While utes often top the commercial-vehicle sales charts, the humble van still plays a vital role for tradies across New Zealand.
Whether you’re a plumber, painter, builder, courier or simply run your business out of a vehicle, it’s hard to look beyond a van as a trusty office on wheels. In recent years, vans have become far more refined and much safer; here are three of our favourites available in 2021.
Toyota Hiace (from $46,990)
The Hiace has been a sales hit in NZ for years; in 2020 it was the most popular van, racking up an impressive 1868 sales.
The entry level ZR cargo starts from an attractive $46,990, powered by a 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine and a six-speed manual transmission. The Hiace offers 130kW/450Nm and has a fuel consumption rating of 7.5l/100km, with CO2 of 197g/km.
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In 2019, the Toyota Hiace received a five-Star ANCAP rating thanks to the Toyota Safety Sense package. This consists of features like a Pre-Collision System with Autonomous Emergency Braking and vehicle/bicycle/pedestrian detection. It also has Lane Departure Alert with Brake Control (Yaw Assist) and Vehicle Sway Warning.
The Hiace also has a respectable payload of 1020kg and Toyota has listened to its customers: the ZR and ZX variants are now wide enough for pallets to lie flat in the back between the wheel arches.
LDV eDeliver3 (from $49,990)
The LDV eDeliver3 is a purpose-built pure-electric van, competitively priced and qualifying for the Government’s Clean Car Discount of $8625. It’s compact, lightweight and can carry an impressive 950kg payload. It also comes with a choice of two battery capacities: 35kW or 52.5kW.
The entry-level model has a range of 159km, while the larger capacity version can travel 245km between charges. Charging from a wall socket will take between six and eight hours depending on the capacity of the battery, but both can also be charged up to 80 per cent in just 45 minutes with a fast charger.
The eDeliver3 can reach 100km/h in 11 seconds and RightCar gives it a five-star Vehicle Safety Risk Rating (VSRR). This van will surely be on the shortlist for businesses looking for a clean and green image.
Hyundai Staria Load (from $59,990)
Hyundai recently announced the Staria Load, which boasts out-of-this-world styling.
The commercial version of the Staria Load is available with either two or five seats, is front-drive and powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine. The entry level manual model develops 130kW/430Nm and consumes 7.1l/100km, with a CO2 rating of 187g/km. There’s also the choice of an eight-speed auto variant available from $69,990.
The Staria Load has just under 5000 litres of cargo space, meaning it can hold three Euro pallets. It can also tow 2500kg. Both variants of the van can handle more than 1070kg in payload. It features sliding doors on both sides for easier access, and a choice of a liftback or barn door arrangement - perfect access for couriers.
There are also plenty of standard safety features like Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist (FCA-JT), Blind Spot Collision Avoidance-Assist (BCA-R) and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA) systems. The Hyundai Staria Load also receives a five-star VSRR on RightCar.
Hyundai has announced that more eco-friendly Staria variants will be arriving over the coming years.
