Toyota South Africa Motors has confirmed that a new Hilux GR-S will reach the local market in 2027, a decision that keeps one of the country’s most commercially important bakkie lines on a familiar product cycle rather than chasing the horsepower race that has swept the segment.
Andrew Kirby, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors, delivered the confirmation during an interview with cars.co.za at Naamsa’s SA Auto Week 2026 event in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, last month. He described the upcoming model as “an exciting product,” though he stopped short of confirming whether it would carry the widebody configuration of the previous generation. Given that the outgoing Legend 55 Hilux skipped the widebody treatment, the expectation among observers is that the new GR-S will adopt it.
The powertrain looks equally predictable. The previous Hilux GR-S used a tweaked version of the 2.8 GD-6 engine, producing 150kW and 500Nm, and there is little in Toyota’s history to suggest the new model will deviate from that formula. That consistency is central to the brand’s market position: while rivals compete on output figures, Toyota competes on durability and resale confidence.
The competitive context has shifted notably. A few years ago, speculation placed the Land Cruiser 300’s 3.3-litre turbodiesel, rated at 225kW and 700Nm, or even its 305kW/650Nm 3.5-litre turbo petrol, under the GR-S bonnet, which would have pitted it directly against Ford’s 292kW/592Nm Ranger Raptor. Times have changed. The once-dominant Ranger Raptor now sits in 10th position on South Africa’s Most Powerful Bakkie list, raising the question of whether roughly 165kW is enough power for today’s market. Toyota’s implicit answer, as the source puts it, is longevity: a vehicle that will still be running at 500,000 kilometres while faster, flashier alternatives come and go.
On specification, past models and current renderings circulating on social media point to a wider track, over-fenders, dark wheels with off-road-biased tyres, and an upgraded GR-spec suspension featuring monotube shocks and stiffer coil springs. The rear of the vehicle is expected to remain largely unchanged, while the nose should receive a bespoke GR look accompanied by GR body logos throughout. Inside, buyers can anticipate carbon-fibre trim, red accents, Alcantara surfaces, and GR branding on the headrests and in the instrument cluster.
The broader commercial logic is one of restraint. Toyota does not overreact to market fads. While competitors pursue gimmicks and headline power figures, the company continues to deliver desirable, trustworthy and reliable products with enduring value, a strategy that has kept the Hilux at the centre of South Africa’s bakkie market for decades and looks set to continue with the 2027 GR-S.
Whether roughly 165kW proves enough to hold that position against an increasingly power-hungry field will be answered only when the new model arrives in 2027.