Toyota HiAce vs Toyota Granvia

What's the difference?

When you consider its competitive pricing (particularly for fleets), resolute resale value, robust construction, rock-solid reliability, excellent load-hauling ability, five-star safety and all-round practicality, it’s not hard to understand why the HiAce is such a popular workhorse. It’s not perfect, like any van, but when performing its intended role it’s very good.

The Granvia VX is great at being plush, comfortable and easy to drive, but it's not as practical as a people mover should be. And while the engine provides a great driving experience, you'll be filling up the tank often if your trips are mainly urban and city focused.

Toyota’s unwavering adherence to rear-wheel drive ensures the HiAce has an inherent traction advantage over its predominantly front-wheel-drive rivals, particularly when hauling heavy payloads on low-grip surfaces.

Rear-wheel drive 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.

The chassis design is simple and robust with MacPherson strut front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, variable-ratio rack and pinion steering and (on automatic variants) four-wheel disc brakes.

There’s no mesh-type cargo barrier or solid bulkhead between the cargo bay and cabin (but both are also available as genuine accessories) and the black door-handles and unpainted black plastic front and rear bumpers are designed to best withstand the wear and tear often evident in these areas on hard-working vans.

The two-tone dash layout is neat and functional, with clear analogue instrumentation and dash controls (mostly physical dials and buttons) that are easy to reach and operate. And it sticks with a good old lever-type manual handbrake instead of an electric one. All are chosen for their rugged simplicity.

The only useful item missing is a fold-down inboard armrest for the driver’s seat, offered by numerous rivals to reduce neck and shoulder strain during long days behind the wheel.

The Granvia is a new-generation people mover based on the Toyota HiAce commercial van and arrived in Australia in 2019. The resemblance to the HiAce is obvious although dressed up in its Granvia clothes it's a handsome and professional looking little bus.

I'm a fan of the protruding nose (which helped it earn the five-star ANCAP rating, see more on safety below) and I even like its big, shiny Transformer face and the 'L-shaped' tail-lights which aren't to everybody's taste.

Also, when I say little bus that's only in comparison to actual buses, like the one I convinced people not to get on in my video. Compared to a seven-seater SUV such as the Kia Sorento or Toyota Kluger, the Granvia is enormous.

Look at the dimensions. The Granvia is 5300mm long, 1990mm tall (not counting the aerial) and 1970mm wide, not counting the wing mirrors (which can be folded in).

While the length was hardly ever a problem for me while driving it over the week, the height saw me just make it under the 2.0m clearance in our underground carpark and I had to fold the aerial down to do it. Beware, many carparks have a max headroom of just 1.9m.

The cabin of the VX is impressively plush from the quilted leather reclining second-row seats to the 'woodgrain-look' trim throughout.

During my test I played bus driver to a number of passengers (no, seriously I picked up random strangers off the side of the road – see the video) and all were impressed by the Granvia's premium-feeling interior.

Our barn-door-equipped test vehicle has a hefty 2245kg kerb weight and 3300kg GVM, which results in a genuine one-tonne-plus payload rating of 1055kg. Up to 120kg of that weight can be carried on Toyota’s triple roof-rack set.

It’s also rated to tow up to 1500kg of braked trailer, which is less than some rivals but in reality should adequately cover most towing requirements of van operators.

And with its 4800kg GCM rating (or how much weight it can legally carry and tow at the same time), that means it can carry its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight. So, that’s a combined total of more than 2.5 tonnes of cargo-carrying ability, which would comfortably meet or exceed most job requirements.

The generously-sized cargo bay, which offers an impressive 6.2 cubic metres of load volume, is accessed from either side through sliding doors with large 1010mm openings, or from the rear through the optional barn doors which can be opened to 180 degrees (with special lower hinges to hold them there) allowing easy access for forklifts.

The cargo bay is 2530mm long, 1760mm wide and 1340mm high and with 1268mm between the rear wheel housings it can swallow up to two standard Aussie pallets or up to three Euro pallets, held in place by a choice of six load-anchorage points.

There’s plenty of internal lighting, the walls and doors are lined to mid-height and the roof features a full-length internal lining, which is unusual for vans and we suspect contributes to suppression of tyre noise emanating from the rear wheel housings.

Cabin storage includes a large bottle holder and bin in the base of each front door, small-bottle/cupholders on either side of the dash and in the centre, plus a single glove box. The well-designed centre console offers another two bottle holders plus large internal storage, which is capped by a hinged lid that multi-tasks as a shallow storage tray and handy work desk.

The Granvia VX tested was an eight-seater (four rows of two seats) and being so tall and long would mean the space inside is going to be good, right? Nup. The Granvia doesn't seem to make the best use of its enormous cabin.

Seating, while undeniably comfortable and luxurious in the second and third rows, doesn't offer great legroom when you have a full load of people on board. I could only just sit behind my driving position in the second row and then behind that in the third row, but there was no way I could then fit in the fourth row.

And while cabin storage is great with the biggest centre console bin I've ever seen – I could fit my head in it (see the video) – and there are 10 cupholders, six coat hooks and a folding table, there isn't a boot or any room for cargo, not in the eight-seater (with all seats in use) I tested anyway. With all four rows in place there is only enough room for a few items no wider than a box of cereal (watch the video, to see what I mean).

Folding up the base on the fourth row seats means they can slide forward and that does free up a little bit of space for cargo, but if you are only going to be using the Granvia for six people, then my advice is to go with the six-seater and have a big boot at your disposal all of the time.

The Granvia VX is outfitted well with charging points – there are seven USB ports all the way back to the third row and two 12-volt outlets.

We'll get to what the Granvia is like to drive in a moment, but what I can say here is that the driver and passengers sit high, like looking-down-on-four-wheel-drive-utes high.

Access into the front seats is a bit of a climb up and proved tricky for my 75-year-old Dad with his gammy knee, but entry into the second-row seats was easy thanks to a wide step and a large aperture.

The small table between the second-row seats blocks the aisle, so the only way to get to the third row is by sliding the second row forward. Fourth row access is more difficult but compared to entry into the back row of most seven-seater SUVs it's a breeze.

We tested the Toyota Granvia VX eight-seater which lists for $74,990, before on-road costs, and sits at the top of the range. That said, there are only two grades in the line-up – the entry point known simply as Granvia which comes in six- ($62,990) and eight-seat ($64,990) versions and the Granvia VX which also comes in those two seating configurations and costs the same for both.

Standard features on the VX eight-seater include LED head and tail-lights, proximity unlocking, auto sliding side doors, power retractable heated wing mirrors, 17-inch alloy wheels, sun shades for all rear side windows, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12-speaker Pioneer stereo.

A special shout-out goes to the seating. Coming standard are quilted leather seats for the first, second and third rows, while the rear (fourth row) is a vinyl bench seat with a 60/40 split.

The second row consists of power adjustable ottoman style recliners - think business class airline seats, while the third row is a pair of manually adjustable captain's chairs, similar to the front seats which are power adjustable. My passengers loved the second-row seats. One even said, "I've never flown business class by I feel like I have now."

Is it good value? Well, not really. See $75K is a lot to spend on a Toyota people mover, especially considering the Tarago (which has been axed and effectively replaced by the Granvia) at its priciest is $65,261.

The top-of-the-range Kia Carnival Platinum lists for $62,790 and a Hyundai iMax Elite is even cheaper at $48,490. But the Granvia is a more premium offering, up there with the likes of the Volkswagen Multivan Highline for $79,890 or Mercedes-Benz Valente for $59,850

Toyota’s well-proven 1GD-FTV 2.8 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which also powers Toyota’s HiLux, Fortuna and Prado model lines, produces 130kW 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 and smooth-shifting six-speed torque converter automatic offers the choice of sequential manual shifting if required. Fuel efficiency is also optimised with full torque converter lock-up on fourth, fifth and sixth gears, along with overdrive on fifth and sixth being ideal for highway driving. The inherent traction advantage of rear-wheel drive is enhanced by an electronically controlled automatic limited-slip diff.

The Granvia has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – the same one found in the Toyota HiAce van and with 130kW/450Nm I found there was more than enough grunt to handle city duties or overtaking on motorways.

Equipped with a diesel particulate filter there's a burn-off switch located near the driver's right knee. The Granvia will tell you when it's time to activate the burn-off function.

The 2.8-litre diesel is fairly quiet and responsive while the six-speed automatic shifts smoothly. There's not much to complain about in terms of the usability of the engine and transmission, they performed well – it's just that with it having to carry around a vehicle weighing nearly 2.7 tonnes fuel economy was never going to be great (you can read about this below).

Toyota claims combined average consumption of 7.9L/100km for our test vehicle, but the dash readout was showing 11.0L/100km when we stopped to refuel after 270km of testing.

This was conducted with the engine’s auto start/stop function switched off and comprised a mix of city, suburban and highway driving, of which about one third was hauling a near-maximum payload.

Our own figure, calculated from actual fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was higher again at 11.8, which still isn’t bad for a vehicle with a kerb weight exceeding 2.2 tonnes driven mostly in busy urban traffic and hauling almost one tonne during our test. So, based on our ‘real-world’ consumption figures, you could expect a driving range of around 600km from its 70-litre tank.

The specifications given by Toyota give the Granvia's combined fuel consumption as 8.0L/100km from the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

That sounds fantastic, but in reality after a combination of motorways and urban use the trip computer was reporting 12.9L/100km. A separate fuel test (carried out by myself) saw the Granvia use 21.4L over 127km of city and urban driving (measured at the fuel pump), which comes to 16.8L/100km.

That sounds like a lot, but it makes sense when you consider how heavy the Granvia is. It's 2660kg without anybody on board! If you're carrying eight people weighing 60kg your total mass is tipping the scales at 3140kg and your fuel economy is going to be significantly higher again. The GVM, by the way, is 3500kg.

Really, the Granvia is the perfect argument for a hybrid powertrain, because tour operators or parents ferrying their family around the city are going to want better fuel economy.

It’s easy for drivers of most shapes and sizes to find a comfortable driving position in the spacious cabin, given its height/reach adjustable steering wheel, large left footrest and supportive seating with power-adjustable lumbar support.

Although there’s a huge blind spot over the driver’s left shoulder created by the solid walls of the cargo bay, active driver aids including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rear-view camera minimise the potential hazards of changing lanes and reversing out of driveways into busy traffic.

Braking is reassuringly strong and the steering is responsive, with easy manoeuvrability thanks to the conspicuously tight turning circle and lightness of the variable-ratio steering at parking speeds.

The ride quality is reasonably supple when unladen or lightly loaded and, for a van without a bulkhead between the cabin and cargo bay, has comparatively low internal noise levels at speeds up to 80km/h.

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.

Its performance is optimised by the smooth-shifting six-speed auto, which also delivers fuel-efficient highway travel that requires less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h. The sequential manual-shifting function can be handy in certain situations, like carrying/towing heavy loads in hilly terrain.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 890kg into the cargo bay, which combined with the driver equalled a total payload of 990kg that was only 65kg shy of its 1055kg limit.

The stout rear leaf-springs only compressed about 30mm under this loading, 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.

The turbo-diesel’s ample torque made light work of hauling this payload in city, suburban and highway driving. It was also particularly strong in the hills, where it easily conquered our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb in third gear.

Engine braking on the way down, in a manually selected second gear, wasn’t as strong but far from disgraced given the near one-tonne payload it was trying to restrain. Even so, its four-wheel disc brakes were more than capable of keeping speeds in check.

Our only criticism is the high internal noise levels at highway speeds, when tyre roar through the rear wheel housings can become intolerable over long distances, particularly on coarse bitumen surfaces with an empty cargo bay amplifying the noise.

In our experience, this is a problem shared by all vans at these speeds if they’re not equipped with a sealed cabin bulkhead. So, if your work involves a lot of highway travel, we would recommend fitting one that's available in Toyota’s genuine accessories range. Or buying some earplugs.

For a 5.3m long, 2.0m tall box on wheels the Granvia sure is easy to drive. I live in Sydney's Inner West (get your chai latte jokes out of the way now, please) and drove it daily through horrendous traffic on potholed roads, navigated through the tiniest streets and squashy car parks, went fishing in it and ate up motorway kays on the weekends.

There are going to be people who snort at that eight of 10, but I'm telling you  it's down to three things: comfort, ease and engine.

The seats were comfortable and supportive (my passengers felt the same way – again see the video of me being a bus driver), the ride is composed thanks to the suspension and no doubt the weight and the wheelbase of the Granvia.

The visibility is excellent thanks to those giant windows, the ride height and tech such as that digital rear view mirror, while the steering is light, and the turning circle is excellent at 11.0m.

Finally, that 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine. Yes, it's thirsty but from a driving perspective only it's great – smooth and responsive.

Often vans are prone to a booming sound reverberating around the cabin and the Granvia VX was also a victim of this phenomenon with road noise echoing around inside. It's not bad and I could still hear people in the second and third rows, however.

The Granvia scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2019. The amount of standard safety equipment is outstanding, particularly for a van with commercial origins.

Coming standard are nine airbags including ones which go all the way back to cover the fourth row and for child seats there are four ISOFIX points (second and third rows) and four top tether points (second and third rows).

The level of advanced safety equipment is also outstanding. Coming standard is Toyota's 'Safety Sense' pack which brings AEB with cyclist and pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assistance, road sign recognition, auto high beam and active cruise control.

A full-sized spare wheel is located under the Granvia VX.

It is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty. Scheduled servicing is a relatively short six months/10,000km intervals, whichever occurs first. Capped-price of $290 per service covers the first six scheduled services over three years or 60,000km.

The Granvia is covered by Toyota's five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended by Toyota at six-month/10,000km intervals with capped price servicing of $240 per service for three years or 60,000km.