VOTE: New 2025 Toyota GR HiLux hero or Ranger Raptor – which would you prefer?

If you're into the Ranger Raptor, could a properly powered-up GR HiLux get onto your shopping list?

For Toyota fans, the next-generation HiLux ute must feel like it's simultaneously months and a lifetime away. News of upcoming Toyota models can be hard to come by, but the rumours are always flying.

It's especially true for the HiLux, of course, with the Ranger v HiLux sales and diehard fan battles now effectively a successor to the days of Commodore v Falcon – if we dare even suggest such a thing.

Styling for the next HiLux remains a mystery, although reports suggest a look inspired by the US market's recently revealed new-generation Tacoma – and its platform is expected to be shared with the HiLux too.

👆 So, of course, that's what our earlier speculative renderings were based on, back in February.

In the months since, and especially with Toyota launching its new HiLux GR Sport – a meaner-looking, more capable and lightly powered-up HiLux aimed at the Ranger Wildtrak – we haven't been able to stop thinking about a full-bottle GR HiLux.

In terms of styling, we'd expect any Tacoma-inspired HiLux to continue that theme by borrowing from the hero Tacoma TRD Pro, with a bonnet scoop, fin-like sailplane, huge flares and a more capable drivetrain than the average.

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How does 243kW and 630Nm sound?

Where the previous Tacoma TRD was powered by a 3.5-litre V6, the new model gets Toyota's i-Force Max hybrid system – which will also feature in the new Prado and a number of other models, in different guises.

In the new Prado, the i-Force Max setup sees a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel matched to an electric motor to produce 243kW and 630Nm. That's nothing to sneeze at, because while the power figure is down on the 292kW produced by the Ranger Raptor's 3.0-litre turbo V6, the Taco TRD Pro's torque numbers comfortably shade the Raptor's 583Nm.

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If Toyota really wanted to play the muscle game, though, it might be able to pack in the Tundra's version of the i-Force Max system, which replaces the four-cylinder diesel with a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6, bumping outputs to 326kW and a massive 793Nm.

Power is only part of the equation, of course, so we'd expect the GR HiLux to follow the GR Sport in gaining a host of performance-focused chassis changes to go with its new ability to haul arse.

Which would you prefer? Get voting!