While it’s not the new-generation model that’s expected to give the Hilux nameplate a sorely-needed revamp (that one isn’t due until 2025), Toyota is at least giving its current-generation global ute one last tidy-up before it sends it to the retirement home. The 2024 Hilux facelift is, as predicted, on the mild side, with cosmetic changes largely limited to body plastics. A hexagonal mesh for the upper grille and a reshaping of the radiator aperture are the most obvious front-end changes, alongside dark-tinted headlamp internals for the SR5.

The front bumper also features distinctive blade-like appendages to its cheek-mounted foglamp housings. More substantial changes lurk beneath the skin.

The 2024 Toyota Hilux will feature a 48V mild hybrid system for the SR5 and Rogue variants, while also being an option on the SR grade 4×4 dual cab variant. With auto engine start-stop and regenerative braking recouping some of the ute’s kinetic energy and storing it in a 48V lithium-ion battery pack, the new hybrid powertrain can add an extra 12kW and 65Nm to the crankshaft via a belt-driven starter/generator that takes the place of a regular alternator. Besides the modest power boost, overall efficiency of the mild hybrid system is claimed to be between 6-10% greater than the current non-hybridised 2.8L turbodiesel four-cylinder