New exterior body style options, interior updates and enhanced safety specification are just some of the highlights announced for the newly-updated 2015 Toyota Hiace range.

“For 22 years now the Hiace has been the best-selling van in New Zealand. It offers a proven, dependable package for a huge variety of purposes,” says Neeraj Lala, Toyota NZ general manager of product.

“Customers will have a wider selection as we expand the range by offering two additional body styles and more safety across the board, alongside all the reliability the Hiace name stands for,” he says.

Commanding 41 percent of the New Zealand van market, Toyota’s bread-and-butter light commercial now features the best standard specification and degree of model choice in its history.

The -popular full glass partition Hiace remains in both ZL and ZX grades, and powered by a choice of either 2.7-litre petrol or 3-litre diesel engines.

This model offers excellent outward vision and impressive levels of interior light in its spacious cargo area which spans up to 2,930mm long for the ZL model and 3,470mm for the ZX model. Safety features include Vehicle Stability Control, traction control, Brake Assist and hill start assistance.

“In addition to providing a safer environment for customers who, by-and-large, spend a lot of time in their vehicle on the road, these specification enhancements also mean the Hiace’s reputation for offering good resale value will remain solid,” says Neeraj.

More than 18,000 Hiace vans have been sold in New Zealand over the last decade, and it is customer feedback that has led to the addition of two versatile options to the range for 2015, the new full- and half-panel body styles.

The panel vans’ extra sheet metal adds security, while businesses transporting perishable items such as food products will benefit from the potentially cooler, darker cargo space the panel van body styles deliver.

Businesses looking to customise this space also benefit from fewer windows to work around when implementing their fit-out, and the extra reinforcing the panels provide.

Companies looking to stand out from the crowd with tailor-made sign-writing on their Hiace will also no doubt enjoy the extra display surface areas both the full and half panel vans’ sides provide.

The spacious and comfortable 12-seater Hiace Minibus, powered by Toyota’s robust 3-litre diesel engine and available with either manual or automatic transmissions, completes the 2015 line-up.

The new additions, combined with a mix of four- and five-door models in the ZL grade and with manual or automatic transmissions, mean there is now a total of 12 different Hiace vans to choose from.

Revised occupant safety inside the 2015 Hiace also means more convenient storage up front for workbooks, tablets and other tools of trade, with two comfortable seats now replacing the previous model’s bench seat. The new storage unit means there’s plenty of room to hide items out of sight while on the road or at the job site.

All models are now rich with features, including a radio/CD player, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, as well as voice recognition and USB/aux input, and all models are now fitted with a reversing camera, with the monitor included in the rearview mirror. There’s remote central locking.

Air conditioning is standard across the range, as is cruise control, and there are power windows in the front, (the driver’s with one-touch up-down), with manual operation of the sliding rear ones where fitted. All glass fitted is green-tinted.

Halogen headlamps are standard across the range, as are daytime running lamps,

The Hiace continues to boast modest running costs, with model-dependent combined fuel economy figures of between 10.2L/100km (manual 2.7-litre petrol five-door ZL van) and 8-litres/100km (manual 3-litre diesel five-door ZL van).

The engine line-up starts with a four-cylinder inline 2,694cc chain-driven DOHC petrol engine which produces 118kW/243Nm. It is linked to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic, the latter with a sequential manual mode for better control.

The diesel range is powered by a 2,982cc inline four-cylinder turbo-diesel with variable vane turbocharger.

Transmission choice on the diesels is either a five-speed manual or four-speed electronically controlled automatic.

All models get the same suspension setup (with different settings according to payload limits), a fully-independent wishbone type with upper torsion bar up front, and a leaf sprung rigid rear axle at the back.

Payload varies between 930kg and 1,130kg, depending on model. However all models have the same braked towing ability, at 1,400kg.

All models are fitted with 15 inch steel wheels shod with 195/80R15 Bridgestone rubber.

Prices

Petrol vans
2.7 ZL 4-door 5MT 2-seat $46,830
2.7 ZL 5-door 5MT 2-seat $46,830
2.7 ZL 5-door 6AT 2-seat $49,130

Diesel vans
3.0 ZL 4-Door 4AT 2-seat $52,730
3.0 ZL half panel 5-door 4AT 5-seat $53,830
3.0 ZL 5-door 5MT 2-seat $50,530
3.0 ZL 5-door 5MT 5-seat $51,630
3.0 ZL 5-door 4AT 2-seat $52,730
3.0 ZX 5-door 5MT 2-seat $56,330
3.0 ZX 5-door 4AT 2-seat $58,330

Diesel minibuses
3.0 4-door 5MT 12-seat $64,980
3.0 4-door 4AT 12-seat $67,280