#used Toyota Hilux

[tenacioususedcars]

Review Of The 2021 Toyota Hilux For Sale In South Africa

Even though the Toyota Hilux for sale continues to ride the wave of success, competing brands are beginning to compete in just about every aspect, including performance, comfort and safety, to name a few.

Rearrangement of the 2021 model range

The Hilux Legend is the top-of-the-range Hilux model for sale, coming in above the Raider. In addition, the upgraded top-spec variants, namely, the Hilux Xtra Cab and Double Cab models, now bear the Legend label that used to be applied to commemorative editions.

What about the expanded Raider Series?

There are all three body types involved: 6-speed transmissions in either manual or automatic versions, 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains, and a choice between 2.4 and 2.8-litre GD-6 engines. As standard, all Legend models have a 2.8-litre engine.

The upgraded 2.8 GD-6 engine is the best choice

Significant changes made to the 2.8 GD-6’s automatic engine have produced increased performance. The upgrade includes computer software, reinforced internal components, a bigger turbocharger, and improved fuel injection and cooling systems. However, Toyota made sure that the upgrade did not compromise the car’s durability.

What is the upgraded engine’s performance like now?

The engine has a generous power output of 150 kW, and a torque output of 599 Nm, close to the bi-turbo 2.0-litre Ford Ranger’s 157 kW and 500 Nm, respectively. The 2.8 GD-6 engine’s 500 Nm torque maximum spreads over a more extensive rev range, so doing away with requiring more ratios in the transmission. Although Toyota restricts the 2.8-litre engine to 130 kW power and 420Nm torque, the Legend automatic is probably the favourite choice by the upper leisure/ family bakkie market.

What about the other engines?

These remained the same, such as the 2.4 GD-6 Raiders generating 110 kW and 400 Nm, irrespective of the transmission used. Toyota adjusted certain mechanical items for the entire range. These include the redesign of suspension bushes, re-tuning of springs and dampers, and re-modification of cabin mounts to minimize noise and vibrations transmitted between the cabin and chassis frame.

Safety of the Legend

The Hilux double-cab has numerous safety features, including 7 airbags, stability control, ABS brakes, standard front and rear parking sensors, and the usual ISOFIX child seat anchors. As a first, the Legend now has a lane-changing warning besides adaptive cruise control.

Finding the Hilux double-cab at a good price

The cost of a Hilux double-cab bakkie will depend on the current mileage, condition etc, but you find one at an excellent pre-owned price.

. .

. Review shared from https://pre-ownedsmarts.postach.io/post/review-of-the-2021-toyota-hilux-for-sale-in-south-africa

[cowpokezuko]

If Lisa Cuddy could run Princeton Plainsboro, she could run our country.

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

oh no no NO no no I am sorry my dear @thebirdtm you are NOT underselling one of the most seminal pieces of television of my entire childhood like that on MY watch.

"How is claiming they drowned a Hilux possibly underselling it" GREAT question.

To start with a little disclaimer, Top Gear's Hilux did not start off, as in the video above, in pristine condition. It started off with nigh-on 300k kms (for you yankees, that's about 8.4 million Boeing 737 wingspans) and a condition to match.

And it's only once careless driving around town yielded zilch in given shits...

(look, I found a local newspaper picturing it being driven around!)

...that they decided to drown it. Now, the underselling part: if you told me that they drowned a pickup the first place my mind would go to would be "driving it through a river a bit too deep for it, perhaps as deep as its height, until it stalls and then tugging it back out". You will concede that's rather different from tying it down on the seashore with the second highest tide in the world...

...and leaving it there until it engulfs the whole truck...

...only for the ropes to snap...

...and for the truck to be lost to the tides for FIVE HOURS.

(and for those wondering, yes, just as promised, well within an hour and the mandatory limits of basic tools and no spare parts, up the mechanic made the thing fire and away the presenter drove it - I must imagine doing a number on his clothes in the process.)

Oh also I would have mentioned the caravan.

Or at least the wrecking ball.

But hey, at least the fire was mentioned.

Still, I feel it's criminal to leave out how they celebrated it surviving all it did: by parking it at the top of a 23 story building for all to see! :)

Wait NO-

Well, that was uncalled for. Given what it survived, it deserved to rest in a museum instead of being unceremoniously cleared out with the other chunks of public housing that buried it.

Or at least, given that buried it wasn't...

...to be tumbled down from the rubble utop which it sat...

...and be fueled up.

"be fueled up", pfft, what for?, I hear you say. And you are right.

Look at that thing, you say.

Let's be serious now, however pretty of a story it would be that's not a truck that will do anything remotely in the ballpark of firing up, let alone running.

And again, you are right.

The battery was disconnected.

Sorted that, tho

"You can't be serious." Oh darling I sure can! "Well the presenters can't then" no no, I assure you, it lived. Go see it for yourself! It's at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieau, England!

I grew up watching Top Gear and it shaped me in many ways. My adoration of old Toyota Hiluxes is one of them.

cant stop thinking about this video

[accesscommercials]

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[captain-price-unofficially]

Toyota Hilux SCV. This is what the chicken tax truly denies us. From living closer to the true American Dream

[nordschleifes]

body work

➝ maybe agreeing to go to saudi arabia wasn't a bad idea…

➝ word count: 4,5k

➝ warnings: dakar!fer, flirting, mentions of bdsm, hot weather

➝ author's note: this last week has been extremely difficult for me, both emotionally and physically. i had a terrible migraine attack that left me practically unable to do anything other than cry or want to vomit. however, when she gave me a break, i managed to finish this one shot. i would really like your feedback, if possible!

You could feel your white t-shirt sticking to your skin, as well as your hair on the back of your neck. The desert sun made even the slightest effort feel Herculean, the hot wind doing little to alleviate the heat you felt even under the tent pitched on a stony plain near Al Wajh.

This was definitely not the way you wanted to start your year, but it wasn't like you had much of a choice. With a practically free schedule and a colleague unable to travel due to personal problems, it was up to you to go to Saudi Arabia to take care of one of the clinic's most famous patients.

— Fernando is almost here — you heard someone murmur next to you. Turning your face, you found a man with wavy hair messed up by the wind and his eyes half-closed as he looked at the horizon, searching for something on the horizon.

— Are you sure, Alberto? — you asked the businessman, raising an eyebrow — It's been ten minutes since people started arriving and nothing about them...

— From what they said, they were right behind another Toyota — he said, while a cloud of dust rose in the distance, indicating that another competitor was arriving at the competition camp — Ah, look at him there.

After crossing the finish line, you accompanied Alberto in an attempt to take the red, white and black painted Hilux to the closest point to the motorhome that had become your base of operations. As you approached the vehicle, which smelled of hot oil and gasoline, you saw the door suddenly open, revealing a figure wearing a blue helmet and a black jumpsuit with white and red trim.

— How it was? — Alberto asked, while the driver disconnected something from the central panel.

— Sand, stone and dust for ten hours — Fernando replied, as he unbuckled his seat belt and removed his helmet, revealing a tired smile — Ten hours! Can you believe that?

— I do — the businessman said, while helping the driver out of the truck. After throwing his helmet on the seat and hugging Alberto, Fernando headed towards the reporters who were crowding around a railing to talk to him.

Watching the driver take off his sandy coveralls, leaving his sweaty white Nomex in full view, you felt something warm rise up your cheeks, teeth finding your bottom lip.

You had never been carried away by the physical nature of your work. The barriers you had placed for yourself were always firm, as were your ethics that dictated that you should never get involved with anyone who requested your services. But since you had set foot in Jeddah, you have seen your own conviction tested every day.

And it was getting harder and harder to resist.

Taking a deep breath, you turned and headed towards the tent set up next to Fernando's motorhome. Upon entering the space, you realized how much needed to be done there before the driver arrived for his much needed physical therapy session. You still had to set up the table, arrange the materials and put on the instrumental playlist you loved. “Let’s go”, you thought as you headed towards your bag.

You were whistling some tune while lighting the scented candles when you heard a clearing of your throat coming from behind. When you turned around, you met Fernando's dark, curious eyes.

— Which song is that? — he asked.

— Ah — you smiled, while shaking the match you had used to light the last candle — I don't know, actually...

— It doesn't sound like that Ayurvedic nonsense you listen to during sessions — the driver slowly approached the massage table, resting one hand on it.

— It's not nonsense, Fernando, it's a way to help you disconnect and relax — you replied — Lie down.

— Edo doesn't put things like that — he murmured, as he sat on the kind of stretcher you had set up in the middle of the tent. Wearing a black coat over a white shirt and shorts of the same color, his hair had damp ends, probably from the shower — He knows that doesn't help.

— And that must be why you're always stressed — you said, giggling — Do you prefer forest sounds, then?

— I prefer the lovely chirping of a V10 engine — Fernando said, as the table he was sitting on creaked under his weight.

— Sounds of the forest, then — you concluded, taking the phone and connecting the device to the small speaker that was next to you. It wasn't long before the rustling of leaves filled the tent, contrasting with the engines and conversations coming from outside.

Putting your cell phone in your pocket, you brushed your hair away from your face as you approached the massage table, assessing Fernando's expression, who seemed bothered by something.

— Any points I need to focus on today? — you asked, resting your hands right next to his leg.

— On the left ankle — the driver replied, the crack drawing your attention to the spot below him. Moving the foot in circles, the sound repeated itself in an almost sickening way — It doesn't hurt, but it didn't make that noise before, so...

Standing next to his foot, you began moving it, trying to understand where the sound was coming from. Your fingers pressed Fernando's skin in search of the tendons and joints, the precise touch in search of what was bothering him.

After a few minutes of thorough exploration, without the driver making a sound of protest, you pressed your lips together. Although the absence of pain was a relief, unusual and frequent sounds meant there was an injury waiting to happen. And considering how much he must use that foot, having a strength problem at that point wasn't a good thing.

— Well, you aren’t injured…

— Excellent.

— Yet — you added, while letting go of his ankle — I think you'll have to do some tests when you get back home to see if you really have any problems.

— Could it get worse in the next few days?

— In theory, no, especially since you're not feeling any pain. But I'll talk to Edoardo and see what we can do. Any other points that worry you? — you asked, receiving a refusal from Fernando — So let's move on.

Turning to the small table you had requested to place your materials, you picked up the bottle that held your favorite massage oil and dripped a few drops into the palm of your hand. Then you walked back to the massage table where the driver was lying, his eyes fixed on the roof of the tent.

— Let me know if you feel anything — you murmured, before taking your hands to his calf and starting to massage it.

The movement of your fingers under Fernando's skin, searching for the small nodules where the stress and, consequently, the pain were, was something that relaxed you, in a way. Maybe it was the way you repeated the movements, the way your chest filled with satisfaction when you found a point where you could release the tension that was built up in his body after ten long hours of driving in the middle of the desert.

When you pressed a specific spot near his ankle, you heard him hiss.

— Did it hurt? — you asked.

— A little — Fernando replied, still staring at the ceiling.

— I'll be careful.

— No need — he murmured, which made you look at his face.

— Fernando…

— I’m fine, you can continue. Pain is good, sometimes...

You couldn't hold back a smile.

— Is there something bothering you? — you began, while pressing his calf muscles again in search of stress points — Or is this your way of revealing to me that you are a masochist?

The driver suddenly raised his head.

— Masochist?

You felt something warm rise up your cheeks. That kind of conversation was definitely not in the appropriate category, as your professor of ethics and deontology in physiotherapy had put it on the blackboard in one of the classes.

— It's just a guess — you replied quickly, turning to the table in search of more oil and a few seconds to breathe.

— Based on what? — Fernando asked.

When you turned back to the driver, you found him raised on his elbows. His gaze had a gleam of curiosity and something you couldn't identify.

— You just said the pain is good — you said, placing one of your hands just above his knee and below the edge of his shorts — I think it's a rather obvious hint of what you like in bed.

Fernando raised an eyebrow.

— You mean you think about what I like in bed?

A nervous laugh escaped your lips, fingers starting to work on his rectus femoris.

— Please, Fernando — you murmured, feeling your heart pounding inside your chest. That wasn't right, you couldn't think about those details about your patients, especially when it came to him.

— Come on, do you think or not? — he insisted, in a challenging tone.

— I'm not going to answer that — you just said, trying to focus on the tension points on his leg — Now you can lie down straight, I need to work on your thigh.

Lowering his head again, Fernando let out a long sigh, his eyes fixed on the roof of the tent. However, if you expected him to remain silent after your denial, you were sadly mistaken.

— I think about it…

— About what you like?

— About what you like — the driver replied, emphasizing “you”.

The statement made you swallow hard, hands running up and down his lightly tanned skin. It wasn't like you tried to get Fernando's attention all the time, quite the opposite. You always thought you were invisible to his eyes, just a face among the entourage that accompanied him during his participation in that competition.

— I wonder if you like to take it slow or if you prefer to get straight to the point. If you like to dominate or if you prefer to be at the mercy of your partner. If you like being touched or prefer to just touch — Fernando said, his voice getting lower, almost hoarse, as he explored the possibilities — I think about your eyes rolling, your mouth open, the noise you would make if I were inside you.

— Fernando — you murmured in an almost reprimanding tone.

He suddenly sat on the massage table, his face close to yours.

— Tell me you don't think about that either. Tell me you don't think about me.

You blinked, cheeks growing hotter.

It was obvious that you thought about him. There wasn't a day that went by that you didn't think about the way he smiled, the way he ran his hand through his hair before putting the white cap with black and red details on his head. There wasn't a moment where you didn't fantasize about what it would be like to kiss him.

— I — you stammered, about to give the answer he wanted, when you realized a particularly important detail at that moment. The most important thing, actually — Linda.

Fernando blinked, looking confused.

— Linda? What about Linda?

— She's your girlfriend, you're not...

He snorted.

— She's in the past, Y/N.

— But, you…

— Just answer me, do you think about me?

The air escaped your lips shakily.

— Yes, I do. All day. All the time.

Your confession made Fernando smile, bringing his hand to your face. The look you exchanged for long seconds spoke more than any dialogue you could have had. There were no ethics classes or girlfriends that could stop what was about to happen inside that tent.

And it was to the sound of the artificial rustling of the tree leaves that you kissed Fernando.

His touch was gentle at first, as if the driver wanted to make sure you were on the same page, wanting this as much as he did. And, the moment he realized that you didn't move away from his touch, Fernando deepened the kiss, his tongue touching yours for the first time.

There was something different in the way he kissed you, a kind of thirst, as if you were an oasis in the middle of that desert. His hands held your face tightly, as if you were going to run away from his touch at any moment. As the sound of the birds was drowned out by your own pulse, you were sure you would never leave that place as long as you were there. And you made sure to make that clear by nibbling on his lower lip when Fernando pulled away slightly, completely panting.

Opening your eyes, you met his green-stained gaze. That made you feel the same heat as the first day, when you introduced yourself to him as the physiotherapist who would accompany him during the competition. There was an intensity that permeated it, a glow that you hadn't identified until that moment, but that became clear in a split second.

It was desire. It always had been.

— Fernando? — you heard someone say.

You didn't have time to say anything before he turned his face away, running a nervous hand through his hair. His gaze went to the entrance of the tent, his expression undeniably tense, as if he had done something he shouldn't have done.

And, in a way, he had. You both had.

Alberto's smile as he entered the tent made his stomach turn. Did he know what you had done? Did he imagine that his best friend had just kissed the physical therapist?

— Is there a problem, Galle? — Fernando asked, in a calm, almost natural tone — Y/N is finishing looking at my foot.

— The one that's clicking?

— Yeah, that one — you managed to say, your hands cold as ice.

— Injured?

— Not yet — the driver replied — Apparently it could evolve if I’m not careful. I'm going to see Edo to do some tests when I’m back.

— Well, if you say so — Alberto murmured — The mechanics were adjusting the axle and wanted to talk to you. Are you done there?

Exchanging a brief look, Fernando knew the answer almost immediately. You wouldn’t be able to touch him again, especially after that kiss.

— Yes, Y/N is done here — he said, while you nodded — Tell them I'm coming.

Alberto just said 'ok' before leaving the tent, leaving you two alone. Fernando's gaze on you seemed to burn into your skin, trying to read your body expression and, above all, your face.

— Y/N?

— Yeah, Fernando?

— See you later? — he asked, in a low voice.

— Later?

— In your motorhome. I think we can… Continue our conversation there.

An involuntary smile appeared on his lips.

— After dinner? — you questioned, as he got up from the table.

— Don't you want me to prepare my omelet for you? — he smiled, before putting on his flip flops.

— Definitely not — a laugh escaped his lips — It's disgusting.

— It was Edo who recommended it to me.

— Because he is crazy. You both are.

— Maybe we are — Fernando replied, walking towards the entrance of the tent — See you, Y/N.

— See you.

[astriiformes]

Related. I have been thinking. About vehicles for the Road Trip AU.

The hobbits (and eventually also Aragorn) definitely drive to Rivendell in Merry's minivan--I have not picked a model yet, but something very Practical--but after that the Fellowship obviously need a larger vehicle and I think the answer is a pre-2007 Ford Expedition (models after that only have 8 seats instead of 9)

Also Frodo hotwires a Kia Soul (probably) to get himself and Sam to Mordor after the Fellowship falls apart. (Bilbo taught him how) but I haven't made up my mind yet what Gandalf shows up in when he returns so I need all your input. I am considering making Shadowfax a 2007ish Toyota Highlander because my family bought one of those when I was maybe 10 years old and the thing still fucking runs, which I feel like is the right energy for the King of Vehicles, but I don't know if it's the funniest answer.

Other candidates: An equally old (or older) Honda Accord because they have the same sort of energy, something else known for being very fast or indestructible (a Toyota Hilux would be great except I'm setting the AU in the US and you can't get those here), or a car that's just funny to imagine a wizard in. Please give me your thoughts.

[mariacallous]

The Greeks had their chariots. Patton had his tanks. Now, a handful of soldiers are riding into combat in one of the most unusual-looking vehicles in the history of warfare: an armed Cybertruck.

In a video posted to messaging platform Telegram last week, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, showed off a pair of Tesla’s distinctive boxy electric pickup trucks painted forest green and armed with what appear to be Soviet-era DShK 12.7 x 108 mm heavy machine guns—vehicles he claimed had been sent to fight alongside Russian forces taking part in the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The footage shows the vehicles patrolling down a dirt road as part of a four-vehicle platoon, with several soldiers manning their weapons mounted on their truck beds and blasting airborne targets out of the sky.

“Mobility, convenience, maneuverability: such qualities of an electric vehicle are in great demand here,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram.

The new footage came just over a month after Kadyrov published an initial video to Telegram showing off a Cybertruck armed with a Russian Kord 12.7 x 108 mm heavy machine gun. That Cybertruck, Kadyrov claimed in a separate Telegram post made the day before unveiling the fresh pair of vehicles, had recently been disabled “remotely” by Tesla chief Elon Musk, who had previously denied gifting the notorious warlord the vehicle in the first place, likely because it’s prohibited under US sanctions on Russia.

“This is not manly,” Kadyrov seethed on Telegram over the remote shutoff. (Tesla did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.)

It was only a matter of time before some enterprising combatant somewhere slapped a machine gun on a Cybertruck. Both regular militaries and irregular forces around the world have been whipping up “technicals”—or “nonstandard tactical vehicles” improvised from civilian rides—for more than a century. While the general concept of armored cars outfitted with firearms presaged the outbreak of World War I by at least a decade, the conflict accelerated their production and fielding—and, in moments of necessity, innovation. In one of the earliest documented manifestations of the technical, French navy lieutenant Maxime François Émile Destremau prepared a defense of the strategically important coaling station in the city of Papeete in Tahiti against a pair of German cruisers in September 1914 by tearing six 37 mm cannons off the warship under his command and mounting them on six Ford trucks to repel potential landing parties, according to the 2004 book On Armor. As long as the automobile has existed, so has the technical.

The technical as most defense observers know it, built on commercial flatbed pickup trucks like the rugged and reliable Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser, became a fixture of modern irregular warfare during the so-called “Toyota War” of the 1980s that saw militia forces from Chad achieve a decisive victory over the Libyan military thanks to the superior mobility and maneuverability afforded by their lightweight vehicles. (Chadian forces discovered that, at an appropriately high speed, technicals could traverse open areas mined with Soviet-era munitions without risk of setting them off.)

Since then, technicals have become a fixture of conflicts like the US military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Syrian and Libyan Civil Wars, and now the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And those conflicts continued to prompt a flurry of novel innovations when it comes to improvised fighting vehicles. Examples include Libyan militants mounting a S-5 rocket pod meant for an aircraft on the back of a truck and a Land Cruiser outfitted with a Russian-made 14.5 mm ZPU-2 antiaircraft gun that American soldiers traded two cans of chewing tobacco for to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021—the latter of which is now in a US military museum. (Does a DShK on a shopping cart count as a technical? That’s up for debate.)

All of those innovations open up the question: Will an armed Cybertruck actually make for a good technical on the battlefield?

Despite the many issues that have plagued the Cybertruck since its release, the vehicle isn’t necessarily the worst option. While the Cybertruck currently has a maximum range of 340 miles (or 500 miles with an extra battery pack)—well behind the roughly 570- to 700-mile range of the Hilux—the former is actually quicker, capable of accelerating up to 60 mph between 2.6 and 3.9 seconds, depending on the model, a noteworthy achievement given the vehicle’s size and weight.

In terms of safeguarding its occupants from external threats like small arms fire, the Cybertruck’s steel “exoskeleton” offers purportedly superior protection to that of the conventional pickup truck, a feature that Tesla has been quick to flaunt on promotional materials. Finally, the Cybertruck, as an electric vehicle, is freakishly quiet, offering an element of stealth that the US Defense Department in particular has eyed in recent years compared to other fossil-fuel-powered ground vehicles.

“There are some attributes that work,” David Tracy, a cofounder of the car website The Autopian and a former auto engineer, tells WIRED. “It’s off-road capable and has big 35-inch tires and good ground clearance. It has stainless steel panels that can take some amount of abuse. From a defense standpoint—as in, ‘How safe am I in the vehicle?’—if you were to take a stock Hilux or a stock Cybertruck, the Cybertruck would probably be the better choice in a firefight.”

If technicals are built for speed and maneuverability, then the Cybertruck “offers significant benefits over the Hilux,” Tracy says.

“It is absolutely, absurdly quick,” he says. “In a drag race between the two, the Hilux would be an ant in the Cybertruck’s rearview mirror. If you need speed and agility, and it isn’t necessarily going through rigorous off-roading or being fired upon regularly, then it could actually work fine.”

Despite these potential tactical benefits, defense analysts aren’t convinced the Cybertruck has a place on the modern battlefield. As retired Marine colonel Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, tells WIRED, the armed vehicles flaunted by Kadyrov on Telegram “are totally cool and totally useless.”

“They are cool because they look like something out of a video game and portray Kadyrov as a sort of futuristic warlord,” Cancian tells WIRED in an email. “They are useless because they don't provide a new capability, except perhaps a bit of stealth.”

Indeed, the Cybertruck is not totally suited for hostile and chaotic environments like the front lines of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. First, the EV’s exoskeleton actually consists of steel panels attached to a standard “unibody” frame that’s more akin to the chassis of a conventional car rather than the “body-on-frame” design of most pickup trucks like the Hilux. This design, according to Motor Trend, makes the former a weaker and less resilient vehicle. Second, while the Cybertruck is certainly off-road capable, it’s still significantly heavier than Hilux, which can make maneuverability and traction on rough terrain a challenge. Third, while its armor portends to offer at least some additional coverage compared to the conventional pickup truck-based technical, the vehicle’s bulletproofing only appears to work with subsonic rounds like the .45 ACP ammo used in Tesla’s tests and not the ubiquitous NATO-standard 5.56 mm round or, say, a shot from a .50 caliber rifle. (Though, to be fair, aftermarket armor packages for the vehicle do exist.)

Beyond design and engineering challenges, there’s also the critical matter of maintenance and logistics, the lifeblood of any motorized conflict. As Tracy points out, the Cybertruck’s unique complexity and software-forward design (like the lack of a physical connection between steering wheel and wheels) means a distinct lack of spare parts and higher potential for catastrophic system failures, challenges that all but guarantee that the vehicle is unable to operate reliably and ensure consistent uptime—not necessarily ideal for troops whose lives may depend on them.

“Simplicity is everything; simplicity and parts availability,” Tracy says. “If you’re driving a complex vehicle and there’s a failure of some sort and you need someone to flash it with a computer, you’re hosed if you’re in the middle of nowhere. The beauty of the Hilux is that they’re very tough, for one, but they can be repaired with simple tools and fairly ubiquitous parts. The Cybertruck does not really make a whole lot of sense in that regard.”

“It’s great that it is safe in a crash and can take a bullet,” he adds. “But if you break a control arm and can’t get the part, it’s pretty useless.”

Plus, the Cybertruck’s reliance on charging stations would make a fleet of armed vehicles “likely impossible to support” in any sort of protracted conflict like that taking place in Ukraine, according to CSIS’s Cancian.

“I doubt there are garages or mechanics near the front lines who can fix these complex devices, which are so unlike the fossil fuel vehicles that the region is accustomed to,” he says. “Further, I doubt there are many recharging stations in the battle area. Unlike with fossil fuel vehicles, where the fuel can be brought to the vehicle if necessary, the Cybertrucks must go to the recharging point.”

How the Cybertruck will actually perform in a combat situation remains to be seen. But if the Kadyrov video is any indication, it’s only a matter of time before an armed Cybertrucks makes the transition from YouTube sensation to tried-and-true, battle-tested technical.

[pattern-recognition]

fucked up in the crib looking at used toyota hiluxes and dreaming of a better day

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

There's some trans-esque quality about those truck caps that cover the beds of pickup trucks sometimes. They really change the silhouette and transform it into a different vehicle to my brain. Do you have any thoughts on that?

I sure do! For one, see my post on the most genderfluid car. And for two, that's literally actually happened to one of the biggest names in off-roading!

At the start of the 80s, Toyota sent over a handful of their Hiluxes (1500, to be exact - mainstream automakers have very big hands) to Winnebago, and no, not to make them into trucks, they had Chinook for that, but to make them cut the rear wall, install rear seats and a rear canopy -able but not really meant to be removed- and send them out the door as a Toyota Trekker.

When all of them sold, Toyota decided to make some of their own when the next Hilux came around.

Thus, the Toyota 4Runner: literally just a Hilux...

...with the rear wall removed for access to the rear seats and a rear roll bar to pretend they'd survive a rollover...

...with a rear canopy protecting it all.

Now, I personally don't really get this - this Hilux generation was sold with four doors, and why you wouldn't you rather tack a canopy onto that than have to shove your kids through the front doors? Maybe for the ability to fold the rear seats down and use that room for cargo?

Whatever it was, the 4Runner was extremely successful, successful enough to motivate Toyota to make the new one an actual different body instead of tacking shit onto a pickup... and to popularize the word SUV. Yup.

Oh, you could also still get this one as a three door, for some reason!

The 4Runner has since evolved away from the Hilux to the point of sharing nary a panel, and has become one of the biggest names in off-roading in its own right.

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question: if you liked this post, you might like those - or the blog’s Discord server, linked in the pinned post!

[kamogryadeshi]

Russian snipers fired at an armored police car that was on its way to evacuate people from under fire in the city of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region.

According to the press service, the Toyota Hilux armored SUV, which was transferred to the department six months ago by the US government, saved the lives of three police officers.

The car continues to provide evacuation

[libertarian-druid-ny-separatist]

Ya know I hate to be that guy, but like, a great way we could be helping the environment would be to ease restrictions on auto imports. There's a lot of "pavement queen" trucks that could be easily replaced by smaller, more fuel efficient light duty trucks like the Toyota Hilux, Honda Acty, Nissan Clipper, Daihatsu Hi Jet, and so many others.

It's not like small trucks don't exist, we just ban their import and as a result American auto manufacturers have no need to compete with them. The models exist, but are prohibited from import until they're both technologically obsolete or so high mileage they're not worthwhile purchases for use.

By lifting these bans we can reduce emissions just due to the fact that there will be availability of 4 cylinder trucks and vans, which also helps consumers due to the fuel efficiency. If the American manufacturers refuse to adapt, their downfall is exclusively on themselves.

Just some food for thought.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

if you're still doing the ask game, 6, 8 and 20 for jack <3 using all my strength not to ask for 1-25 lol

6) Something they lost, but would love to have back?

His innocence. He never had much of it, not coming into existence the way he did and into the world he did, but he used to have this very optimistic streak to him that being better than his father would be enough. He used to think he could serve with honour and grow to be a man in the European imperial fashion without it costing him his values. He really thought at some point that he could earn that same kind of respect his brothers, his uncles, and his father commanded in some fashion without it destroying his soul. He was wrong.

8) What kind of car they would drive. 

He probably has something normal now like a Toyota but he had Holdens for a long time. There's a Zeta somewhere in the back garden he insists he's goign to get running someday. Also an ute. Probably a Hilux. Got big ol roobars and probably obscenely large mudflaps on the thing.

20) Household chore they hate the most

He's fine doing dishes and cooking, or anything kitchen related being a bit of a food snob. Hm. This is kind of hard. I feel like Jack is shockingly domesticated all things considered. That hills hoist washing line thing the aussies think they invented but kind of didn't is one of those things where he's stupid proud of it but will also leave his washing on the line for like two weeks on accident because he forgot it was out there until he ran out of socks. His real problem is when people tell him to do something. He could be on his way to do the dishes and Zee asks him too and he has to force himself to do it. If Arthur or anyone asks he's automatically getting a bit snippy about it if not out right refusing.

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[beardedmrbean]

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has squarely rejected the idea of paying any ransom for the release of more than 280 schoolchildren who were abducted last week. Tinubu specified that "not a dime" would be spent to meet the kidnappers' demands, after the payment of ransom was made illegal in Nigeria in 2022.

Authorities may be running out of time to secure the release of the hostages in northwestern Kaduna state, as the kidnapping gangs have vowed to kill the captives if their demands are not met.

The kidnappers have asked for the equivalent of over $620,000 (about €570,000) for the release of the students and school staff — in addition to 11 Toyota Hilux pickup vehicles and 150 motorcycles.

The abductions, which took place in the town of Kuriga on March 7, are the first major kidnappings to take place in Nigeria since 2021. However, gunmen have been operating in the region for several years. Known locally as bandits, they frequently abduct individual locals, especially pupils, to demand ransom payments.

President Tinubu also stressed that the military must step in to ensure the release of the victims, according to Nigeria's Information Minister Mohammed Idris.

"The president has directed that security agencies must as a matter of urgency ensure that these children and all those who have been kidnapped are brought back to safety," Idris told reporters on Wednesday.

Kaduna Governor Uba Sani added that all authorities were "doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of the pupils and students."

Islamist militants, bandits behind kidnapping surge

This recent surge in abductions has become a growing challenge for Nigeria's embattled government. Earlier in the week, some 60 people were also abducted from another village in Kaduna state.

In the past 10 days alone, close to 400 people have been kidnapped for ransom, including 15 other students.

"We see that there are two actors [behind the kidnappings]: one are Islamist militants and then the [other are] bandit groups who have been prescribed as terrorists by the Nigerian government," security expert Ryan Cummings told DW.

Cummings, the director of Signal Risk, a security analysis organization with a focus on the African continent, added that while for the Islamists, "there are some political considerations they demand in exchange for the release of hostages, such as the release of some of their own captured militants," the local bandits operating primarily in northwestern and north-central Nigeria chiefly appear to be motivated by money and secondly by protecting their territorial interests.

"[The bandits] tend to demand financial concessions, but they also use hostages in some of their camps as the means of preventing the Nigerian military from conducting air raids on their positions, for example.

"So obviously they are using civilians as human shield," he said.

Are kidnappers 'ready for negotiation'?

Some attempts are nevertheless being made to negotiate between the government and the criminal gangs. Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a respected Islamic cleric with a strong military background, has offered to mitigate between the two camps — but there's little hope of success.

Such an intervention, however, would be difficult as the kidnappers seem to become bolder with increasingly excessive ransom demands, said Aliyu Othman, a Nigerian media analyst and journalist.

"The issue of negotiating with bandits will in a lot of the cases not bring about peace. Sheikh Gumi has been offering that opportunity since the period of [Muhammadu] Buhari as the president of Nigeria," Othman told DW.

"Are the kidnappers, the bandits, ready for negotiation or settlement? That is what is important here."

'All we have tried so far has not worked out'

While officials remain resolute in not entering into negotiations with the kidnappers, some Nigerians believe Tinubu's government must keep an open mind in dealing with the crisis.

DW took to the streets of Abuja to ask locals their views. A female resident said she believed the government had to do more to ensure the safety of families who were exposed to the activities of bandits across the country.

"We wake up to a fresh story of a kidnappings every day, when you least expect it. And the sad thing is that now the vulnerable are the victims, like children, women and entire families," she said.

A mother from Abuja, meanwhile, responded that something needs "to be done because all we have tried so far has not worked out. All the security measures that were put in place by the government have failed."

A male resident of Abuja told DW that the government needed more resources to tackle the crisis.

"The attacks are rampant all over. […] If we begin to ask ourselves how many security personnel we have on the ground and how well have they been taken care of, we might get somewhere. So I am appealing to the government to buy the latest technology to track down these criminals because that is the only way forward," he said.

Corruption hindering efforts to fight abduction crisis

Security analyst Cummings agreed that Nigerian authorities have to step up their efforts to stop the kidnappings.

"The Nigerian government will firstly have to enhance the resources available to state security personnel and properly train specialized units that are engaged in anti-kidnapping operations. But most members of the security forces are too inadequately resourced [to begin with], they lack ammunition and food provisions and other resources, too," he said.

Cummings said that while the tools necessary to fight terrorists and kidnappers were in sore demand across the region, corruption within the security services was also contributing to the derailing of efforts to end the crisis.

"The state is not in the position to provide additional resources. This needs to change. There needs to be a shift in strategy."

[mgeloo]

I Like Cars

A car or an automobile is a vehicle that has wheels. It carries a small number of passengers and is moved by an engine or a motor. Cars also make very cool noises, like revving. Cars can go very fast, like the Bugatti Chiron and other cars. Some cars are also very slow, like the P50. Some cars are also big, and some cars are small.

Some of my dream cars are Toyota Hilux and Subaru Brz. The car brands I like are Toyota, Lamborghini, and Ferrari. There are also different types of cars, like sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, SUVs, and sportcars. Cars are a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use.

A history about cars. Are was invented in 1886, when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent Motorwagen.

So that is my blog about cars thank you.