Toyota Australia has revised its diesel-powered HiAce range to improve fuel economy in the city while meeting stricter Euro 5 emissions standards.
Recalibration of the three-litre turbodiesel engine to meet Euro 5 has delivered fuel economy improvements of up to 4.6% on the Australian official urban cycle. The upgrade to the 1KD-FTV engine includes a diesel particulate filter with manual or automatic regeneration.
The biggest fuel-economy gains around town are for the Long Wheel Base (LWB) crew van and Super Long Wheel Base (SLWB) van with the five-speed manual gearbox.
These variants also deliver a city-cycle improvement of 3.5% with the optional six-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. Combined cycle economy is either unchanged or rises marginally.
Toyota has expanded the Australian range by adding two new commuter bus diesel variants with a no-cost option of 12 seats instead of the standard 14 seats, allowing them to be driven by anyone with a regular car licence.
There is also now the choice of a left-side window or steel panel on the white automatic LWB (Long Wheel Base) diesel van, based on feedback from the dealer network.
While many owners appreciated the added visibility offered by the left-side window, others preferred the security and privacy offered by a steel panel.
Petrol vans were upgraded to Euro 5 early last year. Since then, every HiAce has been equipped with electronic vehicle stability control, brake assist for greater stopping power in an emergency, hill-start assist control and an emergency stopping signal.
Prices for the Japan-produced HiAce range have been increased by 2.0% for vans and 3.8% for buses due to currency movements. The value of the Australian dollar has weakened significantly against a rising yen over the past year.
The local range includes four body styles: LWB van, five-seat LWB crew van, SLWB van and commuter bus. Crew van and bus are turbodiesel only; the other models offer either the diesel or the 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. All grades are trimmed with a dark grey interior.
Other standard HiAce features include driver and front passenger airbags, daytime running lamps, a reversing camera with three-inch monitor in the electro-chromatic interior mirror and anti-skid brakes.
All vans have air-conditioning, power steering, steering-wheel audio controls, clean-air filter, power mirrors, remote central locking, power front windows, cruise control and a multi-information display.
Automatic transmission buses can also be specified with a remote-control sliding side door.
