- SVI-armoured Hilux subjected to trio of punishing tests
- Extreme ballistic attack includes 9 mm, DM5 and AK47 fire
- Pick-axe, hammer, crowbar and more used in riot attack
- Final test sees bakkie dropped from height of 2 metres
SVI Engineering, leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products in South Africa, has released a new series of videos that unequivocally demonstrates the extreme toughness and unwavering durability of the SVI B6 Stopgun V2.0 armouring package for the Toyota Hilux.
Comprising three short yet action-packed videos, the new “Toughness” series shows a Toyota Hilux double-cab bakkie fitted with the popular SVI Stopgun V2.0 kit being subjected to a string of rigorous assessments, including a full ballistic onslaught, a riot-style attack and a punishing drop test.
“Over eight generations and more than half a century, the Toyota Hilux has built up a legendary reputation as one of the toughest bakkies out there. Fitting our B6 Stopgun V2.0 armouring kit, however, pushes its toughness into a whole new realm, which is clearly demonstrated in this series of videos,” said SVI Business Development Director, Nicol Louw.
TEST 1: EXTREME BALLISTIC ATTACK
The first test facing the SVI Hilux B6 Stopgun V2.0 test mule? Nothing short of a full ballistic onslaught via 9 mm, DM5 and AK47. In unison, SVI’s weapons handlers fired multiple rounds into the converted bakkie’s body and glass. Once the dust had settled, a thorough examination of the vehicle confirmed that zero penetration had occurred.
“There’s a reason our Stopgun V2.0 kit is so popular with South Africa’s security industry, where it saves lives on virtually a weekly basis. In the field, this solution has proven its worth time and time again, seeing it become the default choice among local security companies,” said Louw.
TEST 2: PUNISHING RIOT-STYLE ATTACK
Almost immediately after withstanding a ballistic assault, the SVI Hilux B6 Stopgun V2.0 was confronted with a riot-style attack. Armed with a wide range of impact weapons typically encountered during violent civil disorder, the SVI team went to work on the Hilux.
Despite its battle scars from the ballistic test, the converted bakkie resolutely withstood impacts from weapons that included rocks, a hammer, a crowbar and even a pick-axe. Despite their best efforts, the team simply could not gain entry to the cabin.
TEST 3: DRAMATIC INVERTED DROP
What else could the SVI Hilux B6 Stopgun V2.0 possibly endure? Well, what about being dropped onto its roof? After being inverted, hooked it up to a crane and raised two metres clear off the ground, the B6-armoured bakkie faced its final daunting challenge: surviving a drop onto a solid concrete surface.
And that’s exactly what it did. In a clear illustration of the B6 Stopgun V2.0 package’s built-in roll-over protection – courtesy of the armoured steel structure that effectively surrounds the cabin – the bakkie’s roof suffered very little deformation, despite bearing the full weight of the vehicle in the fall. This came as no surprise to the team considering the SVI Hilux B6 Stopgun V2.0 long ago passed an independent rollover test.
THE TOUGHEST HILUX YET?
“The SVI B6 Stopgun V2.0 Hilux handled absolutely everything we could throw at it. In the end, it passed all three of our gruelling tests with flying colours. Is this the toughest version of the already resilient Hilux? We certainly think so.
“So, if your security company is running unarmoured bakkies in its crime-fighting fleet, we believe you’re taking an unnecessary risk. The solution is the SVI Stopgun V2.0 kit – cost effective, field proven and now tested to the absolute max,” concluded Louw.
SVI HILUX B6 STOPGUN V2.0
SVI’s B6 Stopgun V2.0 package for the Toyota Hilux serves as the preferred choice in South Africa’s broader security industry. It provides local security forces with a cost-effective B6 armouring solution – providing protection against assault rifles (including AK47, R1 and R5) – to combat general crime, escort valuables in transit or use for mining patrols.
The Stopgun V2.0 kit features unobtrusive integrated door armour and flat 38 mm armoured glass bolted into each window frame (the latter allows for fuss-free replacement should damage be sustained during an attack). In addition, the roof, front fenders, all pillars and part of the firewall gain B6 bullet-resistant protection courtesy of custom-fabricated armoured steel plates, as do critical under-bonnet components such as the battery and ABS unit.
Thanks to SVI’s status as an authorised converter in Toyota’s commercial-vehicle partner programme, the Stopgun V2.0 armouring package for specific versions of the Hilux Single Cab is fully approved by the Japanese automaker and is thus available to order directly from any of Toyota’s 200-plus dealerships countrywide.
COST AND BUILD TIME
The B6 Stopgun V2.0 armouring solution for the Toyota Hilux is available for all three body styles, with installation taking just three weeks. The prices below include a front suspension upgrade, gunports, window tinting and interior carpeting of the cab armour. Options include a more discreet curved windscreen, a bullbar-and-ballistic-grille combo and “Flats Over” heavy-duty runflat rings.
- Hilux Single Cab Stopgun V2.0 cabin armour – R303,729*
- Hilux Xtra Cab Stopgun V2.0 cabin armour – R351,346*
- Hilux Double Cab Stopgun V2.0 cabin armour – R434,322*
*figures exclude VAT and the purchase price of the base vehicle
