Toyota Proace

The new Toyota Proace City

Toyota takes a lead in the urban jungle with all-new Proace City

Best-in-class load carrying gives new model instant appeal with multi-drop, short-haul delivery drivers

Toyota has significantly strengthened its presence in the UK van market with the introduction of the all-new Proace City, a compact van that offers a wealth of best-inclass load-carrying capabilities and high equipment specifications for the customer who needs their business transport to double as a mobile office.

At a stroke, this new compact van range extends the brand’s reach to 80 per cent of the national light commercial vehicle market, joining the established Proace medium duty van, Hilux pick-up and Land Cruiser Commercial. Its arrival coincides with the launch of Toyota Professional, Toyota’s new programme of services for its new and established LCV customers.

At launch, there is a five-model Proace City line-up with panel vans in short (4,403mm) and long (4,753) body styles. All can carry two Europallets in the easy-access load area, with slide-opening side doors and twin side-hinged rear doors that open to 180 degrees. Load area is 3.3m 3 for the short body version and 3.9m 3 for the long and the payload is up to one tonne. If the interior space can’t take everything that’s needed, Proace City has a class-leading 1.5-tonne towing capability.

Yet more space can be freed up with the clever Smart Cargo feature (standard on Icon, an option on Active grade). This uses a folding front passenger bench to add an extra 0.4m3, while also increasing the maximum load length by 1.3m.

Two 1.5-litre diesel powertrains are available – 75 and 100hp – with stop-start to support fuel economy and lower emissions. Maintenance schedules are up to 25,000 miles/ two years, reflecting the model’s built-in reliability. All new Proace City vans are covered by a comprehensive five-year/100,000-mile manufacturer’s warranty along with five year’s roadside assistance.

Residual values are expected to be strong, in line with those achieved by the Proace mediumduty van.

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Toyota Proace takes battery warranty to the next level

Electric versions of Toyota’s popular Proace LCV have finally been revealed, with the electric variant arriving next year in the UK.

The new model is based on the EMP2 multi-energy platform, developed in conjunction with the PSA Group.

The Proace’s qualities are well known and the Electric now adds some fantastic batterypower statistics to go alongside its highly regarded versatility and driver appeal.

Chief among them is the range: up to 230 km (143 miles) of WLTP range from the 50 kWh battery and a whopping 330 km (205 miles) of WLTP range with 75 kWh battery. With figures like these the old image of an electric van as being little use unless chained to a route no further than 20 miles from base are blown away; this is a motorway cruiser capable of acting as a major point-to-point delivery workhorse as well as an urban ‘final mile’ delivery pony.

There are three body lengths to consider (Compact, Medium and Long), as well as a double cab with a platform (Double Cab) and a truck with open body or tipper, and no end of body variants.

The other key fact is payload: up to 1,275 kg depending on the particular version and up to 6.6 m 3 of cargo volume from vehicles with gross vehicle weights ranging from 2,800 to

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The equipment specification for the Active models – entry point to the range – includes air conditioning, automatic headlights, heated, power-adjustable door mirrors, one-touch power windows, twin sliding side doors, 3,100 kg. On the road performance is sound rather than striking: 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 13.1 seconds and a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).

But to compensate, on-board charging is quick: single-phase 7.4 kW or three-phase 11 kW DC fast charging (by 80% SOC) in about 30 minutes (50 kWh) or about 45 minutes (75 kWh) using 100 kW charger.

Final stat to blow the mind: Toyota is offering a battery warranty of up to 15 years – or a million kilometres!

Specification highlights include three front 180-degree-opening rear doors, DAB audio with USB port and Bluetooth, full-size spare wheel, rubber floor covering in cargo area and a full metal bulkhead.

Icon grade features include: multimedia system with eight-inch touchscreen,

seats (including Compact) and the availability of a Smart Cargo system, which features an opening bulkhead and lifting front passenger seat base to increase load length capacity by 1.16m and overall load volume by an extra half a cubic metre. A strong new frontal design clearly marks it out as a member of the contemporary Toyota family.

With the added reassurance of the extended battery warranty, the Proace Electric is sure to be a major player among multi-drop couriers operating in the urban environment where low

New Proace looks perfect for the City

emissions are a key factor .

smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Smart Cargo system, three front seats, automatic wipers, electronic parking brake, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control with speed limiter, front fog lights and cornering lights.

Options for Active models include the Smart Cargo system in a package that also includes the electronic parking brake, driver’s seat lumbar support and slide/recline adjustment of the passenger two-seat bench.

For Icon models, a Toyota Safety Sense package can be specified together with 3.5-inch colour multi-information display, immobiliser and alarm. Both grades can be specified with a tow bar.

The optional safety pack for the Proace City Icon models includes a Pre-Collision System, Road Sign Assist, Lane Departure Alert and a “coffee cup” alert that recommends the driver take a break if they have spent a long time at the wheel.

Safety and ease of manoeuvring are supported by a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors, fitted as standard to Icon grade models.