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You know how the Toyota Aygo is exactly the same as the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107, well
they've done the same thing with the Toyota Proace van because underneath it's exactly
the same a the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch. Oh, and the Fiat Scudo as well.
The Japanese van's range isn't quite as extensive as its European equivalents as there are just
four body combinations - you can get short and long-wheel base versions but only the
long-wheel base is offered in high roof as well as low roof guise. While the crew cab
is low-roof only.
One of my favourite things about the Proace is this: You don't just have one sliding side
door but you have two and that means you can load your standard Euro Pallett either side.
There's a couple of things you need to know. First, is that because of the wheel arches
with the plywood lining which is to protect your van you'll notice it's a little bit of
a tight squeeze for the pallet there.
This bulkhead i think i should point out, is optional. It's not standard, like on a
Renault Traffic and it's got these vents so you get a bit more noise entering into the
cabin.
One the plus side though we've got these handy tethers ti keep your load secure.and as you
can see in the short wheel base version you can easily fit in two Euro Pallets.
Problem is, for those of you who like the long-wheel base version of the old Hiace the
long wheel version of this is about 50cm shorter so it might not be quite so popular for tyre
fitters. Also, the Proace is front-wheel drive while the Hiace was rear-wheel drive so its
towing ability isn't quite so impressive.
That's said though, it will still tow a two-tonne trailer.
Load volume starts from 3.6metres cubed in the long-wheel base crew version, then 5meters
cubes in the low-roofed short-wheel base panel van to 7 metres cubed in the biggest model.
Meanwhile, payload ranges from 1000kg to 1200kg so all models qualify for VAT.
Now in terms of in-cabin stowage, at first you think the Proace is pretty good. For instance,
you have a lockable glove box so you can keep your jaffa cakes safe from your work mates.
There's a big cubby on there for your crisps. There are some roof bins for your copy of
the daily newspaper and somewhere for your mobile phone here. And you can leave your
wallet if you want under here.
And you look around a cup holder where to put your can of drink. And it turns out that
there's only one available for the driver down here in the rather small-sized door bin.
When you look at it it's actually quite shallow. So if you slow down it can fall over. That's
what I've done already. You can see the sticky residue ,which isn't particilarly nice.
Unlike other vans, you don't get storage underneath the seats. That said though there are some
more positive things about the inside of this Toyota Proace.
For instance they don't mess around with endless trim levels. There's just one model to choose
from and it is well equipped. There's USB input there for your stereo, and then there's
air-con as standard and you've also got electric windows electric door mirrors and they are
heated.
You have got fog lights swell, you can adjust the steering wheel for height and reach and
you can also alter the height of the driver's seat there's actually quite a bit of adjustment
in this seat so it doesn't really matter whether you are big or short you should be able to
get comfortable.
Another good feature of this van is that you have got front driver airbag and passenger
airbag plus you got ESP to prevent an accident in the first place.
Now you don't get that as standard on the Proace's twin the Peugeot Expert.
You can get the Procace with a choice of three different engines - there's a 1.6 litre diesel
with 98bhp and two 2.0-litre diesels, one with 128bhp and the other 163bhp not the 1.6
diesel is actually £1200 cheaper than the lower powered 2.0-litre diesel, but if you
do lots and lots of miles buying that could actually be a false economy because it's not
as efficient and the lowest powered 2.0-litre diesel actually returns up to 44 miles per
gallon and emits under 170g/km of carbon dioxide.
One of the reasons for the efficiency is that it comes with a six speed rather than a five
speed gearbox like the one you get on the 1.6.
The extra gear also makes the can feel less strained on the motorway, though if you want
an automatic you'll need the Peugeot Expert - the Proace is manual only.
There's another reason why you should probably go for the 2.0-litre model over the 1.6 and
that's because its service intervals are greater. 20,000 miles for the 2.0-litre and 12,000
miles on the 1.6.
In terms of reliability there are very few faults reported with the Proace or its European
cousins and there's the peice of mind of Toyoyta's five year, 100,000 mile warranty.
Ok then, we've delt with all the technical details but what is this Proace like to drive?
I have to say, I actually quite like it. The steering is very light which makes it very
easy to manouver around town. It does feel quite car-like.
You have a positive gearbox, brakes are good, rear visibility is pretty nice as well because
you have got those dual-view rear door mirrors and I think the turning circle is pretty good
for a van.
The Proace's sure-footed handling will give you plenty of confidence whether loaded or
unloaded while the ride is fairly comfy too. However, unlike the Citroen Dispatch, you
can't get the Proace with air suspension.
Another thing, I don't think you sit quite high up as you do in something like a Volkswagen
Transporter and so you don't get such a great view looking over the traffic. You don't feel
like you are king of the road.
So then overall, what is our verdict of the Toyota Proace van. The good points are that
excellent five-year warranty, it's pretty good to drive and it's well equipped.
The bad points though are there is limited body styles the load floor is not particularly
long and you can't get an automatic version.