Toyota NZ confirms safety upgrades for Hilux ute line-up
Toyota New Zealand has announced tech upgrades to the current Hilux ute range that aim to improve the popular model's safety.
All models from the entry-level $31,990 two-wheel drive single cab chassis will come fitted with Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) — the Japanese manufacturer's suite of safety tech.
The features included in TSS are Pre-Collision System with Autonomous Emergency Braking (for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Yaw Assist, and Road Sign Assist.
Read more: Kiwi classic — we rate the four-wheel drive Toyota Hilux SR5
“Toyota continually aims to improve the new technology available to its customers, and TSS is a start down the technology road towards autonomy in vehicles,” said Toyota Chief Operating Officer Neeraj Lala.
“Customer demand for safety specific technology has really aided us in securing TSS for the Hilux. [...] 74 per cent of our Hilux customers year to date are fleet buyers, and there has been an increase in demand for five-star ANCAP safety ratings.”
As part of the move, Toyota Australia has nominated the Hilux for an ANCAP safety re-test.
The announcement comes after similar revisions to the Ford Ranger line-up earlier this year. In June Ford confirmed that the Hilux' nemesis would get AEB, lane-keeping aid, sign recognition, and more as standard across the range.
The difference for trainspotters is that the Ranger was last crash tested by ANCAP in 2015, at a time when the organisations standards were less stringent than they are today.
