Toyota Proace Van Review

The Toyota Proace Van at a glance

The Toyota Proace is a current staple of the commercial van market, where it has enjoyed popularity and professional acclaim since its initial launch in 2016. It combines a sleek design with useful interior storage features, whilst a variety of sizing options allow you to pick the perfect model for your industry requirements. Delivering a comfortable driving experience combined with practical outfitting, the Toyota Proace would make the perfect motor for a suburban courier service or for the transportation of lightweight construction equipment.

Engines and Spec

As of 2019, this Toyota model has been upgraded to feature a more fuel efficient engine across its various size options, with an average economy rating of 38.1 to 44.8 mpg. The 1.5 litre edition boasts a maximum output of 120 hp / 300 nM, whilst the larger 2.0 litre reaches a top level of 180 hp / 400 Nm. This translates to a comfortable and nifty driving experience across the Proace range.

There’s also no shortage of customisation options available to help you to get your hands on the perfectly proportioned vehicle for your business needs. Choose from two wheelbase lengths and three body size options – compact, medium and large. Combi, crew and platform variations allow you to adapt your upfront seating to suit the size of your team, meaning you can choose either extra storage space or an additional row of passenger seats. Three trim options of Active, Icon and Design also allow you to further modify the external appearance of your vehicle to reflect your personal sense of style.

Interior

Inside the Toyota Proace you’re met with a wide range of interior storage options, including well-sized door cubbies and under-the-seat space. Glovebox and dashboard storage spaces complement this, where such a user-friendly interior is ideal for making prolonged journeys to visit clients or drop off refuse from your construction site.

A relatively low driving seat position may cause hesitation, but this design is still ideal for city travel. A high-mounted gear lever helps to make everyday manoeuvres easier, where this is paired with a sleek flat-bottomed steering wheel that really makes this model stand out from the crowd. Interior comfort creates a car-like driving experience, where additional safety features such as Hill Start Assist and Vehicle Stability Control can help you to navigate narrow neighbourhood streets whilst transporting cumbersome plumbing or electrical repair goods.

In addition to this, the Proace also features a middle seat that can be folded down to produce a compact mobile desk. This is perfect for transforming your van into an on the go office space, where you can easily file customer receipts and consider construction plans from your vehicle.

For the long wheelbase edition of the Toyota Proace, you can enjoy a maximum payload of up to 1458 kg, which means you can transport anything from landscaping materials to scaffolding equipment without worrying about over-filling your vehicle. Even the electric Proace, which compromises payload to make room for its battery pack, still reaches an impressive storage capacity of 1200 kg.

To add to this, the Proace also offers sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle, as well as a rear door that can open to a limit of 180 degrees. This makes loading tasks a breeze, whether you’re storing cumbersome engineering tools or onboarding large waste containers as part of your refuse collection business.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• A range of specification options means that you can find the Toyota Proace to meet all your business needs

• An impressive payload and wide-opening doors makes the transportation of goods relatively simple

• You can also choose the electric version of the Proace to help boost your company’s sustainability platform

Cons

• The Proace doesn’t offer a high-roof option to compete with other comparable van models, which could make it restrictive for some industries

• An off-set driving seat position could make manoeuvres more difficult, especially with a full load

• More technologically advanced interiors are available to facilitate a better long distance driving experience

The Verdict

The Toyota Proace is a consumer favourite for good reason – it is workplace ready and reliable, with storage capabilities and specification options to suit a wide range of industries. Its main flaw would have to be the absence of overhead interior storage given the lack of a high-roof model, where this could be a dealbreaker depending on your transportation needs.

At Van Sales UK, we offer a broad selection of vehicles to suit any business requirements you may have. Choose from small, midsize, tipper or electric vans, where we also offer a wide array of financing options to suit your budget. Contact us today to find out more about our comprehensive van range.