The first snows of winter were just starting to dust the high hills of Shetland as I pulled the 4x4 Hilux pickup off the road and headed up the dirt track. No one has ever doubted the off-road ability of Toyota's utilitarian workhorse, but when a new model arrives it's nice to make sure it's still got what it takes.This was the 2005 model, the sixth incarnation since it first appeared in 1968. It was described as bigger and bolder than the outgoing model - "one size up" is the phrase coined by Toyota - but the question that needed answering was: is it any better?Early morning and it should be getting lighter as the day arrived, but the bank of gunmetal cloud heaving in over the open moor made it something very different. The sky was heavy with the promise of a blizzard and the rising gale was whipping spray off the rain-swollen peatwater burn splashing across the track in front of me.I pulled the transfer box lever back into H4 - high range four-wheel-drive - and plunged down into the flood. It was as if the water, swelling up against the lower flanks of the truck, wasn't there. Without effort we forded the deluge to rise, dripping and scrambling, up the steep gravel exit ramp before turning to cross shallow but slimey mud for a hundred yards or so to the foot of the hill. L4 locked us in low ratio and the nose rose onto the incline. The 1.8-tonne vehicle was climbing wet grass on peat loam at around 30 degrees and I hadn't even had to stab the button that locks the rear differential. Coming back down the same slope, engine braking drew it back to tickover speeds. I could have got out and walked down beside it . . . had that blizzard not now arrived.My test vehicle was the base-spec HL2 Double Cab equipped with a revised version of the proven 2.5-litre D-4D turbo diesel engine. I say "revised", but it has the same 102bhp and 191lb/ft of torque as the outgoing model. That's immediately a shame, for the power to weight ratio because while the "one size up" theme increases passenger space, cargo capacity and all-round bulk, it also increases the weight by about 130kg - that's a massive 20 stones.HL2 spec is utilitarian. There are electric windows front and back but you have to lean out of them to adjust the door mirrors. The wheels have 16" rims but they're drab steel. The seats and trim are of uninspiring grey fabric, yet while you're sitting in them you can listen to a four-speaker CD and MP3 sound system.Safety systems are basic with two airbags across the front and ABS brakes being the only significant things listed in the brochure. One surprising thing is that, despite double cab pickups becoming more popular as leisure vehicles, the Hilux only has a totally inadequate lap-strap seatbelt in the middle of the back seat.Coming back through the stream and along the last mile of dirt track cleared the muck from the wheels and it was time to see what the thing was like on the road. The first thing that struck me was that the engine felt a bit flat. It seemed a long time until we reached the speed limit and rolling acceleration was just about adequate for overtaking. Maybe all that weight was taking its toll on performance, but to be honest, after a few days and a few hundred miles it didn't feel like any serious drawback.The suspension set-up with, cart springs at the back and coil-sprung double wishbones at the front, gave me no trouble out on the road despite that extra weight. Body roll was limited and predictable, and while quick wiggles at speed produced an odd delayed-correction feel from the back end, it all felt secure enough.The five-speed manual gearbox on the new version is, we're told, more refined than the old one, but it still feels clunky and agricultural. The power steering was well weighted for all conditions but one of the best features of the car was its relatively tight 6.2-metre turning circle. Not bad for a 4x4 with a wheelbase over three metres and good news for off-road manoeuvring and streetside parking. Visibility out the back is good for placing the corners but because the tail is so high you could lose small cars in the shadow area. Take care when you're reversing.So that brings us finally to the looks of the new Hilux. Well, as a lifelong admirer of all previous versions of the Double Cab I've been looking forward with anticipation to the latest version. Sadly it's gone the way of so many modern off-roaders - it's got lardy. If, in the upsizing of everything, Toyota had beefed up the wheels too, it might have looked a bit better proportioned. As it is, it just looks like it's done an Elvis and gone bloated. In comparison the outgoing '97 model-year version looks like a cut and ribbed athlete.Who's going to buy it then? Businesses wanting practicality over image should be keen. A 30% increased cargo area with the bulletproof reliability and unflinching off-road ability we've come to expect from the Hilux will count for a lot. The new version has a greater acreage of clean metal down its flanks for advertising space too.Image-conscious 4x4 enthusiasts will, I suspect, balk at its unenthusiastic on-road performance, the lack of a three-point seatbelt in the middle back seat, and the Fat Boy Fat proportions. A professional suspension lift and some massive BF Goodrich Mud-Terrains may redress the imbalance and I look forward to seeing someone making the effort. Until then though, give me back the old one. Engine 2494cc, 4 cylinders Power 102bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Price £17,760 Details correct at publication date
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