With the public unveiling of the new internally named AN220 Hilux at the Nampo Agricultural Expo in Bothaville in the Free State this month, Toyota officially closed the chapter on the AN110 Hilux that had been in production for 11 years.
End of an era
On par with the seventh generation Hilux that also lasted 11 years, the AN110 or eighth generation Hilux represented a significant departure from any previous iteration.
More lifestyle focused in the case of the double cabs, it still set the precedent of South Africa’s monthly best-seller despite sporadically relinquishing its crown to the Suzuki Swift, Volkswagen Polo Vivo or its arch rival, the Ford Ranger, on occasions.
Not the Legend(ardy) send off wanted
Part of South Africa’s landscape, and indeed a local market institution, the roll-out of the special edition Legend models has also become an occasion ever since the Legend 35 debuted in 2004.
A moniker that has, however, also become synonymous with the end of another Hilux chapter, whether it be a facelift or new generation, the arrival of the 55 carried more significance than simply five years of another Legend derivative.
Instead, its initial showing at Toyota’s annual State of the Motoring Industry conference last year marked the milestone of 55 years in South Africa.
This, though, presented an unexpected flaw as the showcased Legend 55 sported the widebody design and extended track as the GR Sport, albeit without the mono-tube shock absorbers and uprated suspension.
Unofficially dubbed a “mini GR Sport”, eventual production Legend 55 took leave of its siblings’ aesthetic at its unveiling in September last year due the former’s global popularity making parts and component sharing too difficult.
At the same time, Toyota also had to shelve plans for installing the GR Sport’s 165kW/550Nm 2.8 GD-6 engine into the Legend 55 as a proper final send-off.
From Nampo to Gerotek
As such, the Legend 55 is once again an appearance package based on the Raider variant, with mainly bespoke touches inside and out.
Arriving for the weeklong test, a month before the AN220’s market arrival, the final encore for the AN110 also involved a road trip to Nampo to see its successor’s first public showing.
Finished in Arizona Red, one of nine colours available, the Legend 55 also made the trip to Gerotek as the AN110 Hilux’s final data gathering venture with Road Test Editor Mark Jones.
Legend touches
Once again available as either a double or Xtra Cab, the Legend 55’s bespoke attire is discreet and understandably, not as special as Toyota might have wanted.
Aesthetically, it receives gloss black wheel arches, a silver bashplate underneath the front bumper, 18-inch alloy wheels taken from the Fortuner, a rubberised loadbin, standard tow bar and a Legend 55 animation projected onto the ground.
Rounding the exterior off are gloss black door handles, a gloss black grille surround, a Legend 55-branded sports bar, Legend 55 badges on the doors and tailgate, and the manual roller shutter from the now defunct Legend RS.
While admittedly typical of any special variant, the Legend 55 applique does add a sporty touch to a product that has, admittedly, aged rather well when viewed from the inside.
Inside
However, as much has Toyota has done its darndest to hide the Hilux’s age visually, opening door reveals the opposite.
An area where the Hilux feels and looks the most dated, the Legend 55 touches have been kept to a minimum – an area where, arguably, more could have done to make the final send off a bit more special.
Besides the black leather upholstery, the Legend 55 gets the upgraded JBL sound system reserved for the Legend RS, Legend 55 embroidered front seat headrests, Legend 55 branded treadplates and a 55th anniversary commemorative plaque behind the gear lever.
Fundamentally, the interior’s age means ergonomics are still easy fathom, with proper physical buttons and dials for the climate control and on the steering wheel.
Compared to the Ranger, though, the Hilux has fallen behind on the now ever important tech front, some buyers are, admittedly, unlikely to be bothered about.
So, while it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it still needs wiring to be compatible with the eight-inch infotainment system, which itself is not as intuitive as the Ranger’s SYNC 4A setup.
While shortcut buttons remain present on the screen’s outer surround, the setup looks tiny and interface outdated.
More decent is the quality of the JBL sound system and rear passenger legroom – this despite the seats being too upright and resulting in headroom being pinched for taller passengers.
Front seat comfort is good, however, the cruise control stalk jutting from the steering column remains a problem as much as the cupholders underneath the side air vents do not.
Unsurprisingly, the cabin’s fit-and-finish also shows the Hilux’s age, with the imitation satin silver strip running the width of the dashboard feeling especially clunky.
Again, though, the materials are solid and likely to last the proverbial distance, even if the piano-key black finishes remains an annoyance when needing to keep clean.
A further nicety is that the seats are snug and supportive, and the traditional floor mats replaced by heavy-duty rubber items that can washed using a garden hose.
‘If it ain’t broke”…
Up front, the status quo is a familiar one. Set to feature in the AN220, the tried-and-tested 2.8 GD-6 turbodiesel engine develops an unchanged 150kW/500Nm transferred to the rear or all four wheels in the case of the test unit.
Equally as undramatic is the engine being paired to the six-speed automatic gearbox, a combination that will feature, without the 48-volt mild-hybrid system for now, in the AN220.
Excluding the GR Sport, the GD-6 once again regains the accolade of most powerful four-cylinder diesel bakkie in South Africa following the discontinuation of the 2.0-litre bi-turbo that powered the Ranger and its Volkswagen Amarok twin.
Understandably, it isn’t as responsive as in the GR Sport, yet still pulls strong once up to boost.
Pressing the enticing PWR button on the centre console unlocks the response present in the GR Sport, as the Legend 55 feels slightly quicker off the mark without any low-down lag.
For its part, the six-speed automatic ‘box is generally smooth when shifting up, but, even in PWR mode, become somewhat flustered and confused when shifting down.
Fortunately, its foibles can be overridden by using the sequential manual override.
On the move
Once in the confines of Gerotek, the AN110’s final encore registered a best 0-100 km/h sprint time of 11.9 seconds, again on par with all other variants – bar the 48V and GR Sport – Mark had tested since 2015.
As mentioned, the Legend 55’s arrival came after its long road trip down to Bothaville for Nampo.
Tasked with sections of proper poorly maintained roads around Potchefstroom and Orkney, the typical Toyota firmly-tuned suspension did its jobs by smoothening out the corrugations and imperfections as best it could.
With no load in the back, the ride is still bouncy and skewed towards a more workhorse-focused approach than the setup of the Ranger.
That being said, it felt more adept and composed than the reworked suspension of the GR Sport off-road.
Admittedly, the gravel road traversed near the end of the Legend 55’s tenure was smoother and not as rutted or washball as the surface driven over in the GR Sport.
Yet, the Legend still felt more comfortable and pliant with its standard suspension tuning and all-terrain tyres.
Given the AN220 Hilux moving to an electric power steering rack, the mechanical arrangement of the AN110 is still heavy, but with good feedback for what is still a bakkie.
Consumption
As for fuel consumption, the 450 km to and from Nampo, together with an eventual 623 km clocked during the weeklong test, netted a best of 9.3 L/100 km.
Conclusion
The now familiar “it’s not a bakkie, it’s a Hilux” marketing tagline has arguably become the hallmark of the AN110 that kept its popularity ignited in spite of its newer, more powerful and tech advanced rivals.
At R945 300 for the double cab 4×4 auto tested here, the Legend 55 is a somewhat pricey R78 100 final curtain call premium on the model it is based on, which also makes it R63 700 less than the GR Sport.
However, with the Legend RS no longer offered and the regular Legend exclusively offered with the 48V mild-hybrid system, the Legend 55 can be seen as warranting its price bump for not only its extras, but also being a traditional Hilux in the sense of its “regular” powertrain.
Coupled with the popularity of the Hilux and Legend nameplates, as well as the appeal of special edition bakkies, the Legend 55 is a fond goodbye in handing over the baton to the next generation.
