Border-crossing diesel and sat-nav conundrum
-
Toyota's 2011 Hilux, captured at de Brug near Bloemfontein. Popular Mechanics - Anthony Doman
< back1 of 1next >
Sometimes it helps not to be finicky, as Toyota has found with its Hilux . And sometimes it hurts …
Because typical Hilux customers travel across our country’s borders and throughout Southern Africa, Toyota has been faced with a situation that other manufacturers don’t necessarily have – and a solution that others don’t necessarily offer. Anthony Doman reports.
The Toyota Hilux is compatible with diesel containing 500 parts per million sulphur, so it can travel to areas where the “clean” 50 ppm fuel – mandatory for many newer SUVs - is not supplied.
But it’s one problem solved, another created: the new central video display on the dashboard features a Sat-Nav button, but Sat-nav is not currently offered on the Hilux though it IS in the pipeline.
The sticking point is that they have not been able to come to an agreement with mapset suppliers: although maps for use within South Africa’s borders are available, full Southern African mapping isn’t available. As All accessories have to be approved by Toyota Japan, so forget about a solution without buy-in from head office.
In any case, they can’t justify an SA-only mapping solution (presumably at a cost premium) when suitable – though obviously not Toyota-approved – off-the-shelf alternatives from TomTom and Garmin are available for a couple of thousand rand.
