The Toyota Professional line-up has gone to the MAX
If you were to sit down and think of all the current commercial vehicle manufacturers, it’s fair to say that Toyota is unlikely to be top of your list. Granted, the build quality and robustness of Hilux has seen it develop a legendary status in the pick-up sector. At the same time, the Proace has equally been with us for many years.
That’s the history, but if you take a look at this Japanese motoring giant’s much increased portfolio today, you’ll find what is arguably the broadest range the industry has to offer. Thanks to a partnership with Stellantis there’s now a solution at every weight class and payload capacity – from compact to large and everything in between.
Added to that are battery electric options with every van, innovations in connectivity, a comprehensive warranty package that can be extended to 10 years, an Express Service with ambitions to get the vehicle back on the road with an hour, five-year roadside assistance, and a rapidly expanding network of Toyota Professional Centres that can steer you through all the options. In short, regardless of your trade, this is now a company that has a van for you.
Proace Max
The heavier 3 ½ tonne end of the LCV spectrum is seeing the most significant growth and it’s here that the new Proace Max sits – the undisputed hero of the recent Toyota Professional launch event in the Hague. An international city in every sense, it was a fitting host to one of the global behemoths of motoring. The Max now sits above the Proace medium duty van, and the compact Proace City, and will be joined by a hybrid Hilux later in the year.
As with all the other vehicles in the Proace family, the Max is available with a battery electric powertrain, delivering an official range of up to 260 miles. All the usual caveats on headline compared to real world numbers apply here, of course, but it’s still a serviceable partner for tradespeople in urban locations. If you are a typical local jobbing, builder you probably won’t need to plug in every day but there is the comfort of charging up to 80 per cent in 55 minutes when using a 150kW fast-charging system.
In the more conventional internal combustion engine version, there’s a 2.2 litre turbo diesel with 140hp in manual or automatic. Continuing the theme of versatility, panel, tipper, and dropside units are joined by two heights, three lengths and two wheelbases, with a maximum payload volume of 17m3. With what amounts to a potentially bewildering array of options Toyota Professional has a network of centres that you can call upon to navigate the line-up.
With a winning combination of the best available payload and volume for the price, the manufacturer believes its 3 ½ tonne Proace Max L3 H2 – with a deck height of 1,932mm, length of 3,702mm and load volume of 13m3– is going to be its best seller. Nonetheless, the building industry has a hugely diverse array of occupations, all with their individual requirements and, with a Toyota Professional line-up to match, you should be able to select a willing workhorse that is the perfect stablemate for your business.
So, let’s step into the cab where a 10in. high-definition touchscreen and 7in. instrument cluster greets us. A multimedia system includes cloud-based navigation with live traffic updates and smartphone compatibility. There are too many safety features to mention here – with eight options in total – but we can focus on three of the latest developments. Crosswind assist will stabilise the vehicle when exposed to the elements. Traffic jam assist keeps the van centred in its lane, and a blind spot system alerts the driver of any obstacles on the passenger side.
In addition, with the MyToyota app, Proace and Hilux owners can access real time vehicle information and remotely control functions such as locking, unlocking and air conditioning.
What is in our opinion one of the most forward-thinking innovations in modern vans is a technology that actually helps you look behind. A digital mirror that provides a camera view of the rear – just as an interior rear-view mirror would on a passenger car – is a simple idea that makes a big difference to the safety that enhanced visibility affords.
Whilst the Toyota Professional range is based on a familiar Stellantis platform it does deviate in styling from some of its peers in other stables, and there’s a higher spec. The Proace City benefits from a 10in. screen, for instance including navigation. This compact vehicle has a range of powertrains from 1.5 and 2 litre diesel to a 1.2 litre petrol engine. Again, both manual or automatic can be had with horsepower ranging from 100 to 180.
The Proace battery electric option features a driving range of up to 213 miles. There’s a cargo area of up to 6.6m3 and payloads of up to 1,400kg. At the lightest end the compact Proace City still enjoys generous dimensions with 4.4m3 and payloads of up to 1,000 kg. The electric model will provide you with 213 miles of maximum range and the van comfortably accommodates three front seat passengers.
As we know cold is the enemy of lithium batteries and a heat pump has been added to Toyota Professional models in order to help maintain EV range on frosty days. Regenerative braking systems with three modes will equally help you go the distance. For the uninitiated this allows some of the kinetic energy produced when braking to be returned to the battery.
The Toyota Professional range is now just about as extensive as is possible. The Toyota Hilux has a proven track record and the extensions to the Proace portfolio look set to build on that platform. This is one Pro that’s Aced it.
For more information visit Commercial Vehicles | Vans & Pick-Ups | Toyota UK.
