Toyota Proace Panel Van (2024 - ) review

The Proace panel vans are available in medium or long wheelbase lengths, providing room for load lengths of 3.6 metres in the mediums and just over four metres in the longs, with both providing the same 1.6-metre height and 1.3-metre height. The vehicle itself is just under two metres tall so will fit into most car parks with height restrictions. Cargo volumes are good for the size class with the medium models providing 5.3-5.8 cubic metres and long models providing 6.1-6.6 cubic metres – the top figure on each length is reached by using the load-through bulkhead feature (if it’s fitted to your vehicle, check the specs). Payloads change based on the length and powertrain you choose. On the diesels, the 1.5-litre engine and medium length models will carry 1000 kg, while mediums with the 2.0-litre unit will carry up to 1400 kg, with long models carrying 1360 kg. The electrics have to factor in battery weight chipping away slightly at the payload, so a medium model with the 50 kWh battery will carry 1400kg and those fitted with the 75 kWh battery will carry 1000 kg. Long electrics are only fitted with the 75 kWh battery and can carry 1360 kg. You can specify the model to come with fitted ply-lining in the load space, which makes sense if you’re a heavy tools or materials carrier – but it’s worth remembering that if you lease a vehicle it often comes with ply-lining fitted at no extra cost. The load space is accessible through two 50/50 rear doors and two side sliding doors, the latter of which are something you really miss when you only have one. Being able to access both sides of the vehicle’s load feels like a hack… but it isn’t with a Proace. About the only quibble we’ve ever had with the range of vans using this platform is the absence of roof height options, but it’s a minor quibble at this stage in the van’s life. Fleets up and down the country swear by them, which is high praise indeed. Just as an aside, we also found it worked well for personal travel with our latest e-bike loan – the Engwe L20 3.0 – in the back while we reviewed it. It was surprisingly easy to lift the bike into the back thanks to the low load lip, and the lashing points were well spaced allowing us to tie the bike down securely.

The interior will be very familiar to anyone who’s driven any one of the vans that use this platform. Typical setup involves a single driver’s seat and a two-person bench seat next to it. The middle passenger is likely to feel the presence of the transmission tunnel imposing into their legroom… and on manual models there’s likely to be some unavoidable knee fondling. The vehicle we were in was a diesel automatic, however, so our smallest passenger took the middle seat and didn’t complain once! The seats are comfortable and there’s the usual tough fabrics and plastics everywhere. Storage is plentiful with underseat storage, a glovebox and door storage. The two 10-inch digital screens (one on the dash and one behind the steering wheel) are sharp and easy to use. The main infotainment screen features AM/FM/DAB radio, navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the driver display offers up the usual information. We like the familiarity of the Stellantis cabin, and while it may not be as good as the Ford Transit Custom’s cabin it’s still good.

On the top-power 2.0-litre diesel models, quoted mpg figures sit between 35 and 38, although you’ll likely hit around 30-35 if our test drives were anything to go by. The electrics offer ranges of up to 205 miles, depending on battery pack size, payload carried and driving habits. Charging costs will be a factor to consider on the electric models, with it costing more to charge in public than at home. Prices on the 1.5-litre diesel models sit between around £29-30K, the 2.0-litre diesel models at around £32-36K, and the electrics from £37-44K – all excluding VAT. As you can see, the prices vary across fuel types, so it’s worth checking out the costs to pick it up on finance or a good lease deal.

Every new Toyota Proace gets a three-year manufacturer warranty followed by a 12-month/ 10,000-mile additional warranty every time you get it serviced at a Toyota service centre for up to ten years. So, that means that every time you complete a Toyota service the warranty increases until it reaches 100,000 miles or 10 years. Very nice and a good show of confidence in the hardware. Proace vans, like their Stellantis medium van brethren, are considered to be more reliable now than ever, with most issues from the earlier models sorted. You also get five years of roadside assistance with every new van, so you can drive with even more confidence!

The Proace performs in much the same way as any medium van sharing the Stellantis platform. It’s a hardy workhorse, with a bit of Toyota class sprinkled on top. The dual side doors are a huge plus offering excellent accessibility to your cargo no matter which side of the road you park. The cabin is a great place to spend time, with comfortable seats that don’t result in sore backs if you’re in for more than an hour. Some of the Stellantis platform sharers can make you feel a bit snarled up with offset pedals and steering wheels, but the Proace doesn’t. Maybe that’s just us?

The auto gearbox on the 2.0-litre diesel model we tested was the star of the show handling all manners of driving styles and roads with ease. It’s maybe not the fastest to get you away, with a bit of delay at the lower gears, but once you’re going the drive is smooth. When loaded up you’ll notice the body roll in corners disappears and you feel nicely planted to the road. Without load it still feels heavy, but we did take a few corners a bit too tightly simply because the steering was so light. It’s a good handler and we enjoyed driving it around towns and on motorways.

The Proace panel vans offer a lot of safety systems – do check the specification of the vehicle you’re choosing to make sure you get the ones you want. The systems include pre-collision and pedestrian detection, intelligent speed assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic electric braking, road sign assist, driver attention alerts and other standard features.

Other available equipment not already listed (check the vehicle specification to make sure you get them if you want them) includes the rear parking sensors (still not a rear camera as standard), auto air conditioning, a useful wireless phone charger, automatic wipers, the colour-coded bumpers, black door handles, keyless entry, LED Foglights and striking 17-inch black alloy wheels (top Sport trim only). There are also three equipment packs you can specify. The Premium Racking pack adds some internal racking you can customise with storage boxes, the Exterior Protection pack adds matte black side bars, smart locks and rear bumper protection plate, and the Transport pack adds an aluminium roof platform, rear ladder, conduit box and towing hitch. Lots to choose from, some of it for a price, so check the specs… which is becoming the mantra of this review.

You’ll buy the Proace over the other vans it shares a platform with because you found a good deal and want a bit of other-brand class to go with your practicality. Whether you’ll buy it over a Ford Transit Custom is another question entirely. However, there’s a lot to like about the Proace purely because it tries hard (and succeeds on a few counts) to be its own van in a world of rebadged Stellantis vans.