Thread: Hilux hybrid 4x4 - interesting event while off road

years back mate had an old series 2A ex army landy. he took me out with a few friends to show it off and went through/over some manuka and a stick came up and went through the radiator. Must have been up high as we made it back to Wellington by topping it up a couple of times.
Lucky thing was that we stopped as another couple of meters on was a set of spikes sticking up out of the grass and scrub. Could have cost us a couple or 4 tires and then we may not have been driving home.
Z

Originally Posted by Dicko

If your going to charging (planed or otherwise) through, gorse, brush, cutover where there is a a chance of a stick, stump, rock that your not going to see belting the underside, bash plates covering the vulnerable bits might be worth considering.


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In my experience plates can be a very "double edged sword" they sometimes give protection from rocks, and are usefull if you have to skid over rock or dirt bumps ( like winching over the bloody ruts left from prats with 36" or bigger tyres) but they also guide sticks etc up into places where they'll spoil your day.

Originally Posted by BRADS

There in is the problem that Tentman is aluding to...if you haven't run over manuka or gorse bushes etc in any sort of 4wd its irrelevant if its a ev connection or brake line it will ruin your day and some us have seen it plenty and some have " heard" about it.
It doesn't matter if its full on bush truck with full belly plates or a pavement basher it happens.

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Indeed, the point I was trying to make is that "modern" vehicles seem to be more prone to such an event having major consequences that can leave you stranded. "Simpler" vehicles lend themselves more to a bit of bush spannering to get you out of the shit. Modern vehicles have so much electronics that one sensor or relay can throw the whole thing into a glorified ornament that's going nowhere. Case in point, when I pulled an ABS sensor wire on my D40 (going through/over broom) not only did the ABS turn off (which wasn't really an issue) but it disabled the 4WD (which uses an electronic system) for some reason the two systems are linked and you can't have one without the other and to my mind if you're going to use electronics then you should have more layers of redundancy, not less! Only patience and the LSD got me out of that situation without needing a tow, likewise my old boss's MX5.....a sensor threw a hissy and left him parked in the middle of a roundabout during school pickup....total chaos!

One of the many things that shits me about some of the modern "four wheel drive" utes is that there isn't enough clearance on the front to get chains on.

Originally Posted by Tentman

In my experience plates can be a very "double edged sword" they sometimes give protection from rocks, and are usefull if you have to skid over rock or dirt bumps ( like winching over the bloody ruts left from prats with 36" or bigger tyres) but they also guide sticks etc up into places where they'll spoil your day.

Not to mention the extra weight decent plates add and how that intern effects suspension and ground clearance

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Brother had issues with the emergency braking
Would come on at times he considered dangerous . A friend had one with same issue I believe you can turn the sensitivity doen but have to do it each time. Also front suspension issues with turning one way makes a chunk sound I dont know exact but apparently it's common . Something to do with front suspension setup they have on them . Needless to say they gave him a refund . Was taken to 2 isuzu dealers in auckland couldn't fix it. All.i can say is dont buy a 2025 blue one thats done 4k at any dealers not sure where its ended up now

I drove both trucks. The isuzu was way nicer internally softer ride.
Doors felt really light i thought. The power seemed similar . The hilux has shit interior infotainment wise. Harder ride but when laden and towing was more responsive in steering and rear end didnt sag as much with boat on. Hilux smoother in take off and gear changing although of note they are the same toyota owned 6 speed auto boxs.

Over all each to their own. Both nice trucks

I agree with you Tentman, if you push over enough brush a stick will find a way to cause damage, whether it’s a sidewall or mechanical. In the new utes, my Ranger in case, fuel filters etc are very exposed. Thicker aluminium plate guards I think should be a good compromise for protection and weight cv steel.


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Originally Posted by Ingrid 51

I’d love to know what issues people have had with the D Max as I currently own a 2025 model. It has 150,000 km and 6 year wty so should be good. Had no issues at all with the two former Isuzu vehicles, but bailed from 2017 Hilux due to harsh ride and expensive servicing.

Oh just the usual electronic shit that i couldn't turn off, lane assist making the wheel shake when you run over white lines
Suddenly braking because it thought there was a hazard ahead several times with no warning

It was a risk to turn the whole thing off of maybe costing $6k and for a work truck I just went Feck Orf

You couldn't turn that shit off without a special visit to the dealer and it was smart enough to be useless and bleepy

Drove ok but the systems on top were appalling - later I looked up the year (think a 2016??) and there were comments like "The year they went too far with feature xx"


Auto needed to be driven like a manual over the Remutakas but they often do - I only buy manual vehicles personally

Originally Posted by 308

Oh just the usual electronic shit that i couldn't turn off, lane assist making the wheel shake when you run over white lines
Suddenly braking because it thought there was a hazard ahead several times with no warning

It was a risk to turn the whole thing off of maybe costing $6k and for a work truck I just went Feck Orf

You couldn't turn that shit off without a special visit to the dealer and it was smart enough to be useless and bleepy

Drove ok but the systems on top were appalling - later I looked up the year (think a 2016??) and there were comments like "The year they went too far with feature xx"


Auto needed to be driven like a manual over the Remutakas but they often do - I only buy manual vehicles personally

Thanks for info. As an oldie, the ‘25 model suits us. We don’t go into ultra rough terrain and tend ‘shiny’ trips such as Old Man Range, Nevis, Dunstan Trail, Altimarloch and similar. I’ve never and will never put the Ute thru deep water. Yes, some of the electronic features are a pain, but I’ve become more used to them. Possibly the best feature is better headroom getting into the D Max vs sons pretty new Hilux.Im forever hitting my head entering the latter.

Def agree dmax has better rear seat spacing than the hilux. Electronics in cars regardless of brand are way to techo these days .gone are the days of self diagnosis Petrol was either spark or gas . Diesels were much simpler too.

Originally Posted by Ingrid 51

Thanks for info. As an oldie, the ‘25 model suits us. We don’t go into ultra rough terrain and tend ‘shiny’ trips such as Old Man Range, Nevis, Dunstan Trail, Altimarloch and similar. I’ve never and will never put the Ute thru deep water. Yes, some of the electronic features are a pain, but I’ve become more used to them. Possibly the best feature is better headroom getting into the D Max vs sons pretty new Hilux.Im forever hitting my head entering the latter.

Absolutely
I have to duck getting into the Mrs's 2 year old Triton and it's just silly driving something that big where the entry point is so small