Toyota Hilux Surf
Encyclopedia
The Toyota Hilux Surf is an off-road vehicle
manufactured by Toyota, sold mainly in Japan
, with large numbers exported as used vehicles to Pakistan
, Afghanistan
, United Kingdom
, Ireland
, New Zealand
, and Australia
. The original Surf was little more than a Toyota Hilux
pickup truck
with a fiberglass shell over the bed, but the model has since undergone significant independent development into a mid-size, off-road vehicle.
The Hilux Surf is sold outside Japan
, primarily in the United States
and Australia, as the Toyota 4Runner
. The second generation models were also briefly marketed in the United Kingdom as the Toyota 4Runner
. The lines were penned by principal Toyota designer Ian Harold Brown. The first run of Hilux Surf models were built at Toyota's plant in Tahara, Japan
, but starting with the third generation models production was split between both the Tahara plant and Hino Motors
' Hamura, Japan
plant.
For South-east Asia the Hilux Surf was replaced in 2005 by the similar Fortuner
, which was also based on the Hilux platform.
. The Trekker was equipped with a rear bench seat and a camper shell. It was replaced in 1984 by the Toyota 4Runner
, a similar variant of the Hilux. Other variants were sold as the Toyota TrailBlazer and the Toyota Winnebago.
The Trekker was produced from early 1981 through 1983. The Trekkers were all 4x4 trucks, SR5 or deluxe models, shipped from Japan as cab and chassis only. Once in the USA the Trekker conversion, manufactured by Winnebago
was installed to the vehicles. The Trekker conversion consisted of a fiberglass tub, bed sides, canopy and hatch. The kit included a folding rear seat that could lay flat to add cargo space to the back end. A few of the Trekker conversion kits were sent to Canada
and Saudi Arabia
to be installed at their destination by the selling dealer. The Trekkers were no longer a viable conversion when Toyota started producing the 4Runner in 1984.
with short-bed pickup body, made some simple modifications, and added a removable fiberglass top to form the Hilux Surf. The implementation was borrowed from both the first generation Ford Bronco
, and the Chevrolet K5 Blazer
, both shortbed trucks with removable fiberglass shells over the rear sections and having bench seats installed in the back. Like the Bronco and the Blazer, the Hilux Surf also didn't have a integrated rear window attached to the front section of the roof over the front seats. In that sense, all three vehicles were not conventional pickup trucks with a fiberglass shell included.
Thus, the first generation Surf is nearly mechanically identical to the Toyota Hilux pickup. All first generation Surfs had two-doors and were indistinguishable from the pickups from the dashboard forward. Nearly all changes were to the latter half of the body; in fact, because the rear springs were actually downgraded with one leaf less than the pickup, with the additional weight of the rear seats and fiberglass top, these models tend to suffer from sagging rear suspensions (a problem which continued to afflict later generations of the Surf).
The first Surfs were introduced in 1984 (known as the 1984½ model year
in America). For this first year, all models were equipped with black or white fiberglass tops.
In 1986, the Surf underwent a major front suspension design change as it was changed from a solid front axle
to the Hi-Trac independent front suspension
. This change made the Surf more drivable at highway speeds and increased the space in the engine compartment (necessary to fit larger engines, such as the V6 introduced in 1988) but arguably decreased the truck's off-road capabilities. The Hilux at this point retained the more rugged and capable, if less refined, solid axle configuration
Small cosmetic and option changes were made in 1989, but the model was left largely untouched in lieu of the replacement model then undergoing final development.
1990) the Surf continued its reliance on the Hilux pickup - as the pickup was redesigned, the surf followed. It remained virtually identical to the Hilux from the 'B' pillars forward, but this time gained a full steel integrated body in place of the prior fiberglass cap. It also gained an all new coil sprung rear suspension system, which unfortunately proved to be just as prone to sagging as the leaf springs on the rear of the previous models.
Nearly all second generation Surfs are 5-door models, however from 1990 to 1992, a 3-door model was also produced. These vehicles are somewhat rare and were discontinued in August 1992.
It was available with a range of diesel engines, including a 2.4 L turbodiesel I4 up to 1993, followed by a 3.0 L turbodiesel I4. Small numbers were also made with a normally aspirated 2.8 L diesels and 2.0 and 2.4 L I4 naturally aspirated petrol engines. The majority of petrol versions received the 3.0 L V6.
Most other full-body Off-road vehicles produced at the time featured tailgate
s that opened upward with the glass closed. In contrast, the second generation Surf carried over the retractable-glass tailgate from the first generation. Opening these tailgates requires first retracting the rear window into the tailgate and then lowering the tailgate, much like as on a pickup truck.
In 1992, the Surf received minor cosmetic updates, including larger 'Aero' headlamps and one-piece front bumpers. At this time a Wide body version was introduced featuring extended wheel arch flares along with wider wheels and tyres.
This facelift distanced them somewhat from the Hilux pickups which did not receive the same cosmetic changes.
Various trim levels were offered ranging from the base model 'SSR' through 'SSR Ltd', 'SSR-V' 'SSR-X' and 'SSR-X Ltd' to the range topping 'SSR-G'.
A commonly noted weakness on the 2.4 turbodiesel engine is a tendency to crack the cylinder head. Any episode of overheating may result in internal cracking of the head. Some were recalled in their domestic market and had the head replaced. The replacement "modified" head is the same head as fitted to the 2.8 normally aspirated diesel models.
.
Significant changes from the second generation models include a larger body on a longer wheelbase, increased interior space, increased cargo space, twin airbags, coil sprung suspension front and rear, ABS brakes, lift-up tailgate, rack and pinion steering and 16 inch wheels. One of the biggest mechanical changes was the addition of a center differential, enabling the use of four wheel drive on hard surfaces without complication for the first time. The prior ADD system was also retained to give on-the-fly shifting between rear and four wheel drive as before.
Trim and model designations remain similar to those used for the second generation models.
In 2009, Toyota Japan ceased production of the Hilux Surf.
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
manufactured by Toyota, sold mainly in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with large numbers exported as used vehicles to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The original Surf was little more than a Toyota Hilux
Toyota Hilux
The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
with a fiberglass shell over the bed, but the model has since undergone significant independent development into a mid-size, off-road vehicle.
The Hilux Surf is sold outside Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, primarily in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia, as the Toyota 4Runner
Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner is a mid-size SUV manufactured by Toyota and sold throughout the world from 1984 to the present. In Japan it was known as the Toyota Hilux Surf...
. The second generation models were also briefly marketed in the United Kingdom as the Toyota 4Runner
Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner is a mid-size SUV manufactured by Toyota and sold throughout the world from 1984 to the present. In Japan it was known as the Toyota Hilux Surf...
. The lines were penned by principal Toyota designer Ian Harold Brown. The first run of Hilux Surf models were built at Toyota's plant in Tahara, Japan
Tahara
Tahara may refer to:* The Japanese city of Tahara, Aichi.* A Japanese surname.** Mutsuo Tahara, a Supreme Court of Japan justiceIn Judaism:* Ritual purification. See Tumah and taharah, Mikvah and Niddah.* Preparation for burial...
, but starting with the third generation models production was split between both the Tahara plant and Hino Motors
Hino Motors
-External links:Global* * * Overseas offices****.*.***.*.* - Philippines**...
' Hamura, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
plant.
For South-east Asia the Hilux Surf was replaced in 2005 by the similar Fortuner
Toyota Fortuner
The Toyota Fortuner, also known as the Toyota SW4, is a medium-sized SUV based on the Toyota Hilux. Originally assembled only in Thailand, but later also in Indonesia and other countries, the Fortuner is built on the well-established platform of the Toyota Hilux pickup truck. It features three...
, which was also based on the Hilux platform.
Toyota (Winnebago) Trekker (1981-1984)
The Toyota Trekker was a hybrid truck-and sport utility vehicle that was based on the Toyota HiluxToyota Hilux
The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
. The Trekker was equipped with a rear bench seat and a camper shell. It was replaced in 1984 by the Toyota 4Runner
Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner is a mid-size SUV manufactured by Toyota and sold throughout the world from 1984 to the present. In Japan it was known as the Toyota Hilux Surf...
, a similar variant of the Hilux. Other variants were sold as the Toyota TrailBlazer and the Toyota Winnebago.
The Trekker was produced from early 1981 through 1983. The Trekkers were all 4x4 trucks, SR5 or deluxe models, shipped from Japan as cab and chassis only. Once in the USA the Trekker conversion, manufactured by Winnebago
Winnebago
Winnebago can refer to:* The former name of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin*A popular brand of recreational vehicles, manufactured by Winnebago Industries, of Forest City, Iowa...
was installed to the vehicles. The Trekker conversion consisted of a fiberglass tub, bed sides, canopy and hatch. The kit included a folding rear seat that could lay flat to add cargo space to the back end. A few of the Trekker conversion kits were sent to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to be installed at their destination by the selling dealer. The Trekkers were no longer a viable conversion when Toyota started producing the 4Runner in 1984.
First generation (1984–1989)
Instead of developing an entirely new model, Toyota took the existing HiluxToyota Hilux
The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
with short-bed pickup body, made some simple modifications, and added a removable fiberglass top to form the Hilux Surf. The implementation was borrowed from both the first generation Ford Bronco
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco is a sport utility vehicle that was produced from 1966 to 1996, with five distinct generations. Broncos can be divided into two categories: early Broncos and full-size Broncos ....
, and the Chevrolet K5 Blazer
Chevrolet K5 Blazer
See also Chevrolet Blazer The K5 Blazer was the smallest full size SUV version of the General Motors C/K Trucks family. Introduced to the Chevrolet line in 1969, the full-size Blazer was replaced in 1995 by the Chevrolet Tahoe. In 1970, GMC introduced its own model of the truck, called the Jimmy,...
, both shortbed trucks with removable fiberglass shells over the rear sections and having bench seats installed in the back. Like the Bronco and the Blazer, the Hilux Surf also didn't have a integrated rear window attached to the front section of the roof over the front seats. In that sense, all three vehicles were not conventional pickup trucks with a fiberglass shell included.
Thus, the first generation Surf is nearly mechanically identical to the Toyota Hilux pickup. All first generation Surfs had two-doors and were indistinguishable from the pickups from the dashboard forward. Nearly all changes were to the latter half of the body; in fact, because the rear springs were actually downgraded with one leaf less than the pickup, with the additional weight of the rear seats and fiberglass top, these models tend to suffer from sagging rear suspensions (a problem which continued to afflict later generations of the Surf).
The first Surfs were introduced in 1984 (known as the 1984½ model year
Model year
The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
in America). For this first year, all models were equipped with black or white fiberglass tops.
In 1986, the Surf underwent a major front suspension design change as it was changed from a solid front axle
Live axle
A live axle, sometimes called a solid axle, is a type of beam axle suspension system that uses the driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that they move together as a unit....
to the Hi-Trac independent front suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
. This change made the Surf more drivable at highway speeds and increased the space in the engine compartment (necessary to fit larger engines, such as the V6 introduced in 1988) but arguably decreased the truck's off-road capabilities. The Hilux at this point retained the more rugged and capable, if less refined, solid axle configuration
Small cosmetic and option changes were made in 1989, but the model was left largely untouched in lieu of the replacement model then undergoing final development.
Second generation (1989–1995)
For 1989 (MYModel year
The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
1990) the Surf continued its reliance on the Hilux pickup - as the pickup was redesigned, the surf followed. It remained virtually identical to the Hilux from the 'B' pillars forward, but this time gained a full steel integrated body in place of the prior fiberglass cap. It also gained an all new coil sprung rear suspension system, which unfortunately proved to be just as prone to sagging as the leaf springs on the rear of the previous models.
Nearly all second generation Surfs are 5-door models, however from 1990 to 1992, a 3-door model was also produced. These vehicles are somewhat rare and were discontinued in August 1992.
It was available with a range of diesel engines, including a 2.4 L turbodiesel I4 up to 1993, followed by a 3.0 L turbodiesel I4. Small numbers were also made with a normally aspirated 2.8 L diesels and 2.0 and 2.4 L I4 naturally aspirated petrol engines. The majority of petrol versions received the 3.0 L V6.
Most other full-body Off-road vehicles produced at the time featured tailgate
Tailgate
Tailgate is an American English word denoting the door or 'gate' at the back of a wagon, pickup truck, SUV or other similar type of vehicle that is hinged at the bottom and can be opened for the convenience in loading cargo into the rear of the vehicle...
s that opened upward with the glass closed. In contrast, the second generation Surf carried over the retractable-glass tailgate from the first generation. Opening these tailgates requires first retracting the rear window into the tailgate and then lowering the tailgate, much like as on a pickup truck.
In 1992, the Surf received minor cosmetic updates, including larger 'Aero' headlamps and one-piece front bumpers. At this time a Wide body version was introduced featuring extended wheel arch flares along with wider wheels and tyres.
This facelift distanced them somewhat from the Hilux pickups which did not receive the same cosmetic changes.
Various trim levels were offered ranging from the base model 'SSR' through 'SSR Ltd', 'SSR-V' 'SSR-X' and 'SSR-X Ltd' to the range topping 'SSR-G'.
A commonly noted weakness on the 2.4 turbodiesel engine is a tendency to crack the cylinder head. Any episode of overheating may result in internal cracking of the head. Some were recalled in their domestic market and had the head replaced. The replacement "modified" head is the same head as fitted to the 2.8 normally aspirated diesel models.
Third generation (1995–2002)
For 1995 (MY 1996) the Surf got an all-new body shell on an all-new chassis. This time, it shared virtually nothing with the pickup it had originally evolved from, and had more in common with the Land Cruiser, as it shared its chassis with that of the LWB Land Cruiser PradoToyota Land Cruiser
The is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. It is not related to the Studebaker Land Cruiser car produced in the US from 1934-1954....
.
Significant changes from the second generation models include a larger body on a longer wheelbase, increased interior space, increased cargo space, twin airbags, coil sprung suspension front and rear, ABS brakes, lift-up tailgate, rack and pinion steering and 16 inch wheels. One of the biggest mechanical changes was the addition of a center differential, enabling the use of four wheel drive on hard surfaces without complication for the first time. The prior ADD system was also retained to give on-the-fly shifting between rear and four wheel drive as before.
Trim and model designations remain similar to those used for the second generation models.
Fourth generation (2002–2009)
The fourth generation Surf incorporated serious changes to the chassis and body of the vehicle but was targeted at approximately the same demographics as the third generation. The updated Surf looks very different from the older Surfs, but it was designed to the same criteria as a mid-size, quasi-luxury, off-road vehicle. It continues to share most of its underpinnings with the Land Cruiser Prado of similar age.In 2009, Toyota Japan ceased production of the Hilux Surf.
Fifth generation (2009–present)
In October 2009 (MY 2010) Toyota USA launched the fifth generation 4Runner. No Hilux Surf counterpart was listed on the Toyota Japan lineup.External links
- HiluxSurf.co.uk. UK based forums offering help and advice (covers UK 4Runners & Imported Surfs).
- HiluxSurf.eu Extensive FAQ relating to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Generation models.
- Australian Toyota Surf Owners Australian based forums offering help and advice.
- Hilux Surf Techsite Technical & Maintenance information