Toyota has unveiled the new Proace City van ahead of the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, which joins the larger Proace van and Hilux pick-up truck in the company’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) line-up in Europe.

Co-developed with Groupe PSA, the latest iteration of the Proace City carries a more subtle face with a smaller upper grille, while the large “frown” in the lower apron has been redesigned. Toyota has also streamlined the available body sizes to just two, rather than three of previous model. Now, the compact van is offered in short- (4,403 mm length, 2,785 wheelbase) and long-wheelbase (4,753 mm length, 2,975 mm wheelbase) versions, with the latter also available as a crew cab.


Customers will also get to choose between panel and passenger-carrying (Verso) body styles, with a variety of seating configurations. Up front, all versions of the van can be fitted with either two individual front seats (Verso only) or a three-seat bench, although if carrying people around is preferred, the Verso model is the one to go for. The Proace City Verso can be specified with three individual seats or a 60:40 split-folding bench in the second row to provide seating for up to five, or up to seven when third row seats are in place.

If utility takes priority, the Proace City panel van can be ordered with the Smart Cargo system that uses a folding outer passenger seat and a hatch in the bulkhead to provide up to 500 litres of additional load space and increases the maximum load length by up to 1.3 metres.


Even without the Smart Cargo system, the standard Proace City comes with 3,300 litres (short wheelbase) and 1.8 metres, or 3,900 litres and 2.1 metres (long wheelbase) of load capacity and load length capability respectively. The van will also tow trailers up to 1.5 tonnes, and can be fitted with asymmetrical rear doors (glazed or unglazed) or a top-hinged tailgate. In terms of engines, the Proace City comes with a range of petrol and diesel powerplants rated at between 74 to 128 hp, with the option of a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.

The safety equipment that comes as standard is rather neat, including Pre-Collision System, Road Sign Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Cruise Control and a rest reminder. This suite of systems can be further expanded to include Automatic High Beam, Sway Warning and an extended Road Sign Assist system, Adaptive Cruise Control and a Blind Spot Monitor.


Other available items are an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a head-up display, a rear-view camera, blind spot monitor, Smart Active Vision (around-vehicle camera system), electronic parking brake, wireless smartphone charger, panoramic sunroof and Toyota Traction Select drive mode selector.