1989 Toyota Hilux Surf Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Ok, the poor old Surf gets a bit of a panning for being a bit of an unreliable truck. That said, id much rather push my Surf than drive a Range Rover or Jeep. First things first build quality and apperance and the good news is that its all typical Toyota, very solid, robust and dependable. Every switch and lever works as it should, first time and everytime. Apperance, well its basicly halfway between a Prado and a Hilux. Performance isn't exactly blistering on road. Its fairly slow (its a diesel after all), has lots of body roll (only because I took the sway bars out to make it better offroad), the steering is vague and slow to respond and isn't very quick at stopping. Offroad however things are different. The steering is vague to it doesn't rip your arms off when crawling over rocks, the rolly body and suspension allows for lots of axle travel so it can keep all its wheels on the ground and deliver all its turbo diesel grunt at ridiculous angles. Overall, lots of fun too be had when you want it. Ok, finaly to ownership. With current fuel prices, diesel is really expensive. It costs me $96 to fill up its 55L tank and lasts around 490 to 500kms. Maintenance isn't really a problem as I work for Toyota, just time consuming. Jul 29, 2008