The Hilux drove all the way from Falkirk in Scotland to Durbanville in the Western Cape. En route, it stopped at various countries in Europe, including some towns and cities in Scandinavia near the North Pole.

“We were honoured to give the 2013 Double Cab 3.0D-4D 4x4 its normal service after completing the gruelling trip through Europe and then south through Africa to eventually reach us,” says Henri Roux, Dealer Principal at Motus Toyota CapeGate.

And like the rest of the trip, which included an extended lockdown-stay in Kenya, the Hilux ran like a good Swiss clock, not missing a beat. The couple, Ken (a Scot) and Lorraine (a South African) McLuckie, are now settling in South-Africa.

According to them, the only “repairs” were a as a precautionary replacement of the front discs (Vila Real, Portugal), a new tyre valve (Lalibela, Ethiopia), two new OME rear shock absorbers (Rundu, Tanzania) and an extra leaf inserted in rear springs to help with the trailer they towed (Nairobi, Kenya).

The couple also replaced the vehicle’s main and auxiliary battery in Venice, Italy after the original battery died. And Ken finally agreed to do the wheel alignment after the rough roads in Etosha National Park in Tsumeb in Namibia truly put the wheels out of alignment.

Astonishingly, the couple had no technical troubles and not even a single breakdown.

Ken and Lorraine did do some repairs on their off-road trailer that made the trip with them. In Gizycko, Poland, the trailer fell off its high-lift jack and bent the towing section, necessitating a quick bit of panel beating.

According to the couple’s well-worn logbook, the Hilux had 98 176 kilometres on the odometer when they left Scotland. It had its first major service in Vila Real in Portugal at 114 588 and then arrived for its next service in Ethiopia with 128 800 kilometres on the clock.

Interestingly, the Toyota Service Centre in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia describes itself as the third largest service centre on the continent. According to Ken and Lorraine, the service area is as large as a football field with 80 workstations.

After leaving Ethiopia and travelling through several countries, the couple checked in to Mbeya, Tanzania for an oil service at 137 198 km and then, with 146 194 kilometres travelled, ended the trip at Motus Toyota CapeGate.

Some cool statistics about the McLuckie trip in their Toyota Hilux 3.0 D-4D bakkie:

• They left in May 2019, spent 552 days on the road and visited 31 countries.
• Of the number of nights (551) some 178 were spent in Europe and 373 in Africa.
• Total distance travelled - 48 018 kilometres.
• Average fuel consumption – 14.72 litres/100 km.
• Total cost of trip – R123 547.
• Average price of fuel in Europe – R24.60 per litre and R11 per litre in Africa.
• Most expensive fuel – Norway (Europe) R30 per litre and cheapest in Sudan (Africa) was R1.40 per litre.