Toyota Hiace Van Range : ACE IN THE HOLE

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The Hiace Van Is No Spring Chicken But The Latest Enhancements Have Ensured That Its Relevance To UK Businesses Is Preserved. Steve Walker Reports

Sooner or later in business everything comes down to money and commercial vehicles are no exception. There are vans with prestigious badges and rakish bodywork that might do something to boost your firms profile with the world at large but youll pay a premium for those. There are models featuring big zesty engines that come luxuriously appointed and/or crammed with equipment. These are sure to put smiles on the faces of your companys drivers but the reaction of your accountant might be less jovial.

The foremost concern of anyone buying a van for their business has to be the cost and other niceties must, in the end, be secondary to that. This is where Toyotas latest Hiace comes in.

The Hiace is demonstrably not the most modern panel van youre going to come across during the hunt for a vehicle that suits your business. Under different names, through a succession of revisions and improvements, it has certainly been around for a while. Yet, the years havent taken their toll as vehemently as they have with some other long-serving commercial vehicles. In its latest form, the Hiace looks up-to-date and fresh engine technology means its sound under the bonnet and its available in a variety of different guises to suit a variety of tastes.

The best part is that Toyota have been resisting the urge to significantly hoist their prices, making the Hiace one of the best value panel vans currently available to UK buyers. The Toyota Hiace Range continues to offer a generous choice of body styles to suit a wide Range of different business needs. The core three-seat panel van is available in both short and long wheelbase versions, with respective Gross Vehicle Weights of 2.8 and 3.

0 tonnes. It can be specified with either a rear lift door, or swing-out doors that open to 180 degrees.

"Toyota have been resisting the urge to significantly hoist their prices for some time, making the Hiace one of the best value panel vans currently available"

Inside the cabin, the focus has been on increasing the quality of the driving environment with a new four-spoke steering wheel, giving a more car-like feel, and a silver finish to the central instrument cluster. More contemporary seat fabrics have been introduced. The new Hiace features a premium audio line up, including a standard audio system with CD player that can play MP3 files stored on disc. For the first time Hiace offers the option DVD full-map touch screen satellite navigation.

As before, all Hiace models are fitted with a drivers airbag and ABS as standard. The safety provisions are strengthened with new front seatbelts with pretensioners and force limiters and the option of a passenger front airbag. Just two versions of the same engine are available to power the Hiace and in the latest version they have been re-engineered to deliver increased power and toque. Toyota D-4D engines have won plaudits galore in the Japanese giants car Range and the Hiaces 2.

5-litre units are of the same common-rail configuration. Theres a choice of either 94 or 115bhp power outputs and even the lesser of these two is capable of some eye-opening figures. Maximum torque is recorded at 230Nm from 1,400rpm while its bigger brother manages a full 294Nm at 1,600rpm. The 115bhp unit can return a healthy 32.

5mpg on the combined cycle and there is no petrol option to complicate matters. The D-4D engines could well be the Hiaces best feature. Theyre powerful economical and not too rough around the edges, making the van comfortable and enjoyable to drive. The gearbox isnt the most accurate youll come across.

Being of the floor rather than dash-mounted variety, it can make the driver feel further removed from the action but it does its job. The actual driving position in the van is a top notch, much more car-like than in most large commercial vehicles. The steering wheel is angled very vertically, unlike in the majority of the Hiaces contemporaries, and the seat is well designed - even if the fabric coverings are starting to look a bit dated. Toyota are keen to point out that their Hiace is cheaper to run than competitors like Volkswagens Transporter and the smaller Ford Transit models - running costs of 11.

31 pence per mile shouldnt be enough to break anyones bank. Its also capable of carrying larger payloads than most other vans of similar size, so you should be able to move more for your money. The overall package is comprehensively underwritten by a 3-year/60,000-mile warranty and service intervals of 20,000 miles are longer than most comparable products on the market. When the big C of cost comes into play, as it must with all sensible business decisions, the Hiace comes into its own.

Buyers get a solid van with a very good engine for a very reasonable price. It might not be the most advanced and the interior ambiance might be a little unsophisticated but overall it represents good honest value. The latest revisions have made a significant improvement to the model and you certainly dont have to skimp on quality as much as you might expect when opting for a vehicle from the budget end of the market. We can confidently expect the new Toyota Hiace models to be finding happy homes with buyers for a good few years yet.

Facts At A Glance VAN: Toyota Hiace Range
PRICE: £12,505-£14,795 (Basic) ENGINES: 2.5-litre D-4D (94bhp or 115bhp) PAYLOAD: 1,140kg-1,260kg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [SWB] (length/width/height) 4795/1800/2000mm