Toyota Hilux Pickup Trucks Complete Antarctic Crossing

Roughly the same time when the Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition used the highly specialized Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle for an epic Antarctic crossing, Toyota also sent a fleet of four Hilux pickup trucks to the South Pole, as part of an expedition carried out by the members of the Indian National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR).

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VIDEO: Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux Pick-Up on ramp-duty

Having few things to do this weekend, I decided to crash a Toyota event. It was the 2010 Toyota Experience, which will eventually cover 17 Romanian cities and is meant to promote the Japanese manufacturer's European line-up, from the cute-and-cuddly iQ to the rough-and-tough Hilux truck and the more stylish Land Cruiser. Video after break.

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Toyota HiLux 3.0-liter D4D Chipped to 184-Horsepower

We're not sure how many owners of the Toyota HiLux are interested in boosting the performance of their pickup truck, but for those that do, electronics expert Unichip Europe has now launched a new ECU upgrade for the Japanese model.

A remap of the ECU's settings for fuelling and turbo boost has got the stock 3.0-liter turbo diesel engine's output up from a measured 155-bhp and 254 lb-ft of torque to 184-bhp and 295 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm.

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Toyota Hilux Tackles Iceland's Eyjafallajökull Volcano Hours Before Eruption

A team of scientists took a specially prepared Toyota Hilux pickup truck for a ride on the wild side of Iceland's fiery Eyjafallajökull volcano just hours before its eruption on Wednesday grounded thousands of flights across Europe.

And if you're wondering what they were doing there, the scientists scrambled to the volcano to set up monitoring equipment before the long-dormant mountain blew its hat off sending a vast cloud of ash 30,000 feet into the sky.

Aside from the guards, winch and additional lights, the most prominent upgrade on Toyota's Hilux were the giant low pressure 38-inch tires. Follow the jump for the complete gallery.

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2010 Toyota Hilux Gains More Powerful 2.5D-4D Engine and Revised Equipment Specs

Today, Toyota's European division released details on its new model year Hilux pickup truck that benefits from a tweaked 2.5-liter turbo diesel engine with a 20 per cent increase in power and extra torque as well as revised equipment specifications for 2010.

Starting with 2.5D-4D four-cylinder diesel engine, thanks to the introduction of a new high-output turbocharger and new fuel injectors, output has been increased from 118 to 142bhp, while torque is up by 18Nm to a maximum 343Nm (253 lb-ft) at 2,000rpm

These changes have cut the Hilux 2.5D-4D's 0 to 62mph (100km/h) acceleration time by 2.5 seconds to 12.5 seconds, while CO2 emissions remain the same at 219g/km.

The 2.5 D-4D engine is coupled to a five-speed manual transmission and is available in all three Hilux body styles (Single Cab, Extra Cab and Double Cab).

Those that want more power can opt for the range-topping 171HP 3.0-liter turbo diesel (3.0D-4D) unit that remains unchanged for 2010.

Toyota said that increases in the Hilux's gross vehicle weights result in improvements in payload performance. In particular, capacity has increased by 35kg (77 lbs) on the HL₂ Double Cab and 25kg (55 lbs) on the HL₃ Double Cab.

For the UK market, Toyota has also revised the Hilux model range with the 3.0 D-4D engine now available only in the Invincible Double Cab.

Furthermore, leather upholstery and satellite navigation with Bluetooth are now options on the Invincible, while satellite navigation with Bluetooth is offered as an option on the HL₃ Double Cab.

Other equipment changes include the introduction of a Sport Deck and an Urban Pack (front guard, scuff plates and front and rear parking sensors) for both the HL₃ and Invincible Double Cabs.

Available for sale now in the UK, the 2010 Toyota Hilux is priced from £15,145 (exclusive of VAT).