Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) held the second leg of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup 2023 at the Clark International Speedway this weekend. It wasn’t just the races that highlighted the recent festivities, though: the new Hilux GR-S also made its first public appearance on our shores.
This new GR Sport variant isn’t just all stickers and badges, though. Unlike its predecessor, this one gets significant mechanical upgrades on top of the exterior design improvements.
First look: 2024 Toyota Hilux GR-S:
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Up front, the new Hilux GR-S boasts additional black plastic trim on the grille the further beef up the look. There’s a silver trim on the bumper, and on the sides it’s fitted with chunky fenders on the wheel arches.
Said chunky fenders aren’t just for show, as the Hilux GR-S boasts a wider track. On top of this, the truck also has a new and improved Gazoo Racing suspension underneath. The pickup sits on 17-inch wheels shod in chunky tires.
The most significant change here is arguably under the hood, where the Hilux GR-S gets a familiar 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine but with a much higher maximum output of 224hp and 550Nm of torque. This is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with part-time four-wheel drive.
With this powertrain, the Hilux now goes atop the ranking in its segment in terms of performance, beating even the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor. Speaking of which, the new Toyota Hilux GR-S undercuts Ford’s high-performance pickup with its P2.166 million price tag. For reference, the Ranger Raptor stickers for P173,000 more.
What say you of Toyota’s new Raptor-fighter? We’ll share you our first impressions of this new pickup once we have them. That’ll be out soon, so watch this space.
More photos of the 2024 Toyota Hilux GR-S:
