R O A D    T E S T

Toyota Papua New Guinea does things more frankly than the folks over at Toyota Motors Philippines.  You should have seen how the former treats the HiAce in a television commercial.  If you’ve seen the ad, you would have seen my point and reading this entire review becomes totally moot.  For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s the gist: a red metal tool box is placed on a set of four wheels and then the assembly morphs into the HiAce.  Simple, direct, frank and best of all…it came from Toyota.  Jeremy Clarkson couldn’t have done any better. 

In this era of sleek people carriers such as the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Previa or even the Chevrolet Venture or Kia Carnival Sedona, the HiAce sticks out like a sore thumb.  It's as modern as Lionel Riche is hip.  Remember, a surprising fact is that this unit is fully imported, straight from Japan—but that doesn’t stop it from being labeled as a bread van. 

From the outside, the HiAce is similar in proportion to a loaf of Gardenia.  Even though Toyota slapped on some body stickers and a little shiny piece of chrome here and there, it doesn’t disguise the fact that this is a Frigidaire.  With this shape, some things are obvious even without a minute of driving:  strong cross winds during high-speed travel and awkward driving position are the negatives and loads of space is the sole positive. 

Compared with the rest of the HiAce range, the Super Grandia 3.0 DSL is differentiated by the fact that it carries a different set of body stickers, a two-tone paint job and a different set of steel wheel covers shod with 15-inch rubber.  Yes…you read it right the first time, this one million plus van doesn’t even come with real alloys. 

Despite not being too spectacular outside, you have to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt in setting the trend for this niche segment.  The HiAce’s only Philippine rival, the Nissan Urvan gained exterior elements similar to the HiAce and has been re-dubbed the Urvan Estate.  So, it seems that Toyota is doing something right.

Because of the box-like proportions and the towering height, ingress and egress in the HiAce isn’t as good as the Chevrolet Venture's—which has an almost car-like ride height.  The Super Grandia requires a hand grip on the A-pillar and a quick step up to gain entry.  A false move and you will end up with a bump on the head.  For the rear passengers, the Super Grandia doesn’t have a second sliding door—a feature already made standard in some cheaper models such as the Mitsubishi L300 Exceed. 

Inside, the cabin is like a time warp back into the late 80s.  Despite having the same switch gear as any modern Toyota (e.g. Camry, Echo, RAV4, etcetera), the HiAce’s center console is a living museum piece that deserves a place in the Smithsonian.  Every single mechanism uses a sliding motion from the ventilation system to the vent controls to the temperature.  It is nostalgic Toyota in here!

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