Grandia Grandeur

When it comes to utility vans, Filipinos sure do like their Hiace. Toyota’s bestselling commercial van is such a hit here in the Philippines that Toyota Motor Philippines President Satoru Suzuki made sure to highlight it in his speech during the launch of the all-new Hiace Super Grandia last Monday, August 19.

“With the Philippines as the debut country for the debut of the sixth generation of the all-new Hiace, and being recognized as the biggest Hiace market in the world outside of Japan, the country truly has earned its place in Hiace history,” Suzuki said.

Elijah Sue Marcial, VP for the Marketing Services Department of TMP, followed through with more data: almost 4,000 units of utility vans were sold per month here in the country in 2018. And, to nobody’s surprise, the Hiace is a clear winner in the segment, capturing 55 percent of the market last year. Sure, it’s a drop from the 67 percent share in 2015, but it’s still more than double the number two model in the category.

TMPC executive vice president Kei Mizoguchi, TMPC vice chair Dr. David Go, TMPC president Satoru Suzuki and TMPC SVP for Marketing Jing Atienza at the unveiling of the Grandia.

“Zooming in to the high-grade utility van segment,” Marcial continued, “Super Grandia’s presence becomes more dominating, reaching 65 to 70 percent market share from 2018.”

All this to say: the Hiace is a pretty big deal in the country. And so the big reveal of a refreshed iteration of the big van, ubiquitous on Philippine roads, deserved to be huge and splashy.

The all-new Hiace Super Grandias vans sat under colorful lights inside a carpeted platform along Greenbelt 5’s Fashion Walk. Considering that it was last updated 15 years ago, the new Hiace certainly looked easy on the eyes. Immediately, you’ll notice the chrome accents in the large front grille, which, in turn flows seamlessly into the defined bi-beam LED headlamps. The rear chrome accent, meanwhile, mirrors the front design and is also complemented by the unmistakable shape of the LED rear combination lamps.

The Hiace is a pretty big deal in the country

The all-new Hiace Super Grandia comes in three variants: Elite, Leather, and Fabric. There are Powersliding Doors in the Elite variant, which somehow makes the experience of stepping into a van more luxurious than it should be. Interior lights can be personalized and bench-type seats can fit up to four passengers in the farthest row. Those sitting in the first and second row, though, will enjoy personal space with premium captain seats.

The Elite variant doubles up the luxury level, with quilted leather four-way power adjust captain seats with ottoman replacing the first rear row.

Other neat features include rear personal reading lamps and automatic climate control, with the Elite variant getting the Nano-E air purifying technology.

The Grandia redefines passenger riding comfort

The new Hiace Super Grandia comes with a 1GD-FTV 2.8 Diesel A/T engine with 2.755-liter displacement, 176 horsepower, intercooler system, and EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation). It also promises to reduce cabin noise, vibration, and harshness with a 4-Link Coil Spring rear suspension system.

The big news about this new Hiace is that the Elite variant of the Super Grandia is the first in TMP’s lineup to feature Toyota Safety Sense (TSS), a bundle of active safety features that identifies and helps drivers eliminate factors that may cause accidents. It’s also a key technology in Toyota’s credo of making ever better cars.

Elijah Sue Marcial, VP for the Marketing Services Department of TMP

TSS features for this variant include the Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), and Automatic High Beam (AHB).

Other advanced safety features include the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Vehicle Stability Control with Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist, Clearance and Back Sonars, Back Monitor, nine SRS airbags (driver, front passenger, driver knee, front side, and curtain shield), and Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) 3-point seatbelts for the driver and all passengers.

“The Hiace has become the symbol of comfort, convenience, and durability, and has indeed proven its reliability as the utility van which best caters to the needs of Filipinos both for personal and business endeavors,” said Suzuki.

4-Link Coil Spring rear suspension system

With gamechanging design and tech enhancements and the constant pursuit of improvements in comfort and safety for both driver and passenger, we’ll probably be seeing the Hiace’s dominance in its class for many more years to come.