Toyota HIACE VAN RANGE
The Hiace Van Is No Spring Chicken But Through Regular Enhancements And A Steadfast Reluctance To Increase Prices
Toyota 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.
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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 Hiace comes in.
The Hiace is demonstrably not the most modern panel van your 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. The Hiace remains a passable visual proposition, 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, almost by way of an admission that the product has fallen some way off the cutting edge,
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. From the outset, the would-be Hiace owner is confronted by an extensive and fairly convoluted range. There are two gross vehicle weights and these are denoted in the different model names by the prefixes 280 (2,800kg GVW) and 300 (3,000kg GVW). The 300s are long wheelbase models with a 2,975mm load length and a 1,260kg max payload, while the 280s are smaller between the wheels.
They offer a 2,535mm load length and a 1,140kg payload potential.
"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"
Further to this, there are the trim levels. The entry-level 280 and 300 models get standard trim and these are the cheapest Hiace vans you can buy with £11,985 being the going rate. You get what you pay for in the Hiace range, as with most things in life, so an additional outlay could secure you either GS or the ultimate GS-Xtra specifications. Presiding at the pinnacle of the range, the GS-Xtra 280 and 300 models cost from £14,355 and £15,855 respectively (All prices are excluding VAT, delivery, tax, number plates and registration).
Standard equipment includes drivers airbag, ABS brakes, central locking, a radio cassette and power steering. The GS models add the option of a heated, tinted rear window with wash-wipe on a lifting tailgate or a pair of unglazed side hinged rear doors. A steel bulkhead with window is included as are an adjustable steering wheel and adjustable seatbelts. GS-Xtra gives you electric windows, a Sony CD player and air-conditioning, not to mention the all-important go-faster side stripe and flashy decals.
Just two versions of the same engine are available to power the Hiace but, fortunately, the powerplant in question is something of a star performer. Toyota D4-D 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 88 or 102bhp power outputs and even the lesser of these two is capable of some eye-opening figures.
Maximum torque is recorded at 192Nm from 1,200rpm while its bigger brother manages a full 260Nm at 1,600rpm. The 102bhp unit can return a healthy 37mpg on the combined cycle and there is no petrol option to complicate matters. The D4-D 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.
This old-school look is common to much of the Hiaces cabin where quality of plastics and a lack of storage space are the major bugbears. Everything functions as its supposed to, its just that the ergonomics and aesthetics provide something of a throwback to a bygone age of van design. The vehicle has stood up to the passing of time well in most areas, its just a shame that the interior cant be brought up a notch or two. 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 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. 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 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: £11,985-£15,855 (Basic) ENGINES: 2.5-litre D-4D (88bhp or 102bhp) PAYLOAD: 1,140kg-1,260kg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [280] (length/width/height) 4715/1800/1955mm
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