Ford Ranger vs Toyota HiAce

What's the difference?

Our time with the new Ranger was limited in terms of distance driven and the number of variants we could sample. We were also unable to test the vehicle with a trailer attached, so we’re unsure as to how well the new, lower-powered engine will cope with towing duties.

We do know the new engine is being welcomed by owners and fleets who held concerns over the technical layout of the previous 2.0-litre powerplant, but only time will tell if the reduced performance is seen as being balanced by the technical upgrades.

We can also tell you there’s nothing inherently wrong with the new 2.0L in the context of normal driving on normal roads and its refinement is still an improvement on a lot of its competitors’ offerings.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The HiAce maintains its staggering 50 per cent share of the mid-size commercial van market for numerous compelling reasons including its versatility, as evidenced by the diverse range of Aussie businesses that rely on it. Toyota’s latest suite of safety and other upgrades makes it even better.

Here’s a classic case of leaving well enough alone. Having figured out for sure that the Ranger’s looks weren’t costing it any sales whatsoever, Ford wisely decided to spend the facelift money where it counted most; under the bonnet.

If you have sharp eyes, you might pick the dark highlights replacing the chrome finish on some models, the new wheel designs and a couple of new hero colours for specific variants.

Beyond that, those big, bold, bluff looks continue with more than the odd nod to the US-market pick-ups that seem to inspire so many ute buyers in this country.

Inside it’s the same story, with those fabulous interior door handles that are so easy to use continuing and everything else remaining very, very Ranger-ish.

Apart from the recent safety upgrades, our LWB test vehicle resolutely adheres to a design that’s been perfected through decades of hard yakka.

Its simple and robust unitary chassis features MacPherson strut front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, rack and pinion steering and (on all automatic variants) four-wheel disc brakes.

The HiAce’s traditional rear-wheel drive layout has an inherent traction advantage over front-wheel drive rivals, particularly when towing and hauling heavy loads on low-grip surfaces.

It also ensures the front wheels can be turned sharply enough for its 3210mm wheelbase to deliver an impressively tight 11.0-metre turning circle. And its 1990mm height also allows access to underground loading docks and multi-storey car parks.

There’s no load-floor liner or cabin bulkhead included as standard equipment, but both are available as Toyota genuine accessories. The use of unpainted plastic bumpers is designed to best withstand the wear and tear often evident in these areas on hard-working vans.

The cabin is spacious and airy, with a neat and functional dash design featuring large and clear instrumentation and (thankfully) physical dials and buttons rather than distracting touchscreens for the main controls that are easy to reach and operate. It’s a commercial van that’s easy to live with.

Despite the lower-tech new engine and its power losses compared with its predecessor, the 2.0-litre Ranger in dual-cab 4X4 form retains its full 3.5-tonne towing capacity.

Sticking with towing, if you option up the Touring Pack, the Ranger gets Ford’s 'Trailer Reversing Guidance' which uses cameras and the rotary drive-mode dial to allow the driver to take the hassle out of trailer reversing. Up to a point, anyway. But there’s also a great check-list menu on the info-screen to detect failed trailer lighting and other problems. The Touring Pack is now standard on many versions but still optional of cheaper variants.

Which ever version you buy, any dual-cab 4X4 Ranger styleside has a tub measuring 1547mm long, 1584 wide, 1224mm between the wheel arches (to accept a standard pallet) and a loading height of 816mm. The tub also features inner tie-down rails, a light, a tailgate-lift assist ram and cupholders moulded into the tailgate’s inner side.

Payloads for the various Ranger models are determined by kerb mass, which means the lightest variant, the XL can carry 1135kg, while the heaviest, the Platinum, is restricted to 981kg. Still a decent figure, to be honest.

Inside, the Ranger’s cabin ranges from the starkly utilitarian in the XL (vinyl floor mats and cloth seats to name just a couple of features) to extremely plush in the case of the Platinum with its four USB ports, wireless phone charging and even a row of six switch blanks ready for aftermarket accessories.

The front seating is definitely superior to the rear seat in the Ranger, and the latter features a fairly flat cushion and a backrest.

Lesser versions of the Ranger also get a conventional park-brake compared with the electronic one on more expensive models. We’ll take the manual version any day.

With its hefty 2260kg kerb weight and 3300kg GVM, our test vehicle has a 1040kg payload rating. So, it’s a genuine one-tonner and up to 120kg of that can be carried on Toyota’s triple roof-rack set.

The HiAce is also rated to tow up to 1500kg of braked trailer and with its 4800kg GCM rating (or how much weight it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can carry its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight. So, that’s more than 2.5 tonnes of combined cargo-carrying capacity, which would comfortably meet or exceed most job requirements.

Its cavernous cargo bay, which offers 6.2 cubic metres of load volume, is accessed from either side through sliding doors with 1010mm-wide openings, or through rear barn-doors with 180-degrees opening to allow easy forklift access.

The cargo bay is 2530mm long, 1760mm wide and 1340mm high, with 1268mm between the rear wheel housings allowing up to two standard Aussie pallets or three Euro pallets to be carried, secured by a choice of six load-anchorage points.

An unusual feature is the roof’s full-length internal lining, which we suspect contributes to at least some suppression of tyre noise emanating from the rear-wheel housings. The walls and doors are neatly lined to mid-height and there’s ample internal lighting.

Generous cabin storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each front door, small bottle/cupholders in the centre and either side of the dash, plus a single glove box. The console between the seats offers another two bottle-holders plus generous internal storage, which is topped by a large hinged lid that can also serve as a storage tray or work desk.

The base model LWB HiAce two-seater van comes standard with Toyota’s signature 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (shared by all HiAce models) and manual gearbox for a list price of $51,880, but our test vehicle is equipped with a six-speed automatic and rear barn-doors which raises the price to $54,630.

Other standard equipment includes Vanilla White paint, 16-inch steel wheels with replaceable plastic covers, 215/70R16 tyres and a full-size spare, halogen headlights and DRLs, leather-accented steering wheel with multiple remote functions, power-adjustable lumbar support on the driver’s seat, a USB port and 12-volt cabin sockets, an 8.0-inch touchscreen to control the two-speaker multimedia system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and more.

Recent upgrades to optimise driver comfort include a new 7.0-inch digital driver’s instrument cluster (previously analogue) with nine selectable displays, plus a new refrigerant to improve air conditioning performance (even though the previous system was always ice cold), an electronic parking brake on automatic models to replace the old-school mechanical lever and electric power steering to replace Toyota’s traditional hydraulic power assistance for reduced steering effort and more advanced lane-keeping smarts.

The latest safety upgrades include ‘lane trace assist’ which is designed to help the HiAce remain in the centre of its lane when the adaptive cruise is activated (see Driving).

There’s also a new ‘emergency driver support system’ which works with lane trace assist to detect if the driver has become unresponsive when adaptive cruise is activated. If the driver doesn't respond to audio and visual alerts, the system is designed to activate the hazard lights and bring the vehicle to a safe and steady stop.

Other upgrades include ‘safe exit assist’ which links with the van’s blind-spot monitor to improve safety when exiting the vehicle on the roadside, by issuing alerts when passing vehicles or cyclists are detected.

Cruise control functionality has also been expanded, with automatic grades like ours getting ‘full-speed function’ which can automatically stop the vehicle and then resume moving without the driver needing to intervene. This is especially useful in heavy stop-start city traffic.

Passive safety has also been improved with an additional centre airbag which protects driver and passenger from colliding in an accident.

While the V6 turbo-diesel remains unchanged with its 184kW and mighty 600Nm of torque. It remains paired with the 10-speed automatic transmission and the availability of a '4-Auto' setting for the drive system which allows for the use of all-wheel drive on dry bitumen.

The big change to the V6’s status is that it’s now available across the entire dual-cab 4X4 range, right down to the XL version with its rubber floor mats and steel wheels.

Now, if you were cynical, you might suggest Ford has made the V6 more widely available, because the four-cylinder engine option (once the only one available on lesser versions like the XL) has lost a bit of mojo in the transition to Ranger 2026.5.

The thought of a carmaker going backwards on specification and output for an engine goes against the grain somewhat, but in this case, the move to a simpler, potentially more robust engine design makes some sense in the context of long-term ownership costs.

Opinions are divided on how many of the previous 2.0-litre engines posed problems for their buyers, but the fact remains that the wet timing belt (where the rubber belt runs in an oil bath) design had a less-than-perfect track record here and abroad. And even if failures were only a small percentage of units sold, when that failure happens to you, it’s a 100 per cent failure rate…

So, Ford has re-engineered the 2.0-litre unit to use an utterly conventional timing chain, designed new pistons, a different fuel-injection system and reduced the turbocharger count from two to one. The theory is the more robust timing chain will reduce problems, while the single-turbo installation will save money at a production level. In the process, however, both power and torque outputs have fallen. In this case, the bi-turbo engine’s 154kW and 500Nm have fallen to 125kW and 405Nm respectively in the new engine.

Payloads and towing capacity have not been affected (the Ranger can still tow 3500kg) but there’s speculation that 125kW won’t drag a huge trailer around with the same ease as the old engine, even with the 10-speed automatic that’s fitted. Hence the V6 being made available across the board. Allegedly.

The counterpoint is that Ford has dropped the final-dive ratio of the 2.0-litre Rangers which should help with in-gear flexibility and acceleration.

The 2.0-litre-engined Rangers also lack the 4-Auto setting and operate in two-wheel drive mode exclusively on bitumen.

Toyota’s well-proven (1GD-FTV) 2.8-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel produces 130kW of power at 3400rpm and, in auto models like ours, 450Nm of torque between 1600-2400rpm. Its Euro 5 emissions compliance doesn’t require AdBlue, which minimises maintenance and running costs.

The refined six-speed torque converter automatic offers the choice of sequential manual-shifting. Fuel efficiency is optimised with full torque converter lock-up on fourth, fifth and sixth gears, along with overdrive on fifth and sixth to minimise engine rpm when highway driving. The traction advantage of rear-wheel drive is enhanced by an electronically controlled automatic limited-slip diff.

Ford claims a combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel economy figure of 6.8 litres per 100km for the new 2.0-litre engine. We didn’t get too close to that, but that’s hardly surprising given real-world figures almost never match the official test figure. Rather, we managed 8.2L/100km in mainly relaxed country driving and about 9.5L/100km with a little peak hour traffic thrown into the mix. Either way, the Ranger should be pretty frugal.

The real question mark crops up when you hook a bobcat and tandem trailer to the tow-bar. We’ll have to wait and see how that affects economy on the 'little' Ranger engine.

Meantime, those real-world figures, combined with the Ford’s 80-litre fuel tank, mean a typical range of something like 800 to 900km between visits to the service-station.

And while you might be thinking a newly-developed, modern turbo-diesel would need AdBlue, the 2.0-litre as fitted to the Ranger line-up does not.

Toyota claims combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) average consumption of 7.8L/100km. Our 328km of testing was conducted with the engine’s auto start/stop function switched off and comprised the usual mix of city, suburban and highway driving, of which about one third was hauling a near-maximum payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was 10.7L/100km. That’s still within the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and real-world figures and not bad for a vehicle weighing more than 2.2 tonnes driven mostly in metro settings and hauling more than one tonne during our test. So, based on our real-world consumption, you could expect a driving range of around 650km from its 70-litre tank.

Since Ford has made no changes to suspension, steering, tyre specifications or braking hardware, it’s no surprise to find that the new version feels very familiar.

The V6 variants remain something of a revelation after some of the competitors’ four-cylinder engines, and the sophistication and refinement comes through immediately with the V6 slurring away at its upshifts and generally feeling like a high-end solution to a dual-cab propulsion problem.

But of course, we knew that, didn’t we? Exactly, so the big questions surround the new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with its new specification and downgraded outputs. Specifically, can 125kW and 405Nm cut it in this cut-throat market?

The initial answer appears to be yes. In fact, when you consider that not every dual-cab owner tows three-and-a-half tonnes with one, you can see why a smaller, more frugal engine might do the job. And there’s always the optional V6 if the job demands it, right?

Acceleration is nothing like the V6’s of course, but the new four-cylinder rolls along at highway speeds without a problem and can still accelerate to overtake. That’s largely a function of having 10 gears and a lower final-drive ratio, but the latter doesn’t seem to have made the engine feel manic or short-geared in any way.

Normal overtaking ranges, say, 70km/h to 100km/h feature lots of mid-range and it’s only when you wring the new engine out that it starts to feel a little puny at the top end. But it never fails to impress with its refined feel and fairly low noise levels and, if nothing else, it proves that smaller capacity four-cylinder engines have an inherent advantage in being smoother and silkier to rev than some of the big bangers out there.

Perhaps if you jumped straight from the outgoing bi-turbo variant into the new single-turbo Ranger, you might notice a decent fall-off in performance, but if you’d never driven a bi-turbo, you’ll never dismiss the new engine as anything other than completely adequate.

The caveat to all that is when we get to hitch a big load to the new Ranger and see what a couple or three tonnes does to that apparent adequacy.

The driving position is comfortable thanks to a well-sorted combination of supportive seating with power-adjustable lumbar support, a leather-rimmed steering wheel that’s adjustable for height and reach and a large left footrest for extra support.

The standard kerbside sliding door includes a large window, which partly reduces the huge blind spot over the driver’s left shoulder created by the cargo bay’s solid walls.

Fortunately, the HiAce also comes standard with blind-spot monitoring to ensure safe lane-changing on multi-lane roads, while its rear cross-traffic alert and rear-view camera are equally valuable when reversing out of driveways into busy traffic.

The new electric power steering has more noticeable changes in turning weight compared to the more linear hydraulic system it replaces. Its variable-ratio assistance feels even lighter at parking speeds for easier manoeuvrability and becomes increasingly firm and direct as road speeds increase.

Ride quality is reasonably supple when unladen or lightly loaded and the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, with its sizeable 450Nm of torque, has strong low-rpm response and displays good flexibility in city and suburban driving.

Internal noise levels below 80km/h are acceptable, but like all vans can become intolerable at highway speeds due largely to tyre roar emanating from the rear-wheel housings. So, if you do lots of highway travel, we’d recommend fitting Toyota’s genuine accessory solid bulkhead to insulate the cabin from this noise.

The six-speed auto’s shift calibrations feel like they’re getting the best out of this engine, particularly fuel-efficient highway travel which requires less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h. The sequential manual-shifting function can be handy in certain situations, though, like hauling/towing heavy loads in hilly terrain.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 830kg into the cargo bay, which combined with our crew of two equalled a total payload of 1010kg that was only about 30kg less than its 1040kg limit.

The stout rear leaf-springs only compressed about 30mm, which left more than 60mm of static bump-stop clearance that was more than enough to ensure there was no bottoming-out on our test route.

Its ample torque made light work of hauling this payload in city, suburban and highway driving as well as our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, which it easily cleared in third gear.

Engine braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as robust but within expectations given the one-tonne-plus payload it was trying to restrain.

We also tested what we safely could of the HiAce’s latest safety upgrades in road use, which all worked as intended. The ‘lane trace assist’ function when using adaptive cruise control was outstanding, as it resolutely kept the vehicle centred in its lane even around curved stretches of multi-lane highway, without the driver needing to intervene.

The HiAce comes with a fresh maximum five-star ANCAP rating awarded in 2025 and a top-tier Platinum rating in ANCAP’s commercial van collision avoidance assessment. Both rankings are courtesy of the latest safety upgrades, which enhance the HiAce’s existing suite of features that includes AEB with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, speed sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera and lots more.

The airbag count runs to eight - dual front, side chest, side head, centre and driver's knee.

Ford’s standard factory warranty for the Ranger is five years/unlimited kilometres.

There’s also the option of pre-paid servicing, available when you purchase the vehicle brand-new. By locking in the servicing cost, you can pay for the first four scheduled services up to 60,000km or four years, whichever comes first. That’s worked out in accordance with the vehicle’s 12 month/15,000km service intervals.

The Ford Australia website also has a service-cost calculator function where you can input your vehicle’s details and a fixed-price service cost will be worked out for you.

Ford Australia also has a huge dealer network, so parts and servicing should not represent a problem anywhere in the country.

The HiAce is covered by Toyota's five-year/unlimited km warranty which is in line with competitors like the Ford Transit Custom and Hyundai Staria Load but lags behind the LDV Deliver 7's seven-year term.

Scheduled servicing is a relatively short six months/10,000km interval, whichever occurs first. Capped price for the first 10 scheduled services up to five years/100,000km totals $3650, which is $365 per service or $730 annually.

Toyota currently has 275 dealers across its vast Australian network located in metro, rural and regional areas. Toyota dealerships are also service centres.