the Toyota Hiace has become a bit of an automotive icon in Australia over the 40
years it's been on sale more than 335 thousand of them have been sold but no
one really wants to buy a Hiace do they it's a box on wheels typically white and
most often unwashed and for the past 15 years
it's barely changed it's been the go-to option for tradies and couriers and over
the last 15 years of the previous generation version it was number one for
pretty much the whole time but now there's more competition than ever
there's Hyundai there's Ford Renault Volkswagen even Peugeot is in on the
action everybody wants their slice of the van pie so how does this new
generation Hiace stack up and why does it now have a bonnet
well the bonnet I can answer that that's where the engine is now you don't sit on
top of it anymore and that's a good thing because it improves the comfort it
also improves access to the engine and improve safety there's a lot to talk
about on safety we'll get to that soon but first let's have a look at the
design and that nose the previous-generation hiace was a bit
mean-looking it was unapologetically boxy and it aged pretty well too it's
not long a vehicle goes a decade and a half without any major changes and this
new generation version well it's a pretty big departure from the old one
you can get a regular panel van a crew van a bus and you can get the choice of
a petrol v6 engine or the familiar 2.8 liter turbo diesel which is also used in
the Hilux Fortuna and even the Prado read the review for a full breakdown of
the model range you'll find it in the description below and while you're there
don't forget to hit subscribe so not only is this diesel engine considerably
gruntier than its predecessor there's a lot more power and torque but it's also
a lot more refined you don't feel the engine shaking underneath you like you
did in the previous one the engine is it builds pace really well and while it
might be a little bit gruff when it's used in the hilux it doesn't feel too
rough-and-tumble in this application I think that's a credit to Toyotas
engineers who have done a lot of work to make this HiAce considerably more
refined and its predecessor even little things like the leather lined steering
wheel and the old one it was a hard plastic wheel and that makes a big
difference you're gonna be grabbing it every day the seat comforts excellent
I imagine the durability of the seats will be even better because you won't be
sort of scrambling on top of it to get out of the van day-in day-out or hour in
hour out or every 15 minutes depending on what you do for work
make what you will of the design but the good news for buyers is that there's
still plenty of choice and on this particular model here there's plenty of
accessories available as well this is the long wheelbase version which is
actually the shorter wheelbase of the two versions that you can get and it
still got 6.2 cubic meters of cargo space which is heaps and it's also got a
longer wheelbase so it's more comfortable and because it's got that
bonnet it's safer as well there's plenty of safety stuff that we need to talk
about but we'll get to that soon let's have a look in the cargo area one of the
HiAce's advantages is that it's rear-wheel drive but still has a really
low floor load height great for loading and unloading there are multiple
tie-down points and depending on how you spec it you can get different floor and
wall coverings - the big thing about the HiAce's cargo area this time around is
that it's a lot wider it is shorter as well but you've got so much more width
to play with that you can easily fit a couple of pallets in here and in the
super long wheelbase version which has 9.3 cubic meters of cargo space you get
wider doors as well so you can palette in from the side and also from the back but
there's no barn doors yet which could be a problem for serious tradies out there
or pallet carriers couriers whoever you might be but one of the niftier things
that Toyota is thought of is this internal ladder rack that's right you
won't get wet it won't get wet it won't get stolen so it means you using space
that you wouldn't otherwise use in the back of your van as well it's pretty
nifty stuff now let's take a look in front of the partition vans like these
are more than just a way of getting to the worksite they can perform their duty
as a lunch room a meeting room or even a space just to relax for a minute or two
so it's important that the cabin is comfortable and well-thought-out and in
this generation version of the hiace it is light years ahead in terms of comfort
getting in and out is simple you don't have to jump over a wheel arch you
basically just slide into a seat like in a SUV for example and everything is
presented so much better and so much more logically plus the seating
position I mean it's so different it's really comfortable you've got a good
adjustment there's a lot of nice features in this cabin that you just
didn't get in the previous generation version plus there's good storage as
well you've got big bottle holders in the dashboard you've got cupholders
there's nothing in between the seats but that's not that big of a deal there is
no overhead storage in this regular long wheelbase version because it doesn't
have the high roof but generally things are pretty good in here the media screen
is a big improvement on the previous generation version as well and it will
come with apple carplay and android auto later this year and if you buy a Hiace
before it's available you can get it retrofitted for free there's also the
obvious things like Bluetooth phone and audio streaming you've also got digital
radio FM AM CD player and also there's sat-nav across every model in the range
one of the neater additions to the hiace range is this really smart rearview
mirror so it's an optional mirror which
basically allows you to switch between the standard interior rearview mirror
and a camera on the back of the tailgate so it looks back at the road behind you
and feeds the live feed to the mirror in front of you so if you do have stuff in
the back of your van or you've got a bulkhead or whatever it may be it means
you can still see what's happening behind you even if you can't see what's
happening behind you so the interior of the new Hiace it's a massive improvement
is it a massive improvement on the road let's find out
I got the chance to drive the previous generation version of the Hiace at the
same time as I was driving this new generation version and I've got to say
the first thing I noticed apart from the ease of getting in and out was the width
of this vehicle it is nearly 20 centimetres wider and it feels it on the
road as well it feels more planted more stable less prone to crosswinds
and that's all good stuff because the existing one could get blown around
pretty easily and it wasn't necessarily very comfortable this new version it
steers really nicely the ride is greatly improved they've reworked the rear
suspension completely and it's still a leaf springs setup but it does have
longer leaves so there's more travel to the rear more comfort involved in that
as well but also it's got a longer wheelbase and that helps spread the load
over the chassis a lot better yeah it's a lot bigger too you are looking at
nearly half a meter longer and that could be a problem for you depending on
what your needs are as a van buyer if you're looking predominantly to get
around the city that could rule out some parking spaces for you and I mentioned
this to Toyota and they basically said there's no plans for anything smaller
which i think is a bit of a shame but having said that it carries its size
really well and with the new engines the 2.8 liter turbo diesel in the one I'm
driving right now which is familiar from the Hilux and the Fortuna and it is
quite a good engine it's got a good amount of torque it's very smooth in the
way that it works the 6-speed automatic transmission works very well and also it
now has stop start so the efficiency factor should be good - not so good on
efficiency will be the v6 petrol although it is great on power it's a lot
of fun and I hate to say that but it is fun for a van and particularly with a
6-speed manual transmission there's also an automatic of course but I reckon that
the petrol could be a real surprise hit when it comes to HiAce buyers it is
most affordable version after all although you will have to spend that
money on fuel because it's going to use quite a bit all that aside is this new
HiAce a big improvement over its predecessor it's beyond words this is
like a completely different car from a completely different brand
it's almost unrecognizable as a Hiace as we've come to know it and that is good
news for buyers because this could well be the best van in the segment it's got
all the chops to do it now you might be wondering about the safety stuff that I
spoke about earlier and here is your rundown standard across all models is
auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection Lane keep assist
blind spot monitoring rear cross-traffic alert and a reversing camera with
parking sensors it's got the best possible 5-star ANCAP crash score for
2019 as well and of course the other thing you need to think about when it
comes to buying a toyota work van is the ownership experience now toyota has
had a pretty good track record in the last two years or so of improving its
service intervals to 12 months and 15,000 KS but that's not the case for
any version of the Hiace you still have to go back to the dealer every six
months or 10,000 KS now that might matter to you or it might not I would
think that it could matter to some people because there are competitors
that offer up to 30,000 kilometers between intervals so keep that in mind
but thankfully there is now a five year unlimited kilometer warranty which can
be extended to seven years for the drivetrain if you get logbooks servicing
filled out all that adds up to an even more impressive ownership credential
than the previous version which was already the best van in the segment for
resale value so the total cost of ownership for this new generation
version should be pretty good how it stacks up against its competitors in
terms of load carrying ability and drivability
well you'll have to wait until later this year when we put it against some of
its most credential Drive in a big ban comparison test I can't
wait for that the new generation hi ace it's been 15 years in the making and let
me tell you this has been worth the weight from safety to refinement to
comfort to technology it's got pretty much everything you can want if you're
looking for this size of van it has grown a lot and that could put some
buyers off but if this is what you're after then you should put it on your
shopping list and while you're there don't forget to hit subscribe
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