2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue: 4x4 review

Toyota Australia has thrown down its first challenger in the emerging sports 4x4 ute segment with its 2023 Hilux Rogue.

The big ticket item that distinguishes this Rogue from the previous model and all other current Hiluxes, is a new suspension package featuring wider wheel track, both front and rear.

This is no small track increase achieved by simply change the offset of the wheels as some manufactures have claimed before. No, Toyota has seriously re-engineered the Hilux Rogue’s chassis with a new wider rear differential housing and lengthened front lower control arms to achieve what the manufacturer claims is around 140mm in extra track width.

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This wide track is designed to improve the Hilux Rogue’s stability on and off road by widening is footprint on the road. While they were under there, Toyota raised the ride height a claimed 20mm for improved ground clearance.

The Hilux Rogue had previously been more of a luxury dress-up pack at the upper end of the Hilux model range. Extras like heated leather seats, a JBL sound system, and a powered roller shutter over a carpet-lined cargo tub differentiated it from regular models, but no performance additions, firmly put the Rogue in the accessory-pack realm.

The good news is that the Rogue still gets all those luxe features but becomes the only model in the range with these new wide-track underpinnings.

Not only that, but the price for the 2023 Hilux Rogue remains unchanged at $70,200. It’s not often that you get something new for nothing!

Pricing

Powertrain and performance

The N80 Hilux Rogue remains powered by Toyota’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine that produces 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque. The Rogue is only offered with the 6-speed automatic transmission and part-time four-wheel drive.

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It’s a punchy drivetrain that gets the Rogue along nicely. The improvements to this engine back in 2019 transformed the way it drives and it now has the performance to match its 4-cylinder diesel-powered competitors such as the Ford Ranger, and the Isuzu D-MAX/Mazda BT-50 twins.

Interestingly, we found the engine in this Rogue to be quieter than the one in an SR5 we drove earlier this year, so maybe the Rogue gets some more sound insulation than what’s fitted to the lower-grade models.

On-road ride and handling

The front wheel track on the Hilux Rogue has been widened 135mm to 1670mm. This was achieved using extensions to the control arms to move the wheels outboard.

The engineers also used this opportunity to move the lower strut mounts further outboard, changing the angle of the spring and dampener to improve the way it works. You can see on the new extension where the strut now meets it at the end, where it was previously on top of the arm while a spacer at the top of the strut allows it to be canted outwards and probably accounts for the 20mm of raised height. The front stabiliser bar was also widened to suit the revised front end.

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The rear track was widened by fitting a whole new axle assembly; one that is 155mm wider than the old one, taking the track width out to 1705mm – resulting in a front to rear track difference of 35mm.

Again, the way the dampeners are mounted has changed and they are now located on the outside of the chassis rails where they are closer to the wheels to better manage the wider axle.

For the first time ever, a stabiliser bar has been fitted to the rear axle of a Hilux to help keep the Rogue flat on the road.

In another first for Hilux, the rear axle also has disc brakes fitted making this the only current Hilux with 4-wheel discs. The vented rear rotors measure 312mm in diameter and are clamped by single-piston callipers.

The bigger rear brakes are supported by bigger front discs which are up 25mm to 338mm.

The final chassis change on the new Rogue is the step up to 18-inch alloy wheels in lieu of the 17s that were fitted to the previous Rogue.

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The result of all these changes is a Rogue that corners flatter on roads and can be rewarding on a twisty mountain pass. The ride is still firm as the Rogue retains its load and towing capacities, but the added track width does allow for a bit more travel out at the wheels and the altered shock and strut geometry and rear stabiliser bar help maintain composure.

The new braking package is the best we’ve felt in a mid-size ute. It offers plenty of power and a precise feeling pedal that really pulls the Rogue up promptly. This is especially noticeable when you’ve just jumped out of a new Ranger with its vaguer-feeling brakes.

Off-road

Aside from the 20mm extra ride height, the changes to the N80 Hilux’s chassis do very little if anything for the Rogue’s off road performance. Any additional wheel travel at the rear axle is restrained by the new stabiliser bar.

It’s a bit disappointing that Toyota hasn’t used these chassis updates to give the Rogue better dampeners, but you have to consider that these upgrades have come with no price increase.

"The N80 Hilux’s best off-road attribute is its excellent electronic traction control"

On a gravel road that is heavily potholed from recent rains and traffic, the Hilux was easily upset and pushed off line when crossing them, requiring steering correction by the driver to maintain a line.

While this is pretty standard behaviour for 1-tonne 4x4 utes over such conditions, a Ford Ranger (non-Raptor) showed no such behaviour over the same tracks on the same day.

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Anyone hoping that the Rogue’s wide-track suspension would be a Raptor-challenging package will be surely disappointed, but we think Toyota will have more to say about that in 2023.

The N80 Hilux’s best off-road attribute is its excellent electronic traction control, the calibration of which is so sharp that you’re usually better off relying on it than employing the standard rear differential lock when traversing rough country.

Interior

With its heated leather seats and nine-speaker JBL sound system, the Rogue’s cabin is a great place to while away the miles, no matter what the terrain. A special mention for that sound system as it’s one of the best you’ll find in a mid-size ute but due to supply shortages, Toyota is currently offering a $750 price discount if you take your Rogue without it. For mine, it’s a feature worth waiting for and $750 makes it a bargain.

The dash’s eight-inch screen has the sat-nav and audio controls in it including connected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Rogue gets a 360° panoramic camera image as well.

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The gauge binnacle is simple affair but still tells the driver everything he or she needs to know. The leather treatment across the top of the dash and piano-black finish on the facia add to the premium look of the Rogue.

The rear seat in the Hilux is pretty standard fare for this size ute although the cabin doesn’t have the width of say a Ranger or Amarok but there’s plenty of head and legroom.

Like all 4x4 Hiluxes, the Rogue has has the safety essentials like ABS, ESC, ETC, AEB, trailer-sway control and radar cruise control, but its lane-departure system relies on brake intervention and doesn’t offer proper steering correction. The wide-track Rogue is the first Hilux to include blind-spot monitors and rear cross-traffic alert in its safety kit bringing it closer to the pack in this regard.

Practicalities

As the Hilux with the highest levels of equipment, the Rogue does lose out on its payload which is down to794kg, GVM remains at 3050kg with a 3500kg towing rating and 5850kg Gross Combined Mass (GCM).

The step up to 18-inch alloy wheels means the Rogue now rides on 265/60R18 tyres which are becoming a common size for utes, so there are all-terrain and tougher LT choices available. Toyota has seen fit to leave the highway tyres on the Rogue and leave the choice of better ones up to the owners to suit their vehicle use.

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The cargo tray is lined in carpet which is held in place by Velcro so its easy to remove if you need to carry something that you wouldn’t want to damage the carpet. You might mock, but the carpet does provide a nice cushion for items you don’t want stretched or damaged.

We did notice that the Rogue only has tie-downs at the back end and not at the front of its tub. There’s also a 12V power outlet at the rear of the tub for powering accessories.

The seal kit around the Hilux’s tailgate does an excellent job. We spent a day on dusty tracks in the High Country and were impressed to find no dust ingress in the back.

The power roller shutter is great for securing your goods in the tub and is easy to use but it does eat into the space at the front of the tub if you want to be putting bigger things in there.

The Hilux’s engine bay has space for a second battery and the air intake is well-placed where it draws from the inner ’guard.

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As one of the world’s most popular vehicles, the Hilux is extremely well-supported by aftermarket accessories manufacturers and Toyota offers a large range of factory kit for the ute including steel and alloy bullbars.

It’s yet to be seen if the bigger wheel-arch flares needed to cover the tyres and the revised front panels on the wide-track Rogue affect how some bullbars will meet with them at the front or an intake snorkel on the fender.

VERDICT

Kudos to Toyota for stepping up and creating this wide-track chassis for the Hilux. It has improved the dynamics of the Hilux chassis making it a better, more stable performer on twisty roads and mountain tracks and the additional ground clearance will never go astray for anyone who heads off road.

We think that this high-spec Rogue is the perfect variant to introduce this on and appreciate the fact that it has come at no additional cost.

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We like to think that this is just a hint of what is to come when the GR Sport variant Hilux is introduced in 2023 and hope that that model will come with the spring and damper settings to make the Hilux more controlled over all road conditions.

Twelve months ago we might have said that the Rogue handles rough terrain as good or better than any other mid-size ute on the market, but the way the Ranger drives over the same potholed roads without fuss or disturbance, shows that the market has moved on and it’s time for the Hilux to step up as well.

2023 Toyota Hilux Rogue specs