11 2019, 12:30 AM

Michelin is a bit too much. Maybe can trade in straight away the OEM stock tyre to michelin. Haha
Will explore dueller & dunlop. Hopefully both brands costs much lesser than michelin

Hmm... What about the AT001 vs AT697?

Since 2.5 commonrail resale value still godlike, I'll say sell it and get a used 3.0L vnt.

Never used AT697 so can't input on that.

Just for sharing. Few brands which I gathered online. However, no feedback from owners yet.

1. Yokohama Geolander AT G015
2. Maxxis Bravo AT 771
3. Silverstone AT 117
4. TOYO Open Country U/T

The price is slightly below RM800. Probably some shops have attractive offer.

Take out that Silverstone. It's shit tier even worse than Chinese branded. I have used them over the years on and they never fail to bulge.

I drive the current revo 2.4 almost daily n long drive till Thailand

Rear seat is comfortable, u need to reduce the original air tyre which is 250... If u not carrying few hundred kgs, just reduce it to 190 for rear comfort seat

What's the actual tyre pressure?

Ya, turbodiesel without intercooler in malaysia really weird since toyota got the same engine in Thai, Mexico and south Africa which they use intercooler version. Just get yourself storm aphaltech ecu, they will tune it for u.. * u need to fit in oil catch tank for the crankcase vent, the oil mist will poison your intake manifold..

Wah... Info too pro for me to digest.
1 Noob question to ask. Does changing the suspension really improve driving comfort? I saw a lot of posts on FB recommending suspension etc... Not sure if it really works

U can remove the second from bottom stock spring, and add on a short at below..downside is the load capacity will be reduce to around 700kg. So to those who carry weight, the will remove the second bottom spring and replace with thinner aftermarket leaf spring. Add on sway bar really help with the bumpy on the back. For shock, i prefer to replace rear set only since the front feel ok for me..any adjustable shock with dial setting will work ok..

Btw, separate topic, I've seen a lot of deck cover (roller type) requires bed drilling for water discharge hose. Apart from the tough hard cover, the trifold hard cover looks decent. Probably not as waterproof as the hard cover.
What's your experience on choosing the right deck cover without any drilling on deck cover?

No experience with roller type, but i prefer soft lid cover..They all leak water even for those hardtop canopy.. hardtop if installed, cannot carry tall item...