Toyota Hiace or Foton View Traveller: Which one to buy?

Imagine this scenario. You’re planning to travel with your folks to some hill station. Now, there are around ten family members including the driver. The regular MPV will not do. Getting two cars for this drive is not feasible as you want everyone to be relaxed as well as in high spirits when the destination arrives.

So, what do you do? You turn to the country’s favourite wide bodied MPV, the Toyota Hiace. It has been soldiering on for decades that now no one cares if gets an update or not. Reliability, thou second name is Toyota, and it stands true for the Hiace as well. However, the recent advent of fresh competition has forced Toyota to rethink its strategy. A price cut followed by more features was the answer. However, the Foton View Traveller with its additional seating capacity and better fuel efficiency is luring away buyers from the Hiace. It also has a higher warranty period. So, which one should you pick as the weekend traveller (no pun intended)? Read on.

Looks

Okay, we shouldn’t be discussing this aspect. Both are bread boxes for sure. If you were to swap the logo, no one will be able to tell which is which. Both come with 15-inch wheels however, the ones on the Foton are alloys whereas the Toyota offers steel wheels. There is also one trim in the Foton whereas the Toyota Hiace 2018 offers four options.

They vary in interior trims and exterior embellishments. In terms of dimensions, the Toyota Hiace measures 4,840 mm x 1,880 mm x 2,105 mm in length, width and height respectively. For the Foton View Traveller, the dimensions sheet read as 5,555 mm x 2060 mm x 2,310 mm in length, width, and height respectively. It is clear that the Foton is a much bigger vehicle and is wider too. Thus it will offer a more comfortable inside too.

Interior

Speaking of the interior, the Toyota Hiace can seat 15 passengers including the driver, whereas the Foton View Traveller can seat 16. Like the outside, the interior too gets almost the same facade. Cabin amenities include manual air conditioners, power windows and adjustment, AC vents for all the rows, decent enough luggage space, music system with AUX compatibility and more. The Toyota Hiace, unfortunately, doesn’t get power socket outlets while the Foton takes care of them with one for each row. Both the vans here get front power windows as well as a power steering.

With the Foton View Traveller, one also gets electronic door locks. As discussed before, the Foton View Traveller also has slightly more legroom for each row. Headroom though not a big deal in either is a tad better in the Foton as well. The 3,110 mm wheelbase of the Foton compared with the Hiace’s 2,570 mm is proof enough that the Chinese manufacturer has the upper hand in interior space.

Engines and transmission

For the sake of convenience, we are comparing just the base version of the Hiace to the top-spec Foton Traveller (there is only one trim available). Starting with the Toyota Hiace engine, the 3,000 cc unit makes 136 PS of power and 300 Nm of torque. This fixed geometry turbo diesel is a fine performer and has been known to be very reliable as well. It is mated to a 5-speed manual which is dash mounted. There is also the optional 4-speed A/T. As far as the Foton View Traveller is concerned, it gets a 2,800 cc turbodiesel that produces 280 Nm and 130 PS of power, smaller numbers compared to the Toyota. The Traveller gets a 5-speed manual transmission. The engine is said to be rev happy and has a better top end. The claimed top speeds of both the Toyota and Foton are 140 kmph and 147 kmph respectively. However, as we all know, it is rare for someone to drive at these speeds, especially with a full load of passengers.

Efficiency wise, both the MPVs are neck to neck with the Toyota being slightly more efficient at 9.1 kmpl compared to the Foton’s 8.9 kmpl. Wouldn’t be a deal breaker then.

Safety features

It is surprising that in spite of being a Toyota, the Hiace doesn’t have too many safety features. It boasts a driver and passenger airbag. That’s it. If you look at what the Foton offers, then the Toyota seems even more basic now. Dual airbags, ABS along with electronic brake force distribution and rear parking sensors are offered. Toyota definitely needs to provide ABS as it has proven to be a lifesaver, especially with heavy vehicles like these.

The Toyota Hiace has a higher ground clearance of 195 mm compared to the 170 mm of the Traveller.

Verdict

With a massive five year warranty, more features as well as space, the Foton View Traveller is our pick. It also helps that the Foton View Traveller price is also similar to that of the Hiace. The Traveller is priced at Php 1,495,000 whereas the Toyota Hiace price start from Php 1,442,000. Add the dual tone colour option, and the Hiace price shoots up by a good Php 30,000. The Toyota, however, is known to be reliable and tour operators swear by it. The Foton is yet to prove its reliability especially since it comes from a place where reliability is also doubtful.