2021 Toyota Hilux Conquest 4×4

Exterior

Before we get into the more mechanical stuff about the Hilux, we must cover the exterior design, and what a design it is. While some people don’t like how the new Conquest looks, we think that it’s a pretty decent-looking truck.

Purposely matte instead of glossy, the Conquest looks more rugged compared with its predecessor, but it doesn’t detract from the handsome look of the new model. The black plastic cladding gives the vehicle a more masculine look, which is sorely lacking from the non-Conquest variants.

The lights in the front are slightly different compared with the last iteration, but the real difference is with the taillamps. Instead of a couple of boring bricks, Toyota added LED bars. We’re very content with the change because it looks so good at night, giving the truck a really energetic look even when the sun goes down.

Interior

While we got uber excited about the exterior, the interior is—for lack of a better and kinder word—unexciting. The old Conquest was critiqued in the past because it had a rather bland interior.

Now, however, we have brands like Ford that are pushing the envelope and making pickups with attractive interiors and amazing attention to detail. In other words, you feel special sitting in the interior of other pickups, unlike the Hilux.

It’s not all bad. It is a workhorse so don’t expect it to have trimmings of an exotic sports car. The upholstery is fabric, but that doesn’t make it unusable. It’s black so it hides stains, but for the price that the Hilux commands, we would have wanted motorized seats to go with the pickup.

At the very least, we were expecting leather seats, but that wouldn’t possibly match the motif that Toyota was going for. To put things into perspective, leather is more harder-wearing than cloth, but it is also more luxurious. Perhaps the appeal lies with the blue-collar appeal of a cloth interior rather than a leather one—kidding.

Engine

Performance

Dimensions