Hilux - rugged and muscular

Holden's Commodore may be today's biggest-selling nameplate in New Zealand, but our love affair with Toyota's Hilux shows no sign of flagging.

The rough-tough ute that shot to fame with the Barry Crump ads in 1982 has topped the commercial charts for a staggering 23 years.

It wasn't just that we laughed along with Barry Crump and his hapless sidekick Scotty. Or that the "bugger" ads changed our perception of what was acceptable language on television.

No, what's entrenched Hilux firmly on the landscape is the fact it's so good; almost indestructible.

BBC's Top Gear went to great lengths to destroy one. It put the ute atop a multi-story building, then demolished the building. The engine was buried in the crumpled wreck but started first push of the button - though jumper leads were needed.

And it's that rough-and-tumble reputation that's made Hilux so popular. New Zealanders want a ute that will live with them, work with them and on which they can rely, however far into the back-blocks they happen to be.

Improving on this breed is a hard ask. More power is good; so is better safety and greater strength. No one will complain about a more car-like ride and comfort; few wish to give up off-road capability, reliability or working talents in exchange.

All this and more was promised this time around. And to see if Toyota has delivered we drove the thing along a goat-track that took three years and 50 tonnes of explosive to complete - the only road access to the Otago station offering our off-road experience.

We'd already been impressed by the new ute's on-road manners, and by how quiet it was on our coarse-chip tar. We'd also admired the muscular new looks that suit the rugged persona.

Once the going got tough we swapped from two-wheel-drive models to four-wheel-drives. The dual-range gearbox was easy to access thanks to a lever the smallest granny could operate; there was no need to dismount and fiddle with the hubs, like old models.

The choice of engines ranges from a 2.7-litre petrol, through a 3-litre diesel and 4-litre V6 petrol.

We started with the V6 in top-spec SR5 form and enjoyed the petrol engine's flexibility and sheer grunt - 175kW and 376Nm.

But in manual form, off-road work required rather more stirring of the five-speed box than is convenient; opt for the five speed automatic, or the 3-litre turbocharged common-rail diesel.

Smooth and refined on-road, the oil-burner came into its own in the rough. That engine gives 120kW of power but, more importantly, its 343Nm torque peak is available anywhere from 1400rpm to 3200rpm.

We could pick a gear and stick with it, though those in the four-speed auto version wished it had the petrol's five-speed automatic box.

The new ute is 50 per cent stiffer; wider, taller and longer - by a massive 400mm in double-cab form. It's better specced and yes, more car-like. But it's still capable of taking people and loads into the back of beyond.

What about options? There are now more than 80 official accessories to choose from. In the light of controversy over bull-bar safety and that dual airbags are now standard, Toyota says these items have been crash-tested and are, like the tow-bars (tow rating is 2250kg braked), designed to factory spec.

There are 18 versions to choose from, priced from $29,900 for a two-wheel-drive 2.7-litre petrol cab-chassis to $59,960 for the top-spec V6 SR5 double cab.