Toyota HiAce News

Toyota Australia has increased the pricing of the HiAce van alongside an update

Car sales are down in 2020.

Aftermarket specialists Bus 4x4 has stepped in to fill the void left by Toyota, who refuses to build an all-wheel-drive version of its popular HiAce van.Suited to the new-gen HiAce 300 Series launched earlier this year, the conversion kit will add full-ti

Toyota Australia will now offer to retrofit Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity to select models, but will charge up to $199 for the update.Only the Camry mid-size sedan, Corolla hatchback and Prius hybrid sold before October this year

Australia's best new cars are now one step closer to being announced, with judges finalising the Top 10 models for each 2019 CarsGuide Car of the Year award.

The recently launched Toyota HiAce commercial van is the first all-new model from the brand to be offered without a hybrid drivetrain in years.

Toyota will leave it to the Europeans to fight for customers who want their mid-sized van to come with all-wheel-drive, with the company making it clear there are no plans for an AWD HiAce.

The all-new Toyota HiAce may well be better than ever, but it’s also considerably bigger than before - and that could be enough to turn some buyers off.

Australia’s crash-testing body ANCAP has released the latest round of safety testing with the all-new Toyota HiAce and Nissan Leaf earning five stars, yet the Jeep Wrangler has earned only one star. Australia’s top-selling van, the HiAce, achieved 94 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 84 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 77 per cent for safety assist. The second-generation Nissan Leaf scored well, too, with a 93 per cent adult occupant protection score, plus 85 per cent for child occupant protection, 71 per cent vulnerable road user protection and 70 per cent for safety assist.The Jeep Wrangler, on the other hand, scored just 50 per cent for adult occupant projection, 49 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and just 32 per cent for safety assist.From launch, the Wrangler is only equipped with auto emergency braking (AEB) and blind-spot monitoring on the top two models, though Jeep will add both features to the entry-level Sport S “towards the back end of 2019,” according to Jeep Australia boss Steve Zanlunghi.Beyond all of this, the Australian model lacks curtain airbags and is fundamentally challenged by having a fold-down windscreen and removable doors. “The safety performance of the Wrangler is limited, falling well shy of the expected standard in three of the four key areas of assessment” said ANCAP Chief Executive, James Goodwin. “Chest protection was a concern for the driver and rear passenger in each of the frontal crash tests, a number of penalties were applied for structural deformation and potential leg injury hazards, and base variants lack autonomous emergency braking altogether,” Mr Goodwin said.The outgoing JK Wrangler had a four-star rating but only on petrol V6 models produced from 2012 onwards - models dating back to 2007 were not rated. 

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.