Toyota is boosting the payload capacity of its Hilux pickup in Australia with a factory-engineered upgrade, but the move underscores just how far the workhorse truck remains out of reach for the US market — where Toyota hasn't sold the Hilux in decades.
Starting August 2026, Toyota Australia will offer a GVM (gross vehicle mass) upgrade package on six commercial-grade Hilux configurations. At AU$4,000 (roughly $2,600 USD), the option adds 372 to 435 kg of additional legal payload, pushing the maximum to approximately 1,525 kg (about 3,360 lb).
Chassis work, not just paperwork
The upgrade is more than a sticker change. Toyota engineers fit longer mono-tube rear shock absorbers, raising ride height by roughly 10 mm, and reinforce the chassis to handle higher axle loads — 100 kg more on the front axle and 280 kg more on the rear.
The package is limited to 4×4 dual-cab and extra-cab variants paired with the 2.8-liter turbo-diesel and an automatic transmission, available in both standard and 48V mild-hybrid form. Manual-gearbox variants are excluded, as are lifestyle-trim models.
Because Toyota developed the upgrade in-house and fits it at the factory, it retains the truck's full 5-year warranty and keeps all the factory safety systems intact — an advantage over aftermarket GVM kits from suppliers like EFS and Ironman 4×4, which offer similar payload gains but without the same warranty coverage.
Ford Ranger Super Duty still leads
Even with the upgrade, the Hilux trails the Ford Ranger Super Duty on the specs that commercial buyers watch most closely. The Super Duty carries between 1,825 and 1,982 kg of payload and can tow up to 4,500 kg. The upgraded Hilux tops out at 1,525 kg payload and 3,500 kg towing — a meaningful gap on both counts.
Pricing tells a similar story. In Australia, a base Hilux WorkMate dual-cab chassis starts around AU$56,000 after the GVM package; the top SR5 dual-cab approaches AU$70,000. The Ranger Super Duty starts at AU$83,000 and runs to AU$100,000, so the Hilux remains the more accessible commercial option even if it isn't the most capable.
No US path in sight
The Hilux left the US market in 1995 and has never returned. Toyota fills the mid-size truck slot here with the Tacoma, which isn't a direct commercial hauler by comparison. For buyers who need serious payload in a body-on-frame pickup, the Ranger Super Duty — expected to reach additional markets by 2028 — and the current Tacoma or Tundra remain the realistic options stateside.