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-in-class 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 3.3m3 for the short body version and 3.9m3 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 medium-duty van.
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, 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, 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.
Range and pricing
The new Toyota Proace City is available to order now, with deliveries to customers from May 2020.
| GRADE | POWERTRAIN | BODY LENGTH | CV OTR PRICE |
| Active | 1.5 75hp | Short | £18,386 |
| Active | 1.5 100hp | Short | £19,011 |
| Icon | 1.5 75hp | Short | £20,386 |
| Icon | 1.5 100hp | Short | £21,011 |
| Icon | 1.5 100hp | Long | £21,636 |
ENDS
Note to editors
Full details of the new Proace City, technical and equipment specifications, images and video footage are available on the Toyota UK media website here.