New Toyota Hilux India: The Features Toyota Quietly Deleted
Toyota has launched the 9th-generation Hilux in India at Rs 31.99 lakh to Rs 36.69 lakh ex-showroom, with sharper styling, new terrain modes and a torque-converter automatic. But a closer look at the spec sheet shows several features offered globally, and even on the outgoing India car, have been quietly removed.
What was announced
Toyota has priced the new 9th-gen Hilux between Rs 31.99 lakh and Rs 36.69 lakh ex-showroom. The pickup gets a redesigned exterior, updated cabin and improved off-road hardware including multiple terrain modes. However, the India-spec car drops several features that were either available on the outgoing model or are standard on the global Hilux.
At over Rs 30 lakh, forcing manual AC and killing the manual gearbox is a strange way to sell a working pickup.
| Feature | Global Hilux | India Hilux (9th-gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Climate control | Dual-zone auto | Manual AC only |
| Manual gearbox | 6-speed MT offered | Not offered |
| Automatic gearbox | 6-speed torque converter | 6-speed torque converter |
| Alloy wheels | 18-inch option | Smaller wheels only |
| Drivetrains | 4x2 and 4x4 | 4x2 and 4x4, AT only |
All variants, including 4x2 and 4x4, now come exclusively with the 6-speed torque converter automatic. The manual transmission that was part of the previous generation has been removed from the India line-up.
Toyota has not publicly explained the deletions, but the pattern suggests a mix of cost rationalisation and a bet that Hilux buyers in India skew towards lifestyle use rather than commercial fleets, where manual gearboxes and simpler climate systems typically matter more.
The Car Jury verdict
At over Rs 30 lakh, deleting dual-zone climate and forcing every buyer into an automatic is a strange way to reward loyalists. The Hilux was always the sparser, more utilitarian sibling to the Fortuner, but a manual-AC-only cabin at Fortuner money is a hard sell to lifestyle buyers, and dropping the 6-speed manual walks away from the working owner who actually uses a pickup as a pickup.
Faisal Khan of FasBeam notes that Toyota has consistently resisted sunroofs on its IMV platform cars including the Innova and Fortuner, so the deletions here fit a pattern of India-spec cost engineering. Team-BHP still ranks Toyota at the top for reliability, and that is what the Hilux is really selling. If you want the toy, buy it; if you want the features, the Innova HyCross gives more for less.
