In recent times, the all-new Toyota Hilux champ was introduced to the market, and this model took the World by storm. The Hilux champ is not your typical Toyota Hilux. This model is a proper work truck designed purely for commercial duties. This means that you get a Chassis cab that you can modify in every way you desire, and the customization possibilities are endless.
So if you want to learn more about the 2025 Toyota Hilux champ and when this truck comes to the US market, stay with us while we reveal the six reasons why you should wait for the Toyota Hilux champ.
Incredible Chassis Design
Let’s start with the core of this new truck, which is the chassis. This new truck is basically a truck; it’s not your typical American compact pickup truck like the Ford Maverick. This means that the Toyota Hilux champ uses a ladder frame, also known as a body-on-frame layout, instead of using a unibody chassis. This makes the Hilux champ incredibly durable and able to withstand very heavy loads. This model will basically take anything you throw at it.
The platform that this model uses is the IMV platform, jointly developed by Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing in collaboration with Japanese and Australian engineering teams. They used all their knowledge and experience from the standard Toyota Hilux to create the perfect work truck.
This IMV platform is a heavily revised Hilux platform that implements the same rear leaf spring suspension and the same rear axle. Using leaf springs is basically a guarantee that this truck will be able to handle heavy loads in the rear. On top of that, you also have a different steering rack for a shorter turning radius, which allows the Hilux champ to be extremely maneuverable.
What is also different from the standard Hilux is the all-new cab that this model implements. The Hilux champ uses a smaller cab with a shorter nose compared to the standard Hilux. This allows the truck to have a longer bed and be a lot more practical in the process.
We noted that the Hilux champ comes barebone as a chassis cab. This allows the model to be modified for many purposes such as ambulance, mobile cafe, tow truck, food truck, and many other applications. Only the sky is the limit when it comes to customization.
This is not something you can do if you own, let’s say, a Chevy Colorado or Ford Ranger in the US. You need to own a full-size truck like the F350 that comes as a chassis cab, and these trucks are extremely expensive to purchase. This is why the Hilux champ will be a very good addition to the market. With this capability of customization, many business owners will be extremely happy to have an option like the Hilux champ.
Powerful Powertrains
Every truck should deliver in terms of powertrains in order to be considered a good option to purchase. Unfortunately, this is the area that would probably be properly addressed by Toyota before they introduced the model for the US market. Namely, for the Asian market, buyers are not extremely into horsepower and performance. So trucks over there are using smaller engines.
The Toyota Hilux champ uses two gas engines and one diesel. The gasoline engines include the 2.0L naturally aspirated engine that makes 137 horsepower and 135 lb-ft of torque, as well as the 2.7L engine that makes 164 HP and 181 lb-ft of torque. The 2.7L is an engine that is very familiar to US buyers; this engine was included in the previous generation of the Toyota Tacoma and was regarded as one of the most dependable in the industry.
The third engine is the 2.4L turbo diesel, another one that’s highly regarded. It’s one of the most dependable engines in the world of light-duty pickup trucks. This engine makes 148 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque. Overall, these engines are not bad, especially the 2.7L gas engine and the 2.4L turbo diesel. But the US market requires more; US buyers want more horsepower and torque.
This is why we think that Toyota will introduce the 2.4L turbo gas engine that they introduced recently with the new Toyota Tacoma. This engine is extremely powerful and can produce a lot of power, specifically about 278 HP and 317 lb-ft of torque in a standard version and up to 328 HP and 465 lb-ft of torque for the high-output model.
This engine will make the new Toyota Hilux champ a real challenger to the other midsize trucks in the segment and will definitely shake up the industry. But time will tell if we’ll see this engine introduced with the Hilux champ.
Great Towing and Payload Capacity
Towing and payload capacity are really important when it comes to shopping for a new truck. A truck has to deliver performance in this area in order to be a real truck and not a showoff vehicle. So how does the Hilux champ perform in this aspect?
Well, the Hilux champ is a really good performer for its size. This model can tow a max of 5,500 lbs. This puts the Toyota Hilux champ a class above the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and the Hyundai Santa Cruz. But this truck is not meant for towing.
The Hilux champ is designed for payload, and for this purpose, the Hilux champ has a large surface in the rear. This allows the Hilux champ to take a payload of 2,200 lbs for one ton, and this is quite a lot. No other midsize truck can take such a payload.
Many of the midsize trucks are limited to 1,900 lbs. The Hilux champ, although midsize, is able to take as much as a full-size truck, and we all know how much a full-size truck costs. So having this capability on something so cheap is definitely one of the best deals in the world right now.
This is why we strongly hope that we’ll see the Toyota Hilux champ in the US market in 2025. This truck will definitely make a huge difference and will make the current manufacturers reconsider their designs and offer more to the buyer.
Great Fuel Economy
Nowadays, everything is focused on efficiency, and this is expected from every model to deliver great fuel economy. We can tell you that fuel economy is another strong point of the all-new Toyota Hilux champ. Unfortunately, there’s still no reliable sources about the fuel economy of this new pickup truck. But we can compare the model with the standard Hilux since underneath both of these models are pretty much the same.
The core, which is the frame along with the suspension and engines, are shared with the standard Hilux. So overall, the fuel economy for the 2.7L engine is expected to be around 23 MPG. We’re talking about the combined fuel economy on the highway.
For example, we can expect as high as 27 MPG, while in the city, this can drop to 19 MPG. And that’s how we get the average number. The fuel economy will be pretty much the same even if we get the 2.4L turbo engine from the Tacoma. But the pro with this engine will be the higher horsepower rating. The only extremely efficient engine will be the 2.4L turbo diesel; however, this engine is highly unlikely to be introduced to the US market.
Exterior and Interior Design
One of the strong sides of the new Toyota Hilux champ is definitely its exterior and interior design. This model is nothing like your typical Toyota Hilux model. The champ uses a completely different approach; it combines rugged aesthetics with functionality, and we can say that Toyota designers did a really good job with this model.
The front end is extremely muscular and bold with a blacked-out front grill. The body of the truck is fully white, and this gives it an incredible contrast that makes the truck stand out from the crowd and look amazing. It is clear that this model is heavily inspired by the US Toyota Tacoma, and that’s why we love it so much.
Also, the interior was heavily inspired by the Tacoma as well. In the cabin, you have a very rugged-looking dashboard with beautiful red accents throughout. In addition to this, you have Toyota’s infotainment system and a decent-sized screen that will allow you to have navigation control, multimedia, and so on.
Another highly positive aspect of the Toyota Hilux champ is the ability to add a bench seat. With a bench seat, you’ll be able to seat up to three people comfortably inside the cabin. In addition to this, you have a ton of safety features like airbags, ABS, traction control systems, and many more features that set this model way ahead of the competition.
Price and Release Date
Many of you probably asked when will be the introduction of this model for the US market and the pricing. Well, things are still uncertain, and this model recently debuted for the Asian market, and it’s expected to be released in the US in the near future, specifically at the end of 2025 for the 2026 model year. So there will be a long way until this model gets released, and the price is going to be irresistible.
This model is expected to start as low as $112,000. This price will make this truck the cheapest truck on the market, and most importantly, this truck will also be the most capable model for this price point. That’s why we strongly look forward to the moment when this truck will hit the roads here in the US.
