Toyota Hiace Commuter/GL Grandia/Super Grandia Owners & Discussions Thread [Merged]

**rna800** · October 9th, 2014 10:04 AM

^

Mine is a 2014 TOTL but the monotone. Just got it last Aug.

Not my personal pics but this is how it looks like:

You are correct, that engine is the same across the board from the cheapest variant which is the Commuter all the way to the SG leather 2T, they are all the same.

Before buying it, the only competitor that we looked at was the Hyundai GS CVX. In the end, the SG won. We preferred the seating configuration of the SG where 10 passengers can sit with comfort.

I don't know what made you say that the specs are not good for an engine that size coz from my experience, it does what it needs to do. It can climb steep roads with full load and I was able to reach 140+ kph with it. So given those, I don't know what is not good with that. It's even better for the leather variant with all the extra accessories that they put in it and those capt with swivel seats are so comfy to sit on.

Not unless you wanna reach 180 kph, not gonna happen with that engine. But you are carrying 10 passengers. That is way too fast while carrying your family with you. Most of the time I am only within the 100 to 120 kph. Kinda slow but I wouldn't risk it with my family onboard. I bought the SG for space and comfort and not for top speed and acceleration.

But mind you, that engine might look lousy on paper but it is not lousy at all. The big, fat refrigerator with wheels might look big and heavy from the outside, it is light and nimble when you drive it. Just bury the gas pedal and it will zoom easily all the way to 120 kph. That made me realized why those UV Express Commuter drivers drive like that coz that engine really has power on low speeds even with full load. Just don't go on a straight and flat road and beyond 140 kph, if its driver is aggressive, he will tailgate you as if you have the same engine specs.

The engine can be made better though. I was waiting for that 3.0 or at least with VNT too, but it is not being offered so we have to live with what we got. Or else, just look at the other brands.

**InternalCombust** · October 9th, 2014 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by rna800

^

Mine is a 2014 TOTL but the monotone. Just got it last Aug.

Not my personal pics but this is how it looks like:

You are correct, that engine is the same across the board from the cheapest variant which is the Commuter all the way to the SG leather 2T, they are all the same.

Before buying it, the only competitor that we looked at was the Hyundai GS CVX. In the end, the SG won. We preferred the seating configuration of the SG where 10 passengers can sit with comfort.

I don't know what made you say that the specs are not good for an engine that size coz from my experience, it does what it needs to do. It can climb steep roads with full load and I was able to reach 140+ kph with it. So given those, I don't know what is not good with that. It's even better for the leather variant with all the extra accessories that they put in it and those capt with swivel seats are so comfy to sit on.

Not unless you wanna reach 180 kph, not gonna happen with that engine. But you are carrying 10 passengers. That is way too fast while carrying your family with you. Most of the time I am only within the 100 to 120 kph. Kinda slow but I wouldn't risk it with my family onboard. I bought the SG for space and comfort and not for top speed and acceleration.

But mind you, that engine might look lousy on paper but it is not lousy at all. The big, fat refrigerator with wheels might look big and heavy from the outside, it is light and nimble when you drive it. Just bury the gas pedal and it will zoom easily all the way to 120 kph. That made me realized why those UV Express Commuter drivers drive like that coz that engine really has power on low speeds even with full load. Just don't go on a straight and flat road and beyond 140 kph, if its driver is aggressive, he will tailgate you as if you have the same engine specs.

The engine can be made better though. I was waiting for that 3.0 or at least with VNT too, but it is not being offered so we have to live with what we got. Or else, just look at the other brands.

Why can Hyundai make its 2.5 churn 400 Nm? Its 1.6 with 260 Nm and more horsepower? Sometimes, I even doubt that the KD engine is even CRDI. Yes it can reach 140 kph, but with difficulty. Why difficulty? Because you are overworking the engine. Of course it can run, but the engine is overworked for its capability.

**dr. d** · October 9th, 2014 09:02 PM

getting more power from an engine:
1. it might result in diminished lifespan and reliability;
2. it will probably need more money to manufacture.. more metal.. more mechanical parts.. more intricate shapes.. better alloys.. more electronics.. closer manufacturing tolerances..
3. the higher resulting selling price (manufacturing and taxation) might result in diminished unit sales, causing a dip in overall profit.

this last bit of reasoning, complicated as it is, is probably why, as we may have noticed, car companies do not bring in certain of their models, even if these have proven to be big sellers elsewhere, because it may compete with the other horses in their corporate stables, or because they feel it might not sell well enough to invest in...

bottomline... if they do sell 3.0 liter hiaces, who will guarantee that they will sell enough as to realize better profits than what their 2.5 liter line is currently generating?
"remember the yaris!" - un-official toyota motto re. new models..

btw... overworking?? please!! it's running rings around me..

**rna800** · October 10th, 2014 08:24 AM

*InternalCombust: It's nice to hear opposing views from time to time.

For sure Toyota Phils can tune the engine of the Hiace, SG specifically, that high but they are not doing it.

Sir dr. d pretty much sums up everything as why they put 2.5L even on the TOTL Hiace.

- A 2.5L costs almost 2M already, how much more if they put a 3.0. Perhaps they thought of their sales too hence, they aren't bringing it.

- Higher power output means higher fuel consumption, there are more parts that will require upgrading to match the engine power and servicing so in turn, maintaining the SG will be pricier.

In fact this is the advantage of the SG. Even at 2M, its maintenance will not cost that much and that is one of the points that SG buyers looked at also.

- 140 kph with difficulty? Have you actually driven a Hiace for you to say that? Last time I did that, my SG didn't have a difficult time reaching that speed. I just don't reach that speed often for me to check the rpm coz I only stay in the 100 to 120 kph range. Next time I will do a burst speed and check.

But, are you seriously going to buy a Super Grandia to run it at high speeds all the time? Then you are no different to our PUB drivers if you do. Not because a vehicle is capable to run at high speed mean you should run it. There are other people on board too who care for their lives or just wanna have a nice and comfortable trip and not being tossed around and feel like they are in a roller coaster van ride.

"Overworking the engine"? The only overworking the engine that I know is I see a lot of Hiace on the road with D4D engine everyday being used as service vehicles, carrying lots of people, facing different traffic and weather conditions, raking hundreds of kms per day and clocking thousands of kms per year. That's the overworking of the engine I know.

Like what dr. d said, it seems that nobody is really complaining or if they do, a lot of people still buy all variants of the Hiace up to now. I have seen a handfull of the refreshed Commuter being used as UV Express and lots and lots of the refreshed GL Grandia on the road. For the SG, I see more SG fabric variant than the leather.

Even at that price point, no matter how "lousy" other people think the engine of the Hiace is, people are still buying it. Maybe because they wanna "overwork the engine" too?