1996 Hiace reviews
24 May 2013
Search
1996 Toyota Hiace reviews
Toyota Hiace reviews by year of make: 1953 1990 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Read all reviews
Ian Kirk, Dorset
Toyota Hiace SWB 2.4 petrol 1996
I have owned my Hiace for over ten years and it has been exemplary for reliability - apart from a fondness for batteries (every two years) and lots of rear light bulbs. The front suspension has creaked loudly on full lock ever since I had it. It also needs driving with care in the wet if you don’t want the back end to step out. This petrol version is rare but fuel consumption has been about 28mpg over the years so not too bad - its also a lively van and surprisingly quick. However its wonderful run of reliability came to a sudden shuddering stop last week when the prop shaft broke. I was driving at about 30mph when it snapped, dug into the road, lifted the rear wheels off the road and spun the van around in a spectacular and scary fashion. Fortunately the road was empty of other vehicles. The breakdown driver was amazed. he said he never gets to pick up Hiaces as they are so reliable and he has never seen a snapped main propshaft before. So now it has gone to the scrapyard and been replaced by a Nissan Primastar.
Submitted: 25/04/2013 00:08:04
John Tait, County Antrim
Toyota Hiace 1996
Still going strong 168,000 miles, I just look at it and it starts in the morning. There is bit of rust but nothing compared to the Merc vans I have seen on the road. I have one complaint though, the travelling community always want to buy it off me and the police always stop me thinking I’m part of he travelling community. Best van I have ever had; oil flush once a year is the secret and always check the oil and water before any long distance. I don’t know a van that is any good in the snow especially with a bit of weight in it.
Submitted: 13/06/2011 18:40:31
Rob H Healy, England
Toyota Hiace lwb 1996
Well, I’m just selling my old 96 model as I’m lucky enough to have a nice shiny 10 plate on the drive. I didn’t even contemplate another van, nor will I. The only breakdown was the diff went, but the van worked hard over the 8 years I have owned it, pulling around 600kg’s daily. I’m just hoping that the new one performs as good as the old one has.
Submitted: 19/01/2011 21:39:19
Joe Fungai Muengedzwa, Zimbabwe
Toyota Hiace 2.0 1RZ 1996
Toyota Hiace 2.0 1RZ I dont know how many owners my Hiace had before me because I imported it from japan. Down here in Zimbabwe and most other African countries we use it as public transport, carrying a minimum of 15 up to 22 adults with either luggage in tow or on the roof. It’s anybody’s guess how much tonage the vehicle carries everyday. It starts the day as early as 4am up until around 2200hours 24/7. The Toyota Hiace is amazing, with good regular service the Hiace can go forever. To me its more than a vehicle it’s part of my family. I have done over 300k miles without any major problem using it as above. I wish I could have more of these, but hey cash in a dead economy (Zimbabwe) is not easy to come by.
Submitted: 07/10/2010 22:38:30
Darren Pickhaver, Cornwall
Toyota Hiace 1996
I have had my van for 5 years and until this year the most I have have ever spent at mot time is about £50 . These are amazing vans get in every morning and it starts without fail very very reliable can’t recommend it high enough. My Mechanic reckons it still has its original exhaust not bad for 135,000 miles. I am now thinking of changing as the Cornish salt air is starting to get to the bodywork ,but after looking around at more stylish vans I have realised that if I want reliability over style it’s got to be another Hiace. I said to a friend, they have not changed much as they have got newer, he said thats because they don’t need to -if something works why change it? Thats why I will be getting another Hiace soon.
Submitted: 21/08/2010 21:29:08
John Wells, England
Toyota Hiace 300gs 1996
What can I say? If you want van that just keeps going, it has to be the Hiace. Ours was just written off but in the 14 years we’ve owned it, apart from regular servicing and general wear and tear such as tires and bulbs, we have only had to change that problematic ball joint on the front suspension (not a requirement with our MOT garage, but it does make it clunky when on rough roads). 475,000 miles and the clutch was just on the verge of needing to be changed. Now, alright, we used it as a car 50 weeks out of the year and only towed any real weight, even then only about a ton, on the occasional weekends but still how many cars go for 475,000 miles? Let alone have the original clutch in it. MPG seems to stick at 30MPG whether its being hammered at 80-85mph up the motorway (one thing I’ve noticed is that most Hiace’s speedos read 10% higher than actual speed) or doing a comfortable 50 on long straight country roads. Even on the basic model power isn’t an issue because you have bags of torque thanks to the low gearing and you’ll find yourself overtaking in some places where a car wouldn’t, though this does make high speed runs damn noisy. In fact, in all honesty, the only negative thing about this van is that it lacks a 7th and a 6th gear, driving in 5th is like having a 3 speed car with overdrive. i.e. 3500 RPM for 65 mph. But the new Hiace (up to 08) has a higher ratio box anyway.
Submitted: 12/07/2010 15:01:37
John Wells, England
Toyota Hiace 300gs 1996
What can I say, if you want a van that just keeps going it has to be the Hiace. Ours was just written off but in the 14 years we’ve owned it, apart from regular servicing and general wear and tear such as tyres and bulbs, we have only had to change that problematic ball joint on the front suspension (not a requirement with our MOT garage, but it does make it clunky when on rough roads). 475,000 miles and the clutch was just on the verge of needing to be changed, now alright we used it as a car 50 weeks out of the year and only towed any real weight, even then only about a ton, on the occasional weekends but still how many cars go for 475,000 miles? let alone have the original clutch in it. MPG seems to stick at 30MPG whether its being hammered at 80-85mph up the motorway (one thing I’ve noticed is that most Hiace’s speedo’s read 10% higher than actual speed) or doing a comfortable 50 on long straight country roads. Even on the basic model power isn’t an issue because you have bags of torque thanks to the low gearing and you’ll find yourself overtaking in some places where a car wouldn’t, though this does make high speed runs damn noisy. In fact in all honesty the only negative things about this van is that it lacks a 7th and a 6th gear, driving in 5th is like having a 3 speed car with overdrive. i.e. 3500 RPM for 65 mph. But the new Hiace (up to 08) has a higher ratio box anyway.
Submitted: 12/07/2010 10:54:11
Dennis Delaney, Ireland
Toyota Hiace 2.4 swb 1996
I’ve had this van three years and when I bought it, it was a bit shook up. Thinking if I got the year out of it I’d be doing well but that wasn’t the case. There is no killing this machine. It will go forever. There is nothing it can’t pull or carry. If it doesn’t fit inside the van it will go on top on the roof rack. I have carried tons of timber on the roof rack. It has a good pickup for speed. I can’t fault the Hiace. When I’m not working with the van I’m driving the Toyota Avensis on evenings and weekends. Toyota all round is by far the best built car in the world.
Submitted: 09/02/2010 09:48:47
Paul Wyrill, Kent
Toyota Hiace 2.4 D powervan 1996
I am the 3rd owner, bought it with 78k miles 8yrs ago. It now has 180k. I do basic servicing every year (filters, lubes and belts) when due. The only mechanical parts I’ve had to change are: glow plugs, water pump and starter motor... Wow what can I say? It’s been an absolute dream... however my dilema is that I need a bigger van... Toyota don’t do the size i require... so, can anyone help? Which manufacturer do I switch to? Gutted to leave toyota :(
Submitted: 12/10/2009 09:26:43
Other people need your help
Your review will help others decide which vehicle to buy. By spending just a little bit of time filling out a review you can share your experiences with other drivers, giving information only owners will talk about, no marketing spiel, just the real thing. We publish all reviews, whether you rate the vehicle high or low. We are impartial. We are independent. We are committed to 100% real reviews. Please give others the benefit of your advice: give them your review.
Your review will be checked for offensive language within the next few days and then put on RoadTestReports.co.uk and all of our partners websites.
Search Reports by Make
Aixam-Mega | Alfa Romeo | Allied | Aston Martin | Audi | Bentley | BMW | Cadillac | Caterham | Chevrolet | Chrysler | Citroen | Daewoo | Daihatsu | Dodge | Elettrica | Ferrari | Fiat | Ford | Honda | Hummer | Hyundai | Infiniti | Isuzu | Iveco | Jaguar | Jeep | Kia | Lamborghini | Land Rover | LDV | Lexus | Lotus | Maserati | Mazda | Mercedes-Benz | MG | Micro-Vett | Mini | Mitsubishi | Nissan | Peugeot | Piaggio | Porsche | Proton | Renault | Reva | Roewe | Rolls-Royce | Rover | Saab | Sakura | SEAT | Skoda | Smart | SsangYong | Subaru | Suzuki | Toyota | TVR | Vauxhall | Volkswagen | Volvo |