Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithWales) writes, “Britain runs on vans of all sizes and capacities, so the entry of the world’s biggest motor manufacturer into this booming sector must be significant.”
After offering small and medium sized vans through its Professional line, Toyota has added the Proace Max, its first heavy duty range in Europe and it has immediately ramped up the competition against longer established rivals and listed both turbo-diesel and pure electric models.
It’s a joint venture with Stellantis in much the same way as Toyota has worked with Suzuki on car models, but this time the Netherlands headquartered parent of Chrysler, Fiat and PSA is building the new vans for Toyota in two of its European assembly plants.
Although the all-electric model has a range of up to 260 miles when empty, we wanted to evaluate the turbo-diesel as likely to be of greater interest to the majority of fleets, particularly if covering high mileages each day with little downtime for recharging en-route.
There are ten turbo-diesel versions and four Battery Electric versions in a range of body capacities with prices from £36,500 to £44,150 before VAT with diesel power, and evs are priced about £50,600 to £54,100 before tax is paid.
While the BEVs are automatic, the TD models come with a choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission, and they share four different configurations of height and length to cover a wide range of customer storage capacity, load carrying and towing capability requirements. However the largest model may need a tacho fitted if towing a trailer and the combination exceeds 3.5 tonnes.
What is more, individual customisation means there is a range of vehicle conversion possibilities, including factory-delivered crew cab, tipper and dropside versions while platform cab and chassis cab are also available.
The test van came with twin rear doors and nearside slider with a separate three-seater cab and it had a number of USB and charging points which are now regarded as essential for a delivery driver, together with a reasonably sized 10-inch infotainment touch-screen atop the fascia, cruise control and many safety aids to driving with front and rear sensors, a reversing camera and radar monitors for overtaking vehicles, while it reads speed limit signs and warned of changes.
The 138 bhp 2.2 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, driving through the front wheels, was manually geared to reasonably pull a 1400 kg (3,086 lb) payload without too much trouble and more lightly laden it was quick off the mark. However, the gearing meant it required frequent changes through the narrow but long throw gate to maintain acceleration momentum and keep a steady motorway cruising speed in normal traffic.
It was a busy diesel engine too, with noticeable noise coming into the cabin when pulling away or going down the box.
Thankfully, clutch travel was not excessive and it was a smooth action requiring a precise flick of the wrist to select any ratio.
Well spaced pedals would suit big feet and the brakes were very strong but needed only modest pressure to effect rapid deceleration while the handbrake to the right of the driver’s seat was powerful.
Simple column stalks were chunky and firm in use and even the wheel-spokes’ buttons for cruise control or display functions were well sized.
A decent sized instruments’ panel immediately infront of the driver was easy to read, comprehensive and clear in any light conditions.
The bigger touch-screen, carrying essential and desirable information, worked well and quickly changed to a chosen setting.
Very simple and straighforward heating and ventilation – the door glass was powered – meant you could quickly adjust to feet, face or windscreen.
The cab of the Proace Max was dotted with recesses, trays, bins and compartments but their shape and size meant limited practical use nevertheless.
Door mirrors were very big and I liked the smaller wide angled pieces beneath them for close manoeuvring, while appreciating the sensors and camera’s effectiveness.
Access to the cab was a climb up with widely placed grab handles but once inside the room was good for three people.
Getting items into the cargo area was easy with a low floor. Carefully placed tie-down eyes proved ideal and the overhead light worked every time the doors opened. It was wide and high enough to take Euro-pallets of goods without any difficulty and the back doors swung through 270-deg for convenience.
Total capacity was a whopping 13m3 (14.59 cu.ft) maximum for efficiency but you have to be careful not to exceed the gross weight under construction and use limits.
The big van needed a wide turning circle but the power assistance was good for parking and the system was not twitchy or suffered from kickback in normal use.
The balance between comfort and capacity is always fine in a van and it seemed slightly firm in the Proace Max but the seats did a good job in soaking up anything the suspension struggled to dampen. Handling was safe and predictable, the roadholding good even on bad bits of highway but you have to carefully cross speed-bumps.
With a selection of loads and over a wide variety of roads in mixed traffic conditions we saw from 41 to 67 mpg recorded on journeys, an encouraging performance.
VERDICT
The Toyota Proace Max is a well considered practical van in its turbo-diesel format, a serious challenger to the legend lineups from rivals and offers room, refinement and good but not outstanding equipment features.
For: Capacity, access, economy, comfort, sophistication, visibility, headlights.
Against: Noise levels, bouncy ride, oddments provision.
Price: £37,354 Mechanical : 138 bhp 4 cyl 2.2 turbo-diesel, 6 speed man 0 – 62 mph: N/A Max speed: 97 mph Consumption: 53 mpg Insurance group: 38E Size: L 5.99 m (19.65 ft), W 2.05 m (6.73 ft), H 2.53 m (8.30 ft) Capacity: 13 cubic m (459 cu.ft) Kerbweight: 2,135 kg (4,707 lb)Fast facts:
Toyota Proace Max Icon
© Robin Roberts and WheelsWithinWales