By Theodore Opara

‘IT can have the shape of Toyota Hiace bus. It can also look like the Toyota Hiace, but it cannot perform or last like the Toyota Hiace and can never be Toyota Hiace.”

This was how Pastor Emmanel Oluwaniyi, General Manager, After Sales, Elizade Motors, foremost Toyota dealer in Nigeria described the Toyota Hiace look-alikes, commonly found on Nigeria roads today.

Pastor Oluwaniyi was speaking at the just concluded Elizade Motor fleet customers forum organised to enlighten their customers on the difference between Toyota Hiace and the cloned versions, mostly from Chinese manufacturers.

According to him, there is only one original Toyota Hiace and it is manufactured by Toyota Motor Company, in accordance with Toyota standard.

Pastor Oluwaniyi’s clarification on the original Hiace cannot be faulted as the Hiace has carved a niche for itself since it first hit the market some decades ago.

With a globally respected reputation for reliability and endurance, the Hiace commuter combines functionally elegant design with a complete range of practical and convenient on-board cabin appointments. It offers comfortable ride throughout the duration of the journey.

The Toyota Hiace is available in wide and super long versions as well as standard long body style, which makes it the first choice of many transporters and corporate firms. The wide and super long body version provides an exceptionally spacious cabin for 16 people while the standard version seats 15.

Available in Nigeria with 2.7-litre gasoline engine, the Toyota Hiace has transported more passengers in Nigeria, than any other brand, especially, with the state of Nigerian roads. Many transporters have found the Toyota Hiace maneuverability a plus for their businesses.

Ruggedly built for years of reliability, Hiace has proved itself as the most dependable on roads around the world including Nigeria. Designed to be tough and durable from the ground up, its dependability is legendary.

Starting from the suspension, a front double-wishbone tension bar spring suspension and a rear leaf spring suspension provide optimised straight line stability, ride comfort and versatile load carrying capacity.

The rigid body too forms part of the Toyota Hiace reliability. Computer analysis of the body and chassis assure designed-in durability with minimal transmission of vibration to the cabin, resulting in excellent running stability and comfort for the life of the vehicle.

Also, corrosion-resistant materials are used in key areas throughout the vehicle to provide long lasting protection against rust.

It comes in manual and automatic transmissions. The manual transmission is tuned for optimum shift ease while the automatic transmission features electronic control for smooth natural response.

Hiace offers comfortable seating for everyone. High quality materials are used throughout, adding to the sense of spacious, refinement and comfort that surrounds the passengers.

Safetywise, the Hiace incorporates both active and passive measures to help protect the driver and passengers.

From good visibility that contributes to collision avoidance, to crumble zone construction that helps minimise collision damage, Toyota Hiace ranks high in safety.

SRS airbags, brake pedal and steering shaft intrusion-reduction system with rotary mechanism, ABS protection, crumple zone construction, high-mount stop lamp and Wil Concept seat design, are some of the safety features incorporated in the Hiace.