The all-new 2016 Toyota Hilux is in the news currently, due to a test conducted by Teknikens Värld which shows that the new pickup from Toyota has the potential of tipping over when making an avoidance manuver.
Swedish publication Teknikens Värld first tested the Hilux back in 2007 and found that the Toyota pickup truck had a potential of tipping over when manoeuvring through an obstacle course at a speed of 57 km/h (35 mph). The test revealed that the Hilux’s left suspension fully compressed and the right side lifted, which could potentially topple the vehicle.
For the 2016 model, the behaviour is identical. The left side suspension bottoms out completely, with the right side of the truck lifted into the air. In the hands of a less experienced driver, a crash is imminent. Other trucks, including the Nissan NP300 Navara and Ford Ranger passed the test between 64 to 68 km/h.
Teknikens Värld conducted the moose test with the pickup truck’s maximum load capacity, which is in accordance to the manufacturer’s specifications. According to Toyota, the Hilux is capable of a load capacity of 1,002 kg, but for this test, the load was only at 830 kg, thus ruling out the possibility of overloading.
The tested Toyota Hilux was fitted with the larger 265/60R18 wheels, though Teknikens Värld did test a similar truck with a set of smaller 265/65R17 wheels. The results were similar, with the inside wheel lifted, though not as pronounced as the one with the 18-inch wheels.
Watch the video below.
Here’s Toyota official response over the incident.
Based on all the tests carried out during development, we are confident that the Toyota Hilux is a safe vehicle. As we understand, you have performed an evasive maneuver test according to your magazine testing protocols on several pickups, including the Toyota Hilux. You have informed us that the Toyota Hilux is not living up to your expectations. We were surprised by the test result, and we will take your evaluation very seriously, in the same serious way we do with the capacity for evasive maneuvers in the development of our vehicles. Hilux has been repeatedly tested according to the ISO 3888 standard for evasive maneuver tests during the development of the model and then it passed the tests successfully. Several technical parameters have an impact on the outcome of an evasive maneuver, so we want to better understand the exact parameters for your test.
Via: Teknikens Värld
