Toyota HiAce 2021: Review

As you would hope with an all-new model replacing one that had reached its 15th birthday by the time it moved aside, the redesigned Toyota HiAce brought more of almost everything across the entire range.

In face, the new, bigger HiAce took out the our Best Commercial Van award in 2019.

Consistent with its increased size, it is able to carry more volume and weight, tow heavier loads and is more refined, powerful, economical and comfortable.

Perhaps more importantly, it’s also safer. A lot safer.

With a five-star ANCAP rating comes a list of safety technology that would do any regular passenger car proud.

Consider the standard fitment of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist avoidance (the latter in daylight hours only), lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Many of these things are particularly appreciated in a van that by nature is compromised in terms of outward vision.

The bonneted front-end plays a role too. The benefits include an extended impact zone for more protection in a frontal collision and easier access to both the cabin and the engine.

The resultant need to contain overall length as much as possible while maintaining a workable load area in the back has resulted in a quite differently-shaped HiAce. Compared with the previous-gen long-wheelbase cab-over HiAce, it’s significantly longer and wider, but of similar height.

And although the new proportions mean there’s less cargo length, the added width contrives to increase the LWB HiAce model’s load space by 200 litres.

Toyota Australia has just announced that from September it will introduce an upgraded Toyota HiAce range that drops the V6 petrol engine and all body colours other than white, so the metallic silver paint you see here is on its way out.

At the same time, the incoming update for the 2021 Toyota HiAce brings a GPS tracking service and minor cabin tweaks such as a large centre console box, which in turns sees pricing increase $990 across the range.

That now puts the Toyota HiAce LWB at $44,230 plus on-road costs for the diesel manual, or $46,230 plus ORCs for the auto as tested here.

Despite the LWB tag, this is actually the smaller HiAce – there’s an extra-long wheelbase, raised-roof version priced from $54,230 plus ORCs.

The LWB model is a bit pricier than the equivalent Hyundai iLoad, a little cheaper than the Ford Transit Custom 340L and a lot more expensive than the LDV V80 – all of which are front-wheel drive, compared to the rear-drive HiAce.

Among these top four best-selling models in the segment, the Toyota’s safety specs are exceeded only by the Ford Transit Custom, which includes driver attention detection in its safety-tech line-up.

In terms of cabin comfort, the Ford gets heated seats where the HiAce doesn’t, but this is overshadowed by the Toyota’s standard sat-nav – something that’s not on the list in Ford, Hyundai or LDV offerings.

The Toyota HiAce offers Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, air-conditioning, a two-way adjustable steering column, and car-like amenities such as fade-in, fade-out interior lighting.

About the only reminders that we’re talking about a commercial vehicle here are the pull-up handbrake, conventional key-start ignition and rubber floor mats.

As a workhorse, the top-selling 2021 Toyota HiAce LWB measures up competitively.

Measuring 2530mm and 1760mm respectively for length and width, it sits between the slightly smaller Hyundai iLoad and the bigger Ford Transit Custom. Its 1340mm load height equals the iLoad but it’s a bit more stooped inside than the Ford or LDV V80.

All this translates into an overall load area of 6200 litres, which is better than the iLoad, but down on LDV and Ford, which respectively quote 6400 and 6600 litres.

The HiAce’s payload hovers around 1200kg which is equal to the LDV but, once again, down on the Ford. As we’ve mentioned previously, the Toyota provides plenty of tie-down hooks but there are some reservations about their size and strength, especially for restraining heavy loads.

Side doors – complete with a fixed window on the left side – and a big, top-hinged rear door enable loading of large items, including a standard Australian pallet which will fit nicely between the rear wheel-arches.

In long-wheelbase auto form, the HiAce diesel is quoted with a competitive braked towing capacity of 1900kg.

Using a 130kW/450Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, the auto-equipped 2021 Toyota HiAce LWB produces less power and torque than the Toyota HiLux (150kW/500Nm) it’s based on, but the oil-burning engine has plenty of grunt to help with the varying loads it is designed to carry.

With maximum torque coming in at a lazy 1600rpm, and peak power at a non-stressed 3400rpm, the HiAce diesel is something of a cruiser on the freeway.

It drops into a low-decibel gait that combines with comfortable seating to make the HiAce easy to live with – and even easier with at least some load being carried so that road and cabin noise is partly absorbed.

On test, the HiAce proved a lusty performer in all sorts of situations, from urban work to relatively long-distance hauls on the open road.

The six-speed auto transmission is nicely matched to the engine, to a point where the HiAce never seems to be outside its comfort zone, and the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes add an extra degree of assurance.

It was noted that the cruise control’s gearing-down on downhill stretches helped contain speed quite effectively, while the brake-operated lane keeping system, though sometimes disquieting as the van perceptibly slowed when it wandered onto the white lines, did a reasonable job of holding it in place and alerting the driver at the same time.

Fuel economy is workable. Consumption and emissions are quoted at 8.2L/100km and 214g/km of CO2 respectively.

In real life, our auto HiAce managed 10.3L/100km in a representative mix of urban and freeway work, which actually made the seemingly-small 70-litre fuel tank quite useful.

In contrast with the outgoing 207kW/351Nm 3.5-litre petrol V6, which officially quotes 12.4L/100km (in our experience a pretty realistic real-world figure for the manual version), the grunty diesel is the more appealing, cheaper-to-run and eco-friendly choice.

Also useful around town – and a capability that will appeal to many light commercial drivers – is the HiAce’s manoeuvrability. The 11-metre turning circle allows the van to execute an about-face on a normal suburban street with very little fuss.

It’s relatively easy to park too, although a multi-camera bird’s eye view system would work wonders.

As always, the rear-drive configuration can lead to low-speed traction problems when negotiating slippery worksites – particularly when unloaded – but that’s not an unusual experience in vans.

As sub-3.5-tonne commercial vans go, it comes as little surprise that the 2021 Toyota HiAce looms large. It outsells its closest competitors, the Hyundai iLoad and Ford Transit Custom, by a ratio of around two to one.

Despite some initial disquiet about pricing when Toyota’s new-generation van arrived, which has just pushed up another $1000, the HiAce is thoroughly competitive in its class, sitting between the Euro credibility of the Transit Custom and the mix of value and refinement that defines the Hyundai iLoad.

Like the Ford Transit Custom, the Toyota HiAce brings passenger car levels of safety technology to the light van market while offering surprising levels of comfort.

That the HiAce is also so competent in terms of workhorse capabilities makes it even more impressive.

As an all-rounder with a proven record for durability and reliability, it’s hard to go past. A legion of past and present Toyota HiAce owners and drivers will attest to that.

How much does the 2021 Toyota HiAce LWB cost?
Price: $46,230 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 130kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 214g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)

Related reading:
Toyota HiAce: Launch Review
Toyota announces HiAce update
Toyota defends HiAce price hike