2003 Toyota Hiace reviews

Toyota Hiace 280 102hp 2003

I’m on my 4th Hiace now. I had a 95 Granvia Hiace 4WD import years ago, which was fast and comfy, but had terrible fuel consumption, plus the rear seats not coming out easily was a pain. I then got a 99 Hiace 2.4 LWB, which was slower, but I had no issues with in 2 years of ownership. I then got a 08 Hiace 120, which was fast, but a bit too snatchy around town driving, although great on long journeys, uphill and overtaking, but oddly started to rust in various places (perhaps due to a life near the sea) and insurance was a lot higher. I have just flogged that and bought a 2003 old shape Hiace with D4D 102 engine. Of the 4 I have had this seems the right balance of power, economy, insurance group and I prefer the look compared to the post ’07 ones. I had to replace the steering column gaiter on two of them, as this tends to split and makes it noisy inside. All of them seem to clonk on full lock. The dashboard light has also gone on two of them, but it is relatively easy to change. Other than that they just need regular servicing, which is easy enough to do youself. I wouldn’t buy any other type of van, although I do like the look of the Asian/Oz market models.