The million mile mark seems to be the goal of every Toyota truck owner. At least in theory, and, of course, after Top Gear famously tried to kill a Toyota Hilux to no avail. The legendary durability of these Toyotas bonds enthusiasts through make and model year — not to mention segments such as full-size, mid-size and everything in between. Before the Tacoma debuted in the U.S., Toyota sold the Hilux under the simple Toyota Pickup or Truck name. And if you want to see how durable the Hilux really is, check out High Mileage Reviews’ latest video of a third-generation Toyota Hilux that’s achieved the million mile milestone.
In the video, the narrator explains how this one-owner 1980 Toyota Hilux has been battered by time, and proceeded to basically sandblast its way through four decades of use. Well, it’s 43 years to be exact, throughout which the Hilux has seen competition in motorsport, rallying up and down the West Coast.
The truck’s roll cage is a testament to its days as a rally machine, and the rust eating away at its panels comes from years of bombing down salty beaches. The truck’s overall condition isn’t great, but a million miles tends to do that to a vehicle — especially since the truck has lived as hard a life as possible.
The point being the Million Mile Hilux is as far removed from a garage queen as it gets, which only adds to how radical the truck is. As in, the Toyota is still going after all this time, still a functioning, gnarly truck 40 years on, after being leased by the same owner who’s kept it for over four decades.
That’s not to say the truck hasn’t had issues, nor seen major mechanical work: the truck’s original 20R engine was replaced by the legendary 22R which upped the displacement 0f the inline-four from 2.2-liter to 2.4-liter. The engine swap wasn’t done after some catastrophic powertrain failure, but as a way to squeeze more power out of the truck. Knowing how under stressed the 22R engine is to begin with makes it sound like the 20R must have yielded a, say, leisurely pace, which explains the swap.
The engine swap was complemented by a transmission swap, going from the original four-speed manual transmission to a five-speed. Even though the truck’s major components have been swapped out, the changes do little to diminish how much of an achievement it is to reach a million miles. But my favorite part of it all has to be the solid steel wheels the truck is wearing. Engine and transmission swaps are OK, just as long as the Hilux can keep those wheels.
