Skip's 4x4 My Toyota Hilux Turbo Diesel 4x4.

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So, why did I choose a Toyota Hilux? I wanted a vehicle that would have: 1) Better ground clearance than the Rodeo. 2) More power and torque than the Rodeo. 3) It must be a commercial vehicle (ie. ute) and so is tax effective for my business. 4) be a 4 door so we can still go on family holidays with my wife and 2 daughters. I wanted a vehicle that has a reputation for being tough and reliable, and out of the Dual cab utes, the Hilux has the best reputation. There are also more after market 4WD accessories for the Toyota Hilux. And when did I decide to buy it? All it took was 1 drive. The grunt of Toyota's new 1KZ-TE motor is just stunning, and whilst in the car, you can't hear any typical diesel clatter, in fact you would think you are driving in a grunty petrol motor. The motor puts out a modest 85KWatts of power, but a whopping 315Nm of torque at a nice 2000rpm. This is the same motor as found in Toyota's Prado turbo diesel, but without the intercooler. I can only imagine what the Hilux would go like if Toyota had left the intercooler on, which takes the Prado up to 96Kwatt of power and 343Nm of torque at 2000rpm. The other thing that Toyota have finally got right is the final drive ratios. The standard 3L diesel has a differential ratio of 4.556:1, but they have increased the final drive on the Turbo-Diesel models to 3.727:1. This is great given that the Turbo Diesel units have peak torque at 2000rpm, so there is no point in revving them to over 3000rpm at highway cruise speeds. The Hilux Turbo diesel ticks over at a very modest 2300rpm at 100kph, which is just great, and should help the fuel economy too! Oh, and thanks to Brenton of Grand Toyota, Wangara, for providing me with a great deal on the new car.

Model	2002 Toyota Hilux Turbo Diesel Dual Cab
Purchase date	21 Feb 2002
Colour	White, with grey interior trim
Engine	1KZ-TE  4 cylinder 3L OHC Turbo Diesel with EFI. Power and torque: 85Kwatt, 315Nm
Exhaust	Standard muffler and 2.5" pipe
Transmission	5 speed manual, Part time 4WD with high and low range
Suspension	Rear - live axle, leaf sprung, gas shockies.  Front - independent, dual wishbones, torsion bars, gas shockies, free wheeling hubs
Air Conditioning	Yes, Factory fitted
Seats	2 front buckets, rear bench for 3 persons, cloth trim, 4 headrests in total
Doors	4 door + rear tail gate
Fuel tank	66 litre main tank
Instruments	Speedo, Tacho, Fuel, Temp
Radio	AM/FM stereo radio cassette with 2 speakers (front)
Floor coverings	Vinyl
Other standard features:	Tilt adjustable steering wheel, intermittent wipers, instrument light dimmer, front ventilated disc brakes and rear drums, power steering
Extras fitted:
Wheels	16x7" steel mags from Toyota Prado GXL
Tyres	BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain TA KM’s (x4) 265/75R16 (32"). Spare is a matching wheel and tyre and is "rear hung" under the back.
Tinting	Rayban "Ultimate" window tinting
Diff Lock	ARB Air-locking differential in the rear diff.
Bull bar	ARB "combo" steel bull-bar (winch compatible)
Tow Bar	ARB "TowMaster" heavy duty "Reese style" tow bar. All connections were soldered, and socket is mounted above the bar to avoid damage.
Snorkel	Safari Snorkel with Ram top.
Fuel Catalyst	Fuelstar fuel catalyst (provides more power and better economy). Click here for info.
Canopy	ARB High roof canopy
Roof Rack	Rhino track mounted roof bars, using the Rhino Commercial leg, and Rhino Aero-bars, and a Rhino steel luggage basket as well.
Communications	GME Electrophone TX3000 UHF CB, with 6db, ground plain independent antenna mounted on the bull-bar. The CB is installed in the Dash, and is powered from the accessories circuit. For my mobile phone, I have a Mobile1, 6db CDMA antenna mounted on the bull-bar.
Spotlights	2 x Hella Rallye 1000 FF 1 x IPF HIR
Auxiliary Battery	70 Amp-hour Heavy Duty Deep cycle battery in battery box, mounted in the rear cargo area. This unit has a custom made solid state battery charging / isolating circuit, mounted in the cab, with LED indicators and a manual override circuit.
Compressor	ARB diff-lock compressor mounted in a box in the rear cargo area (running off auxiliary battery), complete with pressure cut-off switch, and external 7 metre hose kit.
Diff Breathers	Front and rear diff breathers have been fitted mounted up as high as possible.
Cruise Control	Command AP60 Electronic cruise control
Gauges & alarms	Volt gauge, Headlight reminder alarm
Inverter	Dick Smith Electronics 310 watt 240 volt inverter, with single outlet in rear cargo area, and a double power point in front passenger side of cab.
Power Outlets	Dual Cigarette sockets and 30A polarised jack fitted in Rear Cargo Area. Dual Cigarette sockets added to the center console also.
Stereo	Clarion DB346 MP3 CD tuner, 4 x 50 watt, with Clarion 6" splits in the front doors, and factory speakers moved to back doors. Clarion APX1300  300watt amp (mounted behind rear seat), Crossfire 300watt 10" sub-woofer (removable, sits on back seat!)
Central locking	Autowatch remote central locking and Immobiliser.
Roof console	Outback roof console, made by Outback 4WD Interior Accessories, and supplied by ARB
Spare Parts:
List of spare parts that I have for my 4WD	2nd matching spare wheel and tyre, 5 x original 16" wheels and 205r16 tyres, fuses, touch up paint
My wishlist:
Front diff lock	Fitting an ARB Locker to the front would make the vehicle very capable indeed
Rear suspension	I would like to replace the rear springs with Parabolic Springs, to soften them up and provide about an inch more height. Also, adjustable shockies would be nice - probably Rancho 9000's
Gauges & alarms	Turbo boost pressure gauge, Oil pressure alarm
Dtronic	Dtronic make an engine management system to provide greater horsepower
Intercooler	Safari Intercooler (which provides 20% more power and torque)

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This page was last updated on 1 Aug 2006