Latest news with #Proace
Top Gear
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Toyota Proace Driving, Engines & Performance
Driving What is it like to drive? A choice of four-cylinder turbodiesel engines are on offer in the Proace, though if that sounds far too old-school you'll be wanting to know about the all-electric version first. Since the 2024 facelift the Proace has been available with two different battery sizes, meaning you can have a 50kWh version (42kWh usable) that does 148 miles on a charge, or a 75kWh unit (69kWh usable) that manages 213 miles. Advertisement - Page continues below We're yet to test the EV, but we can tell you that both come with a 134bhp motor and a top speed of just 80mph. The 0-62mph sprint takes 10.8 seconds in the 50kWh branded version and 11.9s in the heavier 75kWh, but remember that they get instant torque so they'll be quicker than the diesels off the line. Good for rapid urban deliveries. What about the diesel engines? So, your entry-level choice is a 1.5-litre turbodiesel making 118bhp and connected to a six-speed manual gearbox, or you can upgrade to a 2.0-litre that makes 142bhp and drops the 0-62mph time down from a terrifyingly slow 16 seconds (!) to a far more respectable 9.9 seconds. However, we've tested the range-topping 174bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel allied to the eight-speed automatic gearbox. You have to upgrade to this most powerful diesel to get the self-shifter, and if you do you're also looking at a healthy 295lb ft of torque. All versions are front-wheel drive. Sounds like most people won't bother with the auto then? It's actually now only one available with the top-spec Sport trim, which is a pity, as it means the majority of Proace buyers will likely choose to save a fair few quid and DIY. But the auto 'box is a great match for this engine – actually better than many of the downsized petrol applications it's lumped with elsewhere in the Peugeot-Citroen range. Advertisement - Page continues below It's calibrated just-so not to freak out and kick down into a panic when you simply want to join a motorway, and there are wheel-mounted paddles for if you want to take back control. The 0-62mph time is an amusing 8.5 seconds too, which is far from slow, but it's the in-gear punch that makes life easy. Is it a pain to manoeuvre? Because the Proace is half a size smaller than the likes of a VW Transporter or Mercedes Vito, it feels usefully narrow and wieldy. Stability is superb even at motorway speeds when empty of cargo – if you've not upgraded your workhorse in a while you'll likely be stunned at just how civilised life can be in a commercial vehicle these days. Engine refinement with the brawniest diesel is another strong suit, with wind noise predictably more of a din. Nothing that'd make a long day behind the wheel tiring though. You can sense the French comfiness at work here: this is a machine designed with low effort in mind. The steering is one-hand palmable, the ride settled, the performance adequate. We'd like at least a little more resistance to the brake pedal though – it's alarmingly soft and makes judging how much force you need rather tricky.
Top Gear
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Buy Toyota Proace Price, PPC or HP
Buying What should I be paying? Of your three trim levels, you've got a basic one, a sensible middling one, and then the choice between two top ones depending on which size of van you go for. But the glitzy ones feel a bit too nice to ever put to work. All versions get the SmartCargo adjustable load bay, which is handy. Proace Active starts at just under £29,000 excluding VAT and gets 16in steel wheels, cruise control with speed limiter, air-con, a couple of airbags, electric windows and door mirrors, plus the 10in central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay connectivity. Advertisement - Page continues below Icon grade kicks off at just under £30k for the 1.5-litre diesel (or £36,974 for the 50kWh EV) and adds digital dials and a wireless phone charger. It also includes navigation on the central screen, while the steel wheels remain but are covered with wheel trims. You get slightly more posh exterior styling too with that chrome surround around the front grille. Spot a Proace with black 17in alloy wheels and body-coloured bumpers and it's most likely the range-topping Sport spec, with prices starting at £35,599. That'd mean it has the more powerful 2.0-litre diesel engine and an auto 'box if it's not electric. If it's longer and has machined alloys then it's the £32k+ Icon Premium. We covered several hundred miles in our Proace Sport and actually bettered the claimed economy of 36.2–39.2mpg. We saw 40.3mpg from the more powerful 2.0-litre diesel. Range was over 500 miles, thanks to the hefty 69-litre tank. What if I'm going electric? It's worth noting that you can't have an EV in the entry-level Active grade, so prices kick off at just under £37k as mentioned up above. Although if you want the bigger battery then you're looking at a minimum of £41,682. Oh, and no matter the choice of battery you'll be able to DC rapid charge at 100kW, meaning a 0-80 per cent top-up takes 30 minutes in the 50kWh and 45 mins in the 75kWh. Advertisement - Page continues below Payload for the EVs is 1,000kg for the 75kWh version and 1,253kg for the 50kWh. That puts it broadly in line with the diesels, which offer 999kg in the 1.5, 1,375kg in the less powerful 2.0 and 1,226kg in the range topper. Worth bearing in mind that the electric versions can only tow a maximum of one tonne, though. What's this warranty I'm hearing about? Ah yes, there's a real mark in favour of the Toyota here, because while its Stellantis siblings generally offer a three-year warranty and then make you pay extra for anything on top of that, Toyota will give you a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty as long as you service it with the manufacturer. It also offers five years of free roadside assistance.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota's EV Bet in Europe Seems to Be Paying Off, Even for PHEVs
During the first six months of 2025 the Toyota brand sold 591,115 vehicles on the continent, 491,197 of which were electrified. The automaker has not focused heavily on EVs, catering to a greater variety of buyers in various countries in the geopolitical bloc, not all of whom are interested exclusively in electrification. Still, BEV sales by Toyota and Lexus grew 42% year-on-year in the January-June period, while PHEVs grew 186% for the two brands. Toyota's modern EV era in the US began with the bZ4X (hastily facelifted and recently renamed simply bZ), but its reticence toward electric models might also extend to other important markets, including Europe. The automaker recently kept its second best-selling car brand crown, behind only Volkswagen, with all-time record sales of 591,115 vehicles, 491,197 of which were electrified. Electrified does not mean all-electric, of course, but BEV sales by Toyota and Lexus grew an impressive 42% in the January-June period between 2024 and 2025. That's a serious gain of which any European automaker would be envious. The Toyota brand alone saw a gain of 46% year-on-year among solely BEVs, amounting to 27,773 vehicles. The familiar bZ4X accounted for the lion's share of that with 18,724 unit sold, while the rest were electric versions of its Proace van. So the midsize crossover is still considered the safest play on the other side of the Atlantic as well. The Lexus UX electric, on the other hand, saw 953 units find buyers in the first six months of the year, while the Lexus RZ saw far more fans with sales of 2,521 units. But the Tidal Wave Is Coming "Despite various headwinds in the market, we are encouraged that consumer demand remains solid for the Toyota and Lexus range of electrified vehicles," said Till Conrad, Executive Vice President-Sales, Toyota Motor Europe. "It's testament to our product power offering a broad lineup of zero and low-emission electrified product." Toyota's results from the first six months would seem like steady progress, at least at first blush. The automaker, among other European brands, is about to face a tidal wave of affordable EVs from China, including from brands like MG, BYD, Nio, Xpeng, and Leapmotor. Yes, it's that same MG that was purchased by SAIC back in 2006 during MG-Rover's collapse. And now it's back after a series of mostly forgettable commuter cars with an affordable electric roadster—something you may recall Tesla promised about a decade ago. Whether Europe is ready for an electric roadster—from Tesla or MG—is another matter. As in the US, Toyota and Lexus are still staking much of their strategy on hybrids of all types, rather than going all-in on electric models. And for now, this slow but steady approach seems to be paying off in Europe. And by that we mean the entirety of the EU member states and not the stereotypical EV-friendly Scandinavians and residents of the low countries. Lexus Lineup 100% Electrified "Lexus has a 100% electrified sales mix in West Europe and 95% across the entire region. Key performers are the compact Lexus LBX Hybrid and Lexus NX (available in plug-in hybrid and hybrid variants)," the automaker notes. Toyota's top seller in Europe during the first six months of the year was the Yaris Cross, with 103,580 units—definitely not an EV. And its second best seller was the Yaris, with 90,549 units. Among electrified but not electric cars, Toyota's top seller was the Yaris Cross Hybrid, with 103,574 units finding homes in the first six months of the year. The Yaris Hybrid wasn't far behind, finding 90,074 buyers. Overall, the automaker appears to have correctly judged the demand for EVs in the middle of the decade, ignoring a period early in the pandemic that saw a rush for EVs and panicked predictions of the quick demise of everything else, including diesels. The same appears to have held true for the Toyota brand, with the division focusing on affordable bread-and-butter models, with plenty of hybrid tech on board. "Toyota's overall electrified sales mix is now at 76%, with volume increasing +6% year-on-year," the automaker noted. The more important metric: PHEVs saw an even more impressive surge, gaining 272% year-on-year in sales strictly within the Toyota brand and amounting to 42,200 vehicles. For all the talk of gains by EVs, it's actually the PHEVs that have surged the most over the past year. So there is still plenty of interest in hybrids of all sorts in Europe, despite predictions early in the decade that everything what wasn't battery-electric by 2025 would be hopelessly outdated. Should Toyota offer a wider variety of small electric cars in the US? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Motor 1
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Toyota Turns The Land Cruiser Into a Van, But So Can You
It may look like a standard Land Cruiser from the outside, but this inconspicuous LC250 is both more and less practical. On one hand, the SUV-turned-van can only seat two people. On the other hand, it offers a massive cargo area. Rather than hiring a third party for the conversion, Toyota UK removed the rear bench itself at its Burnaston production facility in Derbyshire. The previous-generation model also received the van treatment, so it's no surprise the Land Cruiser Commercial is back. With the back seats gone, the off-roader can swallow up to 2,000 liters (nearly 71 cubic feet) of cargo. Need more? It can tow up to 3.5 metric tons (7,716 pounds). It retains the SUV's five-door body style, as adding a sliding door would've required too much investment for a niche model. Photo by: Toyota Photo by: Toyota One of its main advantages over a conventional van, such as the Proace, is its ability to venture off-road. Oddly enough, Toyota doesn't compare it to the Proace but to the Hilux . The newcomer targets buyers who don't need the pickup truck's extra seats and cargo bed but want the off-road prowess, greater comfort, and improved tech of the two-seat SUV, er, van. After removing the rear seats, Toyota installs a metal bulkhead with a mesh upper section. The rear-side windows remain but are mostly obscured by newly added steel panels. 'Mostly,' because light still seeps in around the edges. Even so, the opaque panels do a good job of shielding the cabin from prying eyes. Accessing the cargo area doesn't necessarily require opening the rear doors or the electrically operated tailgate. The window hatch can be opened independently, making it easy to toss in smaller or lighter items. Other goodies include automatic two-zone climate control, heated seats and steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver's seat, and a nine-inch infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Toyota Land Cruiser van conversion 18 Source: Toyota As you can imagine, permanent all-wheel drive comes standard. To sweeten the deal, Toyota includes a variety of driver assistance systems, such as Crawl Control, Hill-start Assist Control, and Downhill Assist Control. The Land Cruiser Commercial starts at £52,729 ($71,600) and comes exclusively with a 2.8-liter diesel engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission carried over from the standard SUV. The latter is getting a mild-hybrid setup for better fuel efficiency, which Toyota says will also be offered in the van. In the meantime, orders for the non-electrified model will open on August 1, with the first deliveries scheduled for September. The Land Cruiser In The News: Japan's 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Has Huge Screen Bezels The Ancient Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Gets a Manual Gearbox Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Toyota Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
