Toyota Hiace LXV

As soon as you step in the cabin of the Toyota Hiace LXV, the feeling of this being a dated and old vehicle suddenly creeps in your mind. The overall cabin clearly lacks the modernity one would expect from a vehicle of this size and price.

The driver’s cockpit looks severely dated with a plain steering wheel with no audio and Bluetooth buttons on it and a tad boring and old school plain instrument console. Even the center console looks very drab with vertical AC vents and two rectangular panels – while one house a plain and functional touchscreen infotainment system, the other houses a small open storage space. The dashboard mounted gear lever as well as controls for AC look quite out of place and disproportionately styled. The faux wood inserts too don’t help the matters much, as the overall grey theme for the cabin makes it look gloomy.

Where the core strength of the Hiace LXV lies in the amount of space and seating comfort is offers. With a seating capacity of 10 passengers with captain seats and roof mounted AC panel, the Hiace LXV is a supremely comfortable place to be in.

The Toyota Hiace might be an old name in the segment to which it belongs, but the vehicle still feels nice and proportionate to look at. Yes, it does not adorn a beautiful and futuristic design, however, it looks as if it is designed for its core purpose, making it look quite pleasant.

At the front, the Toyota Hiace comes fitted with a sleek and longitudinal two-slat grille, which makes the UV look proportionate and minimalist. The large block shaped headlamp cluster looks purposeful, however, the lack of projectors or LEDs within them makes it look dated.

As with every other van, the Toyota Hiace LXV has a boxy design, however, the angular inverted kink on the window of the central door gives it a certain uniqueness. The van comes with sliding doors, while the presence of alloy wheels adds a pinch of luxury to the otherwise bland side profile.

At the rear, the Hiace LXV comes with a conventional hatch, with a large rectangular windshield and centrally placed license plate housing.

The Toyota Hiace LXV comes with a simple suspension setup of double-wishbone with stabilizer bar at the front and rigid-type parabolic leaf spring at the rear. The suspension is tuned on the softer edge to make sure the Hiace LXV feels plush and composed on the longer runs. At the same time, the boxy styling and smaller wheels make the handling a bit sloppy at higher speeds.

Powering the large Toyota Hiace LXV is an equally big and powerful 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. The engine here on the Hiace LXV is coupled to a 4-speed torque converter and produces a maximum power output of 136 PS and a peak torque output of 300 Nm.

These figures clearly prove that this engine feels a generation old both in terms of performance and refinement. However, for the Hiace LXV, it feels adequately powerful while on the go.

The Toyota Hiace LXV is equipped with the basic essentials when it comes to safety features, with the vehicle coming with dual airbags at the front, ABS, electronic stability control, reverse parking sensors, keyless entry with alarm and engine immobilizer.

The Toyota Hiace LXV might not be the most modern offering when it comes to visual appeal in and out. The vehicle looks a bit drab and lacks many creature comforts on the inside. However, the Hiace LXV has proved its reliability time and again, with the perfect balance of engine performance and comfort on the go, thanks to the plush suspension setup.