Toyota HiAce 2019 to score Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

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The Apple CarPlay floodgates are opening at Toyota
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
23 May 2019
2 min read

Couriers rejoice; you'll soon be able to mirror your smartphone in the all-new Toyota HiAce, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto expected to be added to the commercial vehicle range.

The HiAce will be equipped with Toyota's latest in-car multimedia system, and CarsGuide understands the smartphone-mirroring technology will be made available.

At the car's New Zealand debut, media were told the technology was coming, and with the HiAce to launch here next week, it is understood the same will apply to Australian-delivered vehicles.

Read More: Toyota finally adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Phone mirroring would be fed through a minimum 7.0-inch screen
Phone mirroring would be fed through a minimum 7.0-inch screen

The downside? The Toyota RAV4 will be the first car in Australia to get smartphone mirroring, and despite that car already launching, the technology won't arrive until the end of the year. Customers who buy a RAV4 before then will be eligible for retro-fitment of the tech when it becomes available - and it will be done at no cost. It is expected the HiAce will offer the same retro-fit solution.

Read More: Toyota RAV4 reviews

As already reported here, the HiAce will be available in five spec levels with the choice of two engines, either a 3.5-litre V6 or 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, with price (before on-road costs) ranging from $38,640 to $70,140.

All HiAces will also benefit from Toyota’s 'Safety Sense' suite, which includes auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist (LKAS) with lane departure warning (LDW), ‘road sign assist’ and auto high-beam, as well as front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

How much does Apple CarPlay and Android Auto matter when choosing your new car? Tell us in the comments below. 

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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