What are the differences between Fernando Alonso's Toyota Hilux Dakar and the standard model?

Only a few days remain until Fernando Alonso starts the Rally Dakar with his Toyota Hilux. Do you know what differences it has compared with the production model?

Toyota Gazoo Racing, the sporting division of the brand and developer of cars as brilliant as the Toyota Supra GR Sport we tested or the Toyota GR Yaris that is about to arrive. In addition, it is in charge of the brand’s motorsport departments and, moreover, it does so successfully: this year Ott Tanak won the world rally championship at the controls of the Toyota Yaris WRC.

The company uses these successes to then translate them into road cars. For example, interesting data has been gathered from the hybrid system of the Toyota with which the brand competes in the WEC for the brand’s range of models with this type of powertrain, such as the new Toyota C-HR 2020.

The next major event for Toyota Gazoo Racing is the Rally Dakar, which this year will be held in Saudi Arabia between 7 and 17 January. The division will line up its Toyota Hilux Dakar, a beast that seems very far removed from a conventional Toyota Hilux.

Obviously, tackling a race this tough is not easy, so apart from having a driver of the calibre of our Fernando Alonso, the car must have modifications. For this reason, the differences between “Magic Alonso’s” Hilux and the one you can buy at any dealership are considerable.

What are the differences between the Toyota Hilux Dakar and a production one?

Obviously, the first thing we notice is the styling, and Fernando Alonso’s car is almost 50 cm shorter and 14 cm wider. The height is similar between the race version and the road version, although in the former the wheelbase is shorter and the ground clearance increases. All of this translates into lower weight: despite not being any featherweight, the Toyota Hilux Dakar weighs 245 kilos less than the production model.

The first and perhaps most powerful difference is under the bonnet: while the production model has the 2.4 D-4D diesel engine producing 150 CV with a maximum torque of 400 Nm, the Dakar version has a powerful 5.0-litre petrol V8 with 325 CV and 620 Nm of torque.

The transmissions are also different, since the competition car fits a six-speed sequential gearbox, while the production one has an automatic Super ECT. Something they have in common is that both have limited-slip differentials: front, rear and centre on the Toyota Hilux Dakar, and front and rear locking on the conventional one.

The suspension changes, as does the size of the fuel tank

The double-wishbone front suspension configuration is the same on both models, although at the rear the production one uses a live axle while the competition car keeps double wishbones. The wheels on the Toyota Hilux Dakar are 16-inch rims fitted with huge knobbly tyres, while the production one has 17-inch rims with all-purpose tyres.

One of the most significant differences is the size of the fuel tank. Fuel consumption on the Rally Dakar skyrockets, especially when the drivers face the dunes. For this reason, while the road Hilux has an 80-litre tank, the competition car has one of no less than 520 litres.

Therefore, it seems that the Toyota Hilux Dakar does not share many elements with the production model, although the truth is that it is one of the models with the best off-road capabilities on the market.

Fans of the world’s most famous raid will have to wait a few days to see the Toyota Hilux Dakar battling the fine desert sand of the course and, above all, to see what the great Fernando Alonso is capable of.