1979 Toyota 4×4
Photo: fourwheeler
It wasn’t until the 1979 model year that Toyota sent a 4×4 version of the mid-size pickup truck to the United States and that is when the legend was born. Known to the rest of the world as a “Hilux” the small lightweight compact truck was brilliant in off road settings once it received the four wheel drive system. It was so good that highly respected 4×4 and Off Road Vehicles Magazine gave it the 4×4 of the year award for the 1979 model year. Pretty impressive for a foreign vehicle to come out on top like that with its first 4×4. The Pickup would remain very similar with only a few small cosmetic changes up until 1995 when the Tacoma Model was introduced.