This is the new HiLux Rogue with V-Active Technology, which is a combination of a motor generator, 48-volt battery and DC/DC converter. It's aimed at improving performance and fuel efficiency and reducing noise, vibration and harshness levels, compared to the standard HiLux’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine.

This is the closest thing to a hybrid HiLux you’ll get until the real hybrid HiLux arrives in 2025. 

So, what is this new HiLux like to drive and does its V-Active Tech make any difference to this ute’s day-to-day driveability?

How much does the 2025 Toyota HiLux Rogue 48V cost?

The Toyota HiLux Rogue dual-cab with V-Active Technology – “new fuel-saving powertrain technology”, Toyota states – has a recommended retail price of $71,530 (excluding on-road costs).

What features do you get in the 2025 Toyota HiLux Rogue 48V?

V-Active is optional on SR 4x4 double-cab automatic variants and standard on SR5 and Rogue 4x4 double cab automatic versions.

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with satnav, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto), a nine-speaker JBL sound system, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a front cooler box, a marine-grade carpeted tub, a sports bar, LED load-space lights, an electric roller cover and 18-inch alloy wheels.

All models with V-Active Technology get Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) that has six selectable driving modes aimed at improving traction in different conditions.

Exterior paint options include Glacier White (at no extra cost) or premium paint – such as Stunning Silver (on our test vehicle), Frosted White, Graphite, Eclipse Black, Feverish Red, Oxide Bronze, Nebula Blue, or Saturn Blue – each costing $675 (at time of writing).

The HiLux cabin is very familiar – you know where everything is and how to use it and that’s a good thing – and while the interior may still seem a bit old overall I don’t mind it.

There are plenty of durable hard plastic surfaces, numerous storage spaces, a reasonable number of charging points up front – two USB ports up front as well as a wireless charging pad and two 12V sockets and a 240V socket inside the centre console.

The driver’s seat is power-adjustable and quite comfortable without ever straying into plush territory.

Apple CarPlay is easy to get working via the multimedia system, but the screen is still too small for my liking, and overall the Rogue feels a bit underdone in terms of the tech on offer.

There’s a reasonable amount of space for rear-seat passengers but it's more suited to accommodating three children or two adults. 

There are bottle holders in each door and a dual cupholder in the fold-down centre armrest.

In terms of packability, the Rogue’s tub is 1570mm long (1105mm between the wheel-arches), 1645mm wide and the load space itself is 495mm deep.

Updated 2024 Toyota HiLux models have a tailgate damper and spring so the tailgate is easier to open and close.

It has an electric roller cover, a 12V socket, LED lights, and marine-grade carpet (velcroed into place). The roller cover’s drum, in which the roller cover is stored when the tub is open and the cover is retracted, still impacts the tub’s load-space, but not as much as these contraptions once did.

The Rogue has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, as a result of testing in July 2019. 

It has seven airbags, AEB, low-speed AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, trailer sway control, a 360-degree camera view, front and rear parking sensors, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, active cruise control as well as rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring. 

It has an ISOFIX point and top tethers in each of the rear outboard seat positions. 

All new HiLuxes have a five-year/unlimited km warranty and capped price servicing is available.

Service intervals are rather short – every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first. 

An online Toyota service calculator yielded the following info: the first six services will cost approximately $290 each, then $361.82, $781.56, $547.50, and $457.92.

What is the 2025 Toyota HiLux Rogue 48V like to drive?

The Rogue has a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine – producing 150kW at 3400rpm and 500Nm at 1600-2800rpm – and it is only available with the six-speed automatic transmission.

This is a proven engine-and-transmission combination, with lots of lowdown torque.

It has part-time four-wheel drive (with high- and low-range gearing) and a rear diff lock.

This HiLux’s V-Active Technology system comprises a motor generator, 48-Volt battery and DC/DC converter which enables a stop/start system and this V-Active set-up is “designed to offer … improvements in driveability, performance, fuel efficiency [up to approximately 10 per cent, as claimed] and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) compared with the standard 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine”, according to Toyota.

Variants with V-Active get Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select off-road system (MTS) that has six selectable modes to help improve traction in a range of conditions. When in low range you can choose Sand, Mud, Auto or Rock modes, and, when in high range, you can select Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud and Deep Snow.

The stop/start system has a Normal or Long setting; Long mode keeps the engine switched off for longer than an internal-combustion powertrain.

The HiLux is not as ordinary on road as you might expect; it does rather well on sealed surfaces. It's a ute so there's a bit of a firm and skittish ride and the steering's not perfect, but it's not too bad either. 

The Rogue is 5325mm long (with a 3085mm wheelbase), 2020mm wide, and 1870mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2286kg.

And it belongs off-road. The HiLux remains one of the best 4WD utes on the market – not in terms of refinement or comfort or even all-round drivability – but in its capability in the dirt, sand, mud or rocks. And this is where it earns the bulk of its points for this test.

Considering everything from mechanicals through to driver-assist tech, this is an impressive package. 

There's plenty of torque down low, the low-range gearing is solid, the traction control system is quite well calibrated and, in Rogue spec, this ute is physically set up near perfectly for four-wheel driving with its wider track, the greater ride height, a little bit of extra wheel articulation. 

Even though the GR Sport is perceived as the line-up’s off-road beast, everything onboard the Rogue is aimed at making it that much better in four-wheel driving than a standard HiLux. 

That's not to say a standard HiLux isn't any good off-road because it is, but the aforementioned Rogue elements just add to the whole package. 

And now that HiLux variants equipped with V-Active technology also get Multi-Terrain Select, which includes six selectable modes, it makes the whole set-up even more capable.

In terms of off-road-relevant measurements: the Rogue offers running ground clearance of 265mm, has an official wading depth of 700mm, and adequate approach (31 degrees) and departure (23 degrees) angles. Toyota does not list a ramp-over angle.

Toyota reckons the V-Active’s motor generator unit has been positioned high enough in the engine bay “to allow for successful and safe water crossings”. Well, that depends on how deep the water crossings are that you tackle but, for your peace of mind, I drove through a series of shallow mudholes at high and low speeds to see the result and no water reached anywhere near the generator.

Now for some not-so-great discoveries from our test…

The 48-volt V-Active technology in this Rogue don't add anything to the driving experience. It essentially amounts to the stop-start system – and that's aimed at reducing fuel consumption, but it doesn’t add anything in terms of performance. The system’s fuse box takes up useable space in the engine bay where an off-road tourer might usually put the second battery in their dual-battery set-up.

There are some other problems in the Rogue package. For one, the tyres on this, which is supposed to be a 4WD-focused model and off-road adventure machine, are not designed for off-roading. If you're going to do any touring in your Rogue, replace those tyres with a set of decent all-terrains. 

Another less-than-ideal feature are the HiLux’s hard plastic mud guards because they tend to get hooked up on big tree roots or rocks when you're climbing or going down rock steps and they may break under that sort of pressure. This is not a flaw limited to the HiLux though – plenty of modern utes have this issue.

If you plan to use your HiLux as a tow vehicle, then it's handy to know that unbraked towing capacity is 750kg and braked towing capacity is 3500kg. 

Payload is listed as 764kg, Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) is 3510kg, and Gross Combined Mass (GCM) is not listed, but other 48V grades can cope with 5850kg.

Official fuel consumption is listed as 7.8L/100km on a combined cycle. 

Fuel consumption on this test was 9.8L/100km, which is reasonable because I did a lot of low-range 4WDing. 

The Rogue has a 80-litre fuel tank so, going by that fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 815km out of a full tank.

While the stop-start system in this Rogue is designed to reduce fuel consumption, you will likely see just as much of a positive impact on your fuel use if you simply drive with a little bit more consideration. Take your time, no heavy braking, no heavy acceleration (don’t drive like a hoon) and you’ll record a reduced fuel consumption figure.

Is the 2025 Toyota HiLux Rogue 48V any good?

The Toyota HiLux Rogue is very effective off road, and it's not atrocious on sealed surfaces either. 

However, in terms of refinement, comfort, and all-round drivability, it still lags behind a lot of other contemporary utes. 

The new technology doesn't add a whole lot to the package, so if you're after a proper hybrid, then you're better off waiting until that HiLux hybrid arrives in 2025.