When you want to go places, nothing beats a Toyota 4x4
Reliable, simple and good-looking, the third-gen Toyota Hilux Surf is quintessentially a cult classic.
Toyota builds the most robust vehicles in the world.
Take a look at the challenges that Top Gear UK put its Hilux through. You’ll find a Toyota Hilux on someone’s farm, on a builder’s construction site, and even at the forefront of war. It is a legendary nameplate that is synonymous with hard yakka.
During the late 1980s, the sport utility vehicle became a thing, and Toyota’s answer to that craze was the Surf, or 4Runner in America. These original wagons were robust 4x4s built with the best bones of a Hilux commercial vehicle, albeit with much-needed luxury and amenities. With a coil rear end, sumptuous cabin and the best floor mats known to man, it really is a place of luxury.
Past the gimmicks lies a genuine 4×4 tuned for excellent road manners, with a lengthened wheelbase, a widened track, and those aforementioned coil springs all speaking to this notion. The petrol 2.7-litre 3RZ engine is an absolute workhorse and won’t let you down.
The idea of an off-road-based wagon was a novel concept that birthed a whole segment of vehicles, with the most closely related being products like the Toyota Fortuner.
Nothing hits like the original, though, with its era-specific styling and old-school workhorse powertrain.
The car pictured – 1998 Toyota Hilux Surf SSR-V Limited
This Toyota Hilux Surf is an SSR-V Limited Widebody model built in June 1998. We acquired it as a grade 4.0C auction vehicle from the Saitama region of Japan.
It was configured with a 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, a four-speed automatic, and white-over-silver two-tone paintwork. It features selectable 4×4 and a low-range transfer case.
As a higher-grade ‘SSR-V Limited’ model, it features climate control, silver interior trims, dual airbags, power options, and central locking. The vehicle has some service history from Japan and has undergone constant maintenance and love throughout its life.
It presents in above-average condition for its age, and its paintwork is wholly original. The vehicle has been comprehensively serviced upon arriving in Australia and comes with its original books & two keys.
The four-speed auto shifts crisply and its 2.7-litre petrol engine feels strong.
Quick facts
- 1998 Toyota Hilux Surf SSR-V Limited
- 119,908km – low!
- 2.7-litre four-cylinder ‘3RZ’ petrol engine
- Original, unmodified, never repaired, no corrosion
- Four-speed auto
- 4×4 with low-range transfer case
- Higher-spec model
- Climate control
- Power options
- Dual airbags
- Central locking
- Recently serviced in Australia
- Two keys + original books
- Price includes vehicle compliance
- Price includes three months of NSW registration
- Price includes a NSW roadworthy
"Hilux" is a combination of "high" and "luxury." "Surf" means large waves which symbolise the expansiveness of the vehicle's utility.Toyota Japan, 75 years of company history
