Toyota HiAce Reviews

The Toyota HiAce dominates new one-tonne van sales in Australia by a staggering margin. So, is there more to this workhorse than just unshakeable customer loyalty to the trusted Toyota badge?

Despite the emergence of new competitors in recent years, Toyota's HiAce van remains the go-to workhorse for thousands of Aussie businesses. After a long gestation period rear barn doors are now offered as part of the package. Do they make a big difference?

When the current HiAce was launched in 2019, it was a no-brainer that this sixth-generation model would continue - or probably increase - Toyota's long-standing dominance of Australia's mid-sized (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial van market.

In 2021 the sixth-generation HiAce continues Toyota's long-standing dominance of Australia's mid-sized (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial van market, which is not surprising given the breed's hard-earned reputation for build quality and rugged dependability since its inception more than half a century ago.

The growing popularity of mid-sized (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial vans that can carry up to six people, generically known as crew vans, has seen an increasing number of rivals from mainstream manufacturers with a second row of seats. These include Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.There’s no argument that 4x4 dual cab utes are by far Australia’s most popular and versatile light commercial vehicles. However, not everyone needs high-riding off-road ability and some would happily trade that for more spacious rear seating and a huge fully-enclosed cargo bay to carry their crew and all their gear – be it for work or play.It's those two key attributes which present a compelling argument for crew vans – but which one would you choose? We’ve combined our most recent road test activity of three of Australia’s best examples from Toyota, Ford and Renault to see how they measure up in a side-by-side comparison.

The top three contenders in the local medium-sized (2.5 to 3.5 tonne GVM) commercial van class are the Toyota HiAce followed by the Hyundai iLoad and Ford's Transit Custom.

Toyota's latest generation HiAce mid-sized van is a comfortable, practical and competent load-hauler in both long wheelbase (LWB) and super-long wheelbase (SLWB) configurations.

The 4x4 dual-cab ute is the most popular and versatile light commercial vehicle in the Australian automotive market, due to its proven ability to serve as both a work truck and/or family hack during the week and escape machine on the weekend.

Toyota's current sixth-generation HiAce is an impressive all-rounder, offering a choice of wheelbases, body styles and engine/transmission combinations. These include four-cylinder turbo-diesel and V6 petrol engines with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.

The venerable HiAce is the firmly entrenched sales leader in Australia's mid-sized (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial van market. That's a remarkable achievement given the last new model was launched in 2004. So, given that 15 years have passed since then, the long wait for its replacement this year has been worth it because Toyota clearly hasn't become complacent.