This is the new Toyota Hilux.
For 2012, Toyota's pick-up received something of a restyle, with a new front grille, new
headlights and a new bumper - essentially, everything forward of the A-pillar is new.
From the A-pillar back, it's business as usual, apart from the rear lights which have an added
dash of chrome, and the step bumper is now standard across the range.
Our test model which is in HL3 guise features 15-inch alloy wheels and aluminium side steps
as standard, but our car goes on to add the Sport Deck option with chrome bars, Roll & Lock
sliding cover and load bed liner.
The interior has received a few changes, too, with a new look to the centre stack with new
rotary ventilation controls and Toyota's new Touch system which is standard on all Double
Cab models, and includes a reversing camera which is surprisingly useful, particularly
when hitching up a trailer.
There's a £750 upgrade that adds satellite navigation to the system, and also adds Google's
local search function which works via your smartphone.
The door mirrors are now electrically heated as well as electrically adjustable, and there
are electric windows all round, although the one-touch function only works on the driver's
window during opening - you still have to hold the switch to close it.
All the controls have a solid, reassuring quality to their operation, and the instruments
are particularly clear and easy to read, with Toyota's Optitron illumination on HL3 models
and above.
The rear seats are quite accommodating even over long journeys, and there are two full
seat belts and one lap belt.
The seats themselves flip up to allow taller loads to be carried without resorting to the
load bay, and underneath you'll find a pair of hidden cubby holes.
But, what's it like on the move?
Well, there are two engines available - a 2.5-litre diesel, as fitted to our car, with
142bhp, and a 3.0-litre diesel with 169bhp that's available on the range-topping Invincible
model.
Both are perhaps a little louder than those used to a modern passenger car diesel might
be expecting, but they do at least make a reassuring truck-like noise when on the move.
The Hilux uses a mechanically simple part-time 4WD system that allows you to shift into 4WD
at speeds of up to 50mph.
Shifting into low-range can be done at up to 5mph.
2.5-litre models have an electrically operated rear diff lock activated by a button on the
dash, while 3.0-litre models have a limited-slip diff instead.
Toyota's Automatic Disconnecting Differential is fitted as all standard to all models, and
this engages and disengages the front axle according to transfer case mode.
In normal road use, you need to be aware that you're driving the rear wheels only, and it's
not difficult to spin up a rear wheel while turning out of tight junctions.
While many people will tell you that an unladen rear wheel-drive pick-up is a recipe for unwanted
tail-slides particularly in the wet, in truth these have to be provoked, and for the more
restrained driver there's plenty of grip available.
Certainly more than enough to provide for spirited progress.
The 3.0-litre models have Toyota's Vehicle Stability Control as standard to further reduce
the chances of an unwanted hedge/Hilux interface.
On the road, both engines feel strong and more than equal to the task of lugging around
a full load-bed or towing a heavily-laden trailer.
While overtaking in the 2.5 can require careful planning, it's not as far behind the 3.0-litre
as some might have you believe, and in truth is more than capable of getting up to speed
- and staying there - no matter the terrain.
True, the ride can be a little bouncy, but the independent front suspension does an admirable
job of squashing out the worst of the bumps, and the high-profile tyres mean there's little
danger in yomping through pot-holes.
The gear lever on manual models does look intimidatingly long, but in practice it doles
out quite a satisfying shift action.
The ratios have been selected for off-road use, particularly on the 2.5 models which
have a lower first gear ratio, but on the road there's a reassuring lack of driveline
shunt while using low gears in heavy traffic.
It can take a while to stir through the 'box to get the Hilux up to speed, but there's
a real sense that once it's there, there's little that's going to stop it.
The pick-up market is enjoying something of a resurgence of late, and with new models
such as the Ford Ranger and the VW Amarok snapping at its heels, the revised Hilux certainly
has its work cut out to maintain its reputation.
The 2012 model is a timely update to a well-respected work-horse, and there's something reassuringly
old-school about it, even with its new-found high-tech gadgetry.
It's true that much of what underpins the Hilux dates back to the sixth generation model
first launched in 2005 and, seven years later, there's a real sense that Toyota are, presumably,
working on an all-new replacement.
In the meantime, however, while newcomers like the Amarok undoubtedly move the game
on as far as car-like manners are concerned, the Hilux continues to show us that the correct
phrase is "pick-up truck," not "pick-up car."
So, if you want a tough, reliable, load-lugger to take you and your gear to some of the most
inhospitable places on the planet - and back - this is where it all started: the Toyota
Hilux.