2018 Toyota HiAce gets 2.8-liter turbo-diesel upgrade

The fifth-generation Toyota HiAce has been in the market for nearly 13 years now and is still one of the brand's best-selling nameplates to date. For 2018 however, Toyota will be giving the long-running people carrier a much needed upgrade in both its powertrain and safety features.

In its home market of Japan, the HiAce can now be equipped with the 2.8-liter 1GD-FTV turbo-diesel. It's the same engine found in the new Hilux and Innova IMV vehicles but has been detuned for its use in the HiAce. It puts out 150 PS at 3600 rpm along with 300 Nm of torque available between 1000 – 3400 rpm. Also new is the introduction of a six-speed automatic transmission (with manual select), replacing the old four-speed automatic.

Apart from the new turbo-diesel mill, the Japan-spec HiAce can still be powered by gasoline-fed inline-four engines, particularly the 2.0-liter 1TR-FE and the 2.7-liter 2TR-FE. The former produces 136 PS at 5600 rpm with 182 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm while the latter generates 160 PS at 5200 rpm with 243 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. Like the new 2.8-liter turbo-diesel, both the gasoline engines are now connected to a six-speed automatic gearbox with manual select.

As mentioned earlier, Toyota also fitted the refreshed HiAce with additional safety kit. Called 'Safety Sense P', this allows the HiAce to come with active smart safety features such as front collision avoidance / mitigation, pre-crash safety, lane departure alert, automatic high beam assist and pedestrian detection as such. It works by way of radar-based sensors along with a monocular camera that constantly monitors the van's surroundings.

Beyond the new Safety Sense system, the 2018 HiAce also comes standard with anti-lock brakes, vehicle stability control and traction control.

There is no word yet as to whether Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) will offer the upgraded HiAce in our market. Currently, the Philippine-spec HiAce is driven by a 3.0-liter 1KD-FTV turbo-diesel which puts out 136 PS at 3400 rpm along with 300 Nm of torque available between 1200 – 2400 rpm. It is then connected to a four-speed automatic transmission.