Why The Toyota Hilux Is One Of The Most Legendary Compact Trucks Ever Built

You'd probably agree that there aren't many brands with a reputation for building long-lasting cars like Toyota's. And within the Japanese automaker's lineup sits a pickup truck that, although fairly unpopular stateside, enjoys legendary status elsewhere around the globe: the Toyota Hilux.

It's almost impossible to talk about the Hilux and not mention Top Gear's elaborate little excursion, which played quite a significant role in lending the compact truck its "indestructible" title. Even after subjecting it to many grueling events, including setting it on fire and drowning it in seawater, the Hilux simply refused to die, only needing a few basic tools and a bit of mechanical sympathy to get it running again. You may have also seen James May drive one up an active volcano, which was the same Hilux the camera crew used while filming the Polar Special, where he accompanied Jeremy Clarkson in their expedition to the North Pole — also in a Hilux.

Beyond television, the pickup is also known for being a trusty little companion on actual battlefields. The infamous "Toyota War," which essentially took place in the Saharan desert, saw Chad deploy several Hilux pickups during its conflict with Libya in the mid-1980s. The pickup also has quite the following in Australia, a place known for its tough terrain and demanding conditions. In the last decade or so, Toyota managed to shift over half a million units of the truck in Australia alone, making it the country's best-selling vehicle during that period.

Suffice it to say, its robust ladder-frame build, relative simplicity, and ease of repair, combined with Toyota's reputation, Top Gear's many indestructibility stunts, and the truck's overall reliability — even across the harshest of environments — all lend the Hilux its status.

The legend is only amplified when you realize Toyota sells the Hilux in over 190 countries and regions around the world. For context, there are between 193 and 237 countries in the world, depending on whether you factor in disputed zones and regions with full or partial sovereignty. Despite Toyota shipping it to almost every part of the globe, one country where the Hilux is not sold is the United States. Even though the pickup was available this side of the pond, it bore the "Toyota Truck" moniker for most of its time on U.S. soil, having bid farewell in 1995 to make way for the Toyota Tacoma. As far as Toyota was concerned, the Tacoma, being slightly larger and offering different powertrain choices, seemed like a much better fit for American customer preferences.

Besides, the Chicken Tax still exists, which, if you weren't aware, is a 25% tariff levied on light trucks imported to the U.S. So, if Toyota wanted to bring the latest ninth-generation Hilux to U.S. shores, it'd have to put up with the tariffs (and possibly worry about internal competition), or build them locally or somewhere like Mexico or Canada, where the company might qualify for preferential tariff treatment. Bear in mind, the Hilux is already manufactured in numerous countries around the world, including Argentina, Venezuela, India, Pakistan, and Thailand, as well as five other locations across Asia and Africa.

Moreover, Toyota is reportedly working on a compact truck based on the Corolla. According to Car and Driver, it might be called the Stout or something simple as the Corolla Pickup. Although details are slim, the chances of that truck filling the compact space seem much higher than the Hilux arriving stateside.