The Proace is the longest-serving member of Toyota’s van line-up, having replaced the medium-sized Hiace in 2013.
Subsequently, Toyota has expanded its commercial range to become one of the most extensive in the sector but it is the Proace that has played the leading role in steering the brand away from being known only for the Hilux pick-up in LCV circles.
In 2023, Toyota’s vans outsold the Hilux in the UK for the first time. The timing was significant; as the brand’s UK LCV boss Gareth Matthew told What Van?, “Fleets out there are buying fewer pick-ups,” partly because of the law change that means double-cab pick-ups no longer enjoy the favourable tax regime that drove up sales in the UK.
The Proace marked the beginning of Toyota Professional’s product collaboration with what was then PSA Peugeot Citroen and has since expanded into Stellantis. Consequently, customers can buy similar models badged as the Citroen Dispatch, Fiat Professional Scudo, Peugeot Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro.
Toyota updated the Proace in 2024 with a new front end, giving the grille a wide-mouthed appearance. The van is available as a medium (L1) or long-length (L2) panel van, a crew cab and a platform cab, and with a choice of 120hp, 145hp and 177hp diesel engines.
Trim levels are Active, Icon, Icon Premium and the new Sport, which is the one that has joined the What Van? fleet in crew-cab mode.
Standard equipment with Active includes a 10in infotainment touchscreen, digital driver display, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, rear parking sensors, ply-lining in the load space, lane keep assist, driver attention assist, automatic high beam and automatic emergency braking with forward collision warning.
Further features of Icon spec include the Smart Cargo system that expands load capacity, sat-nav, wireless phone charging and 16in wheels with full wheel caps, while Icon Premium adds automatic air-conditioning and 17in alloy wheels.
Features of Sport spec include 17in black alloy wheels, black door handles, body-coloured bumpers, keyless entry and LED front fog lights.
The Proace Crew Cab is offered in both L1 (4,981mm) and L2 (5,331mm) body styles in Icon and Icon Premium grades but in Sport it comes only in L1 mode with slick eight-speed automatic transmission rather than the six-speed manual gearbox that features in the rest of the line-up.
The van’s relatively compact dimensions make it wieldy, manoeuvrable and easy
to thread through traffic. It also boasts a nimble 12.4m turning circle and a roof height of 1.9m, which means it can access underground car parks. The shorter length does restrict load volume, however, particularly in the crew cab.
This presented a challenge as one of the first jobs I assigned to the Proace was the end of term task of moving two of my children’s belongings out of their student digs. Whereas the L1 panel van offers a 5.3m3 load bed, rising to 5.8m3 with the load-through hatch, the L1 crew van is restricted to 3.2m3, so judicious use of the available space was called for.
When choosing either a crew or panel van, operators should weigh up whether their priority is carrying a team of workers with a compromised load capacity, sufficient for tools and equipment, for example, or whether they need to maximise load-lugging capability.
With the sliding side doors opening onto the back passenger seats, access to the load area is via the rear tailgate only. A full-height bulkhead divides the double cabin from the load area. It is fitted with a window to give the driver a rear view, but the sight line is largely obscured in practice by the passenger seat headrests. The load bed is equipped with four tie-down loops to help with securing cargo.
Discreet storage compartments for the likes of mobile phones or tablets can be found underneath the three rear seats. A step helps the driver clamber into the front of the cab but the grab handle is not easily located from outside so one tends to grab the steering wheel instead. Once inside, the driver’s seat is supportive and adjustable horizontally and vertically, but I would welcome some lumbar support. The steering wheel is adjustable for height and reach too so finding the best driving position is easy. Frontal arc visibility is decent enough but the side mirrors could really do with a wide-angle section. There is just about room enough for the middle seat passenger, but cross cab access is impeded by the centre console protruding out close to the seats.
In-cab storage is not the best, there is a push-button start but nowhere obvious to put the key fob. Cup holders sit at either end of the dashboard, there’s a glove box, which is not lockable, and an open shelf on top of the dash. The door bins are big and include a section for holding a bottle of water.
Report card
Versatility: The Sport Crew Cab impresses as a carrier of both goods and passengers.
8/10
Cabin: Comfortable, but storage provision could be better.
6/10
| Model | Toyota Proace Sport Crew Cab 2.0 Auto |
| Mileage | 578 |
| Official combined fuel economy | 39.2mpg |
| Our average consumption | 40.3mpg |
| Price range (ex VAT) | £28,474 – £37,765 |
| Price (ex VAT) | £37,765 |
| Insurance group | 35E |
| Warranty | 3yrs/60,000mls (extendable up to 10 years/100,000mls) |
| Service intervals | 10,000mls |
| Load length | 1,488mm |
| Load width (min/max) | 1,258mm /1,636mm |
| Load bay height | 1,397mm |
| Gross payload | 1,226kg |
| Load volume | 3.2m3 |
| Engine size/power | 1,997cc/177hp |
| CO2 | 205g/km |
