Toyota has released another video of the HiLux Tonka Concept, this time showing off some specific details about the build. Specifically, one pretty big detail. Portals!
If you don’t know what portals are, they are just about the coolest thing you can do for a 4X4. They bolt onto your axle, and provide a huge amount of extra ground clearance for awesome off-road capability. Your diff is now tucked up, and you can fit a much larger tyre for even better off-road capability. Your centre of gravity does go up a fair bit, but this is offset by the increased wheel track that comes with portal hubs.
https://youtu.be/a45wIH1KO2g
All of the cool 4WDs have portals: Unimogs and G-Wagons, and you can fit aftermarket portals to Land Rover Defenders, GU Patrols and 70 Series LandCruisers. Jeep’s awesome FC concept had portal axles, and now Toyota joins those ranks with the HiLux Tonka Concept.
Toyota HiLux pricing and specs
Many manufacturers spruik new concept models and fantastic ideas all the time, which turn out to be nothing more than some special badged and decals on an otherwise garden variety model. And I was worried that’s what this what the HiLux concept would be: some canary-yellow paint, some all-terrain tyres and painted recovery points. But I am pleasantly surprised, there is some serious engineering going into this HiLux.
We’re heading over to check out the HiLux Concept in person next week, so will keep you up to speed with the details on this build.
