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.
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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.
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By GlobalDataWhile 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.
