Should the PH-spec Toyota Hiace get these updates?

A few months ago, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) released a new Commuter Deluxe Cargo variant for its Hiace. At the same time or even earlier, the rest of the strong-selling van’s lineup received a new infotainment screen.

Over in Australia though, the updates are more than just that as the Hiace gets some rather substantial updates that we think would be great to see in our local-spec version.

Changes aren’t that obvious at first glance as they are very minor. New for the exterior are gloss black-finished side mirrors, while the barn door-equipped version gets two new rear wipers.

The same goes inside where the overall design remains the same as before, but there are little changes dotted about, such as a new seven-inch digital instrument cluster which uses a similar interface as the larger fully-digital displays in other Toyota products, and has nine selectable display types.

All variants but the base now get an electronic parking brake, and a new refrigerant has been installed to improve air conditioning performance. 

On the performance side of things, the tried-and-tested 2.8-liter 1GD-FTV turbodiesel remains, but the Hiace now gets electric power-assisted steering. Not only will this make the huge van lighter to drive, it also allows it to be equipped with Lane Tracing Assist (LTA) which will keep the vehicle centered on its lane. 

Adaptive cruise control has also been improved with manual transmission variants now getting high-speed adaptive cruise control, while automatic transmission variants now get full-speed adaptive cruise control. 

Safe Exit Assist has been added to alert occupants of oncoming vehicles or pedestrians that may not be visible while disembarking, and it also now gets an Emergency Driver Support System which works with the LTA feature to detect if the driver has become unresponsive when cruise control is activated. If the driver remains unresponsive following audio and visual alerts, it will bring the vehicle to a stop.

With the Australian-market 2026 Toyota Hiace Cargo variants now safer and more well-equipped, we now wonder when Toyota Motor Philippines plans to bring some (if not all) these new features to our local spec version. Hopefully soon, even just on the pricier and more luxurious variants.

_{Photos from Toyota}