Toyota has revealed its new Proace City small van ahead of this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham.

Built to rival the likes of the Vauxhall Combo and Ford Transit Connect, the van will be the smallest model in Toyota’s commercial vehicle range. Developed in tandem with PSA - the owners of Peugeot and Citroën – it will sit below the Proace medium-sized van and the Hilux pick-up.

Customers will be able to choose from a range of body styles, with Toyota offering the vehicle in panel van and Verso passenger-carrying guises. The former will come with a two- or three-seat front bench, while the latter will ditch the central front seat in favor of a center console and fit rear seats, as well as extra side windows.

With two different lengths on offer, customers choosing the panel van get between 3.3 and 4.3 cubic meters (116.5 and 151.8 cubic feet) of load space, while the passenger version gets a choice of five or seven seats. Long-wheelbase versions, meanwhile, will also be available as crew-cab variants that include a van-like load bed, as well as a second row of seats. And the options keep coming, with customers getting the choice of asymmetrical rear doors or a top-hinged tailgate.

And there's even more choice up front, with a range of engines available. Power outputs will range from 74 to 128 horsepower, and customers will get a choice of five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes.

In Europe, Toyota has announced a range of standard safety systems, including traffic sign recognition, lane keeping assistant and cruise control. There’s also a "coffee-cup" warning system that recommends the driver take a break on long trips.

The vehicle will also be equipped with an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system fitted with Bluetooth connectivity, as well as the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity software. It can also offer navigation and online functions, including 3D mapping and voice commands.

Other features on offer include a head-up display that presents the major driving information such as speed and navigation directions. A rear-view camera is also available to help with maneuvering in tight spaces, while customers can also choose the Smart Active Vision pack, which uses two cameras and a ceiling-mounted display to show the driver a real-time view behind and beside the vehicle, allowing them to “see” through the metal panels.

And consumers expecting to take their vehicle across challenging terrain will be able to opt for the Toyota Traction Select system, which is essentially a clever traction control. Using a rotary controller, the driver can choose between Normal, Snow, Sand and All-terrain modes, which re-tune the system to suit the conditions.

Source: Toyota

Gallery: 2019 Toyota ProAce City

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THE TOYOTA PROACE CITY: A NEW COMPACT VAN TO STRENGTHEN TOYOTA’S LCV LINE-UP

The all-new Proace City, a highly capable and attractive new compact van range that will further strengthen Toyota’s European light commercial vehicle line-up, will make its world debut at the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham on 30 April.

Developed in collaboration with Groupe PSA, Proace City will join the established Proace medium duty van, and the legendary Hilux pick-up in building Toyota’s LCV market presence, competing in segment that’s enjoying steady growth and is on course to achieve around 900,000 sales in Europe by 2021.

The new van provides a perfect fit with the Proace range in terms of size and payloads. Launched in 2016, Proace is approaching a five per cent share of the medium duty van market and is set to record around 30,000 sales in Europe in 2019.

Performance and capabilities: size, space and performance

The Proace City range meets a wide range of business needs, with different loading and seating configurations and powertrain options.

The compact van is presented in two different lengths – short at 4.4m and long at 4.7m. Both can be specified with three front seats, and as panel or glass vans; the long version is also available as a crew cab. The passenger version is offered with five or seven seats both in the short and long version.

The dimensions and packaging give Proace City excellent load capacity, with maximum volume from 3.3m3 (short model) to 4.3m3 (long version with Smart Cargo option). Notably the Toyota is one of few vehicles in its class that can accommodate two Euro paletts. Adding the Smart Cargo system option gives best-in-class load length capability of 3.1m for the short version and 3.4m for the long, while the maximum payload is another class-best figure at one tonne (both versions). For those who need to carry even greater or heavier loads, the van can tow braked trailers up to 1.5 tonnes. Asymmetrical rear doors (glazed or unglazed) or a top-hinged tailgate can be specified.

Proace City will be available with a range of petrol and diesel powertrains offering a power spread from 75 to 130 DIN hp, and a choice of five or six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmissions.

The model range amply covers business and fleet customer requirements in the segment in terms of capability, versatility, performance and efficiency, ensuring it can realise its potential to strengthen Toyota’s position in the LCV market.

Practical and versatile design

Proace City can be specified with interior configurations to cater for different passenger and load-carrying requirements.

The van is available with either two individual front seats or a three-seat bench, the latter additionally offering a Smart Cargo option, like that seen on the larger Proace model. The Smart Cargo system uses a folding outer passenger seat and a hatch in the bulkhead to provide an extra 0.4 m3 of load space and to increase maximum load length by 1.3 m; the centre passenger seatback can be rotated to create a handy desk space, with additional under-seat storage.

In the crew cab version, when the second row seats are not being used, the bench can be folded flat and the bulkhead moved forwards to increase load space. A hatch in the bulkhead can be opened to carry longer loads.

The Proace City van can be fitted with a rear hatch in the roof as another useful option when longer items need to be carried. This comes with a cross-bar that can support up to 100kg.

Clever and capacious storage points are featured throughout the cabin (according to model), ranging from coin and cup holders and open stowage areas, to an underseat drawer and spaces designed into the roof, doors and floor. In the passenger version, a panoramic roof option can specified with aircraft-style overhead storage in a locker and a central ‘floating’ arch structure that have a combined 74-litre capacity, accessible from the second row seats and the boot.

Access to the boot is made easy when parked in confined spaces, thanks to an opening window in the tailgate.

The Proace City Verso offers flexible passenger accommodation, with the option of three individual seats or a 60:40 split-folding bench in the second row. A third row can be added to both the long and short body versions, with seats large enough and with slide-adjustment to accommodate adults in comfort. When three separate second row seats are specified, each one has Isofix child seat mounts – another unique-in-class feature. All passenger seats fold flat, including the front seat, to maximise load capacity and convenience.

Safety, comfort and convenience with superior equipment features

The Proace City benefits from equipment specifications that include a series of features, delivering enhanced safety, a comfortable driving environment and improved performance and practicality, both in van and Verso passenger vehicle versions (NB UK specifications and equipment availability will be confirmed nearer to the time of launch).

The safety features provide high levels of active safety, meeting customer requirements in three different packs. As standard, these include a Pre-Collision System, Road Sign Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Cruise Control and a “coffee cup warning” that recommends the driver takes a break if they have spent a long time at the wheel. The content is increased in as second pack with Automatic High Beam, Sway Warning and an extended Road Sign Assist system, while the most comprehensive package further adds Adaptive Cruise Control and a Blind Spot Monitor. All models also come with eCall for automatic connection with the emergency services in the event of a serious accident.

Where multimedia and connectivity are concerned, Proace City is equipped with an eight-inch touchscreen to access audio and smartphone functions, with MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay (including Siri assistant) and Android Auto (including Google assistant), plus Bluetooth, and USB/Aux-in connections. It can be used with navigation and online functions, including 3D mapping, voice command recognition and connected traffic information (via Tomtom Traffic).

Proace City also offers a head-up display, presenting key driving information, such as navigation, speed limits and safety functions comfortably and clearly in the driver’s forward sightline.

Safety and ease of manoeuvring are supported by a rear-view camera that provides both a 180-degree and overhead dynamic images of the area behind the vehicle, and a static view covering an even wider (180-degree-plus) area. A Blind Spot Monitor warns the driver of other road users moving in their blind spot with an alert in the display audio screen.

A higher level of driver support is provided by Smart Active Vision. This uses two dedicated cameras and a ceiling-mounted five-inch screen to relay a clear, real-time view behind and alongside the vehicle – effectively letting the driver see through the metal panels. A long-distance rear view can be selected when moving or stationary, or a short-distance view when reversing. The view can also be switched to the blind spot on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Proace City’s performance can be adapted to tackle different driving conditions with Toyota Traction Select. Using a rotary controller, the driver can choose between Normal, Snow, Sand and All-terrain modes. Van users can keep a check on their payload with a Smart Load Indicator – another feature unique in the van’s class – that warns when 90 per cent of the maximum weight is reached and adds an alert in the combimeter when the maximum is exceeded.

Other advanced equipment features available for Proace City include a wireless smartphone charger, unique-in-class electric parking brake and, for the passenger version, a panoramic roof with electric shade and a parking assist system.

PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS – PROACE CITY VAN

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS Short Long
Overall length (mm) 4,403 4,753
Overall width – without mirror/mirrors deployed (mm) 1,848/2,107
Overall height (min/max mm) 1,796/1,860 1,812/1,860
Wheelbase (mm) 2,785 2,975
Tread width – front (mm) 1,548 – 1,563 1,553
Tread width – rear (mm) 1,568 – 1,577 1,553
Front overhang (mm) 892
Rear overhang (mm) 726 886
     
Load compartment dimensions (mm) Short Long
Floor load length (mm) 1,817 2,167
Floor load length (with Smart Cargo, mm) 3,090 3,440
Max. load compartment height (mm) 1,200 – 1,270
Max. load width between sides (without/with 1/with 2 doors, mm) 1,733/1,630/1,527
Max. load width between wheel arches (mm) 1,229
Load sill height (mini/max, mm) 547/625 560/617
Sliding side door height (mm) 1,072
Sliding side door width (with/without bulkhead, mm) 641 – 675/675 – 759
Rear door height (mm) 1,196
Rear door width (lower section/upper section, mm) 1,241/1,087
LOAD COMPARTMENT VOLUME Short Long
Without Smart Cargo (m3) 3.3 3.9
With Smart Cargo (m3) 3.8 4.3
Number of Euro pallets capacity 2 2
WEIGHTS Short Long
Payload min./max.(according to engine, kg) 650/1,000 1,000
Max. braked towing capacity min/max (according to engine, kg) 1,500 1,500

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