Toyota Matsuri 2026, an annual festival for dealers, media, and enthusiasts held at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, is not about lap times. Before you get excited about GR products on track, rein it in. ‘Matsuri’ is the Japanese word for ‘festival’, and that’s exactly what this is: a taste of everything Toyota has coming, ahead of each model’s respective launch.
Land Cruiser FJ
The Land Cruiser FJ is one of the first upcoming products to launch locally, and it’s one I’ve been looking forward to. The market has needed a proper Suzuki Jimny rival, and this could well be it.
The photos initially had me unconvinced and the proportions looked a little off. In person, though, it works. Like the Jimny, it’s a small off-roader with the potential to embarrass much larger machinery. We’ll know more at launch in the coming weeks.
Climbing in, the interior space is nice, especially if you are the outdoorsy type. The new design language worn by the brand’s latest products is adorable. The FJ’s interior has a built-for-purpose feel, and the boxy, sectioned-off layout of the dash is a real eye-pleaser, with every set of controls feeling as if it has its own sectional title. It’s a cabin that’s easy to navigate, and my favourite part is buttons galore. Thank you, Toyota.
Drive time, however, was brief with a short stint on half of Kyalami’s off-road section, and the most I can say is that the hill-descent control works well, and the FJ showed promise. Launch report coming later this month.
Toyota RAV4
The outgoing RAV4 E-Four has been one of my favourite Toyotas. It’s a solid, well-built SUV with impressive road manners, so my expectations for this model are high. Visually, it’s a stunner, especially the GR-Sport derivative. It has a considerable presence, and its boxy design, with squared-off vents, a large grille, and 20-inch black alloy wheels, gives it an aggressive look. That would be my personal pick because I like bold styling, but the whole lineup looks good.
The RAV4 served as our on-track transport between activation points, so it was nice to be behind the wheel of one again, though not the GR-Sport. Again, the rugged, built-for-purpose interior translates into the RAV4’s character, but with a more premium, lifestyle-oriented feel. The cabin space feels updated and caught up with the times, just with its own distinctive RAV4 flair.
As for the drive, Short stints again, but first impressions suggest the drive matches the outgoing model — and there’s likely more in reserve. We’ll find out properly at the launch in early June. For now, I really like it.
bZ4X
New to the local portfolio, the bZ4X is essentially Toyota’s all-electric RAV4. I’d recently tested the Lexus RZ 500e, and stepping into the bZ4X felt immediately familiar.
The bZ4X ended up getting the most seat time on the day, with three separate activations against one for each of the other models. First up was a drag race with two identical cars lined up next to each other, so ultimately this activation boiled down to the driver rather than the car. Naturally, a TopGear SA driver was always going to win. The car itself? Electric, and decently quick, with smooth, controlled power delivery and a planted, composed feel in a straight line.
Next, we did a gymkhana course, which comprised a slalom and a full circle at the top of the track, then a return through the slalom and a full stop in a box opposite the start. My description is elaborate and maybe useless, but you get the picture: a lot of turning. The bZ4X felt composed at the pace I was going, which was quicker than the typical road driver, and the instant power from the EV drivetrain made powering out of turns seamless. It felt well-centred and agile, and weight transfer from left to right and vice versa was good.
Lastly and surprisingly, we took the bZ4X on the other half of Kyalami’s off-road section. This activation was set to showcase the bZ4X’s ‘X-Mode’, which is essentially AWD with some clever tech to help the car navigate more challenging terrain. In our case, the terrain consisted of a sandy incline with some dips and bumps, a mud rut, and a descent steep enough to activate hill descent control. Firstly, no one got stuck, which is great, and the system did a stellar job of handling different terrains, responding quickly and doing its magic to get traction on slippery terrain.
Hilux
Most controversial, saved for last. The new Toyota Hilux is here. And I like it. Yes, you read that right.
It’s the first time I’ve seen it in the flesh, and for me, at least, it’s one of those scenarios where the car looks better in person than in the pictures. With the new Hilux, there’s a new interior, and I absolutely love it; it’s a fantastic upgrade, and the rugged, built-for-purpose theme shines through here as well.
The interior layout shares a boxy look with other Toyota models with each section feeling as if it were built and designed specifically for its allocation and purpose and not simply to fill space. The cup holders on the dash are still there, but this time they’re integrated entirely into the dash with a pop-up cover rather than a pop-out cupholder as seen in the outgoing model. There’s still the top dash storage compartment on the passenger side, which is a must in my opinion for the Hilux. Essentially, everything you like about the Hilux is still there, it’s just a lot more modern.
There’s a lot to unpack with the new Hilux, and we’ll only get the full picture when it launches towards the end of June. But one thing needs to be mentioned and that is the revised suspension. Toyota chose to demonstrate this on Kyalami’s go-kart track. That tells you something… The new Hilux feels surprisingly planted through bends and body roll is minimal.
I was so surprised that when I got onto a bit of a straight piece of tarmac, I aggressively started swinging the wheel from left to right to see if I was delusional, and again, it felt relatively flat. So yes, there’s definitely been some work done to the suspension, but let’s see how that translates to heavy off-road terrain when the time comes. Keep an eye out for that launch report.
Toyota Matsuri 2026 did exactly what it set out to do. It’s a big year for the brand, and if these first impressions hold, the launches can’t come soon enough.
Words: Niki Louw
