The Toyota Proace Verso manages to liberate a lot of space inside its van-derived body. The Compact version is one of the smallest vehicles around that can viably seat 8 adults but it only does that at the expense of any useful boot space. Higher up the range there’s room for passengers and luggage but prices begin to creep towards those of more established rivals.
The addition of the big people carrier to the Toyota range is a useful one and the Proace Verso delivers extremely well in key areas for a vehicle of this type. Excellent fuel economy, a surprisingly classy interior and a 5-star safety rating count for a lot. The downside is that the Verso’s van origins still seep through in aspects of the driving experience.
The Proace Verso is a people carrier so we’re not expecting sports car handling but a little more polish applied to the suspension, steering and manual gearbox set-ups would improve what is a passable experience behind the wheel.
Aside from the latest Toyota family grille on the front, the Proace Verso shares its interior design with the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert.
Inside, existing Toyota owners will see even less that’s familiar as the cabin is entirely assembled using the switchgear and design cues seen on the current Peugeot and Citroen ranges. In the past, that might have been cause of concern but the French marques have noticeably upped their game in the last few years and the Verso’s cabin quality can stand comparison with anything in the mainstream large MPV class - despite its commercial vehicle roots.
The dash in the Proace Verso is effectively the same as that in the Proace van but with upgraded trim materials and some higher quality plastics. The tactile switches for the temperature controls are a highlight as is the Pro-Touch seven-inch touchscreen that’s found on Family models and above.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
The entry-level Shuttle models get the unremarkable stereo system from the Proace van with its small monotone display. At least there’s smartphone integration so you can use your phone’s sat-nav, Bluetooth and a USB port.
Far, far better is the Toyota Pro-Touch seven-inch touchscreen that comes on stream at Family level. It’s a slick system that improves the look of the dash but, more importantly, features a DAB radio and sat-nav. As part of the Premium Pack, the Proace Verso’s stereo can be upgraded to a 10-speaker surround-sound system with a 188W amplifier and a bass box under the front passenger seat.
The trick with building a passenger car on a platform designed for a van is to hide those heavy-duty commercial vehicle traits as best you can. The Toyota Proace Verso does a reasonable job of this with improved soundproofing and a smoother ride than its commercial cousin.
Its roots do show in some areas, however. The suspension deals well with the smooth roads, ironing out small imperfections and remaining planted over bigger undulations, but there’s a lot of noise from the springs as they clunk over rougher surfaces and big jolts aren’t cushioned quite as well as they could be.
The steering is light, which is great in town in combination with the super-tight turning circle of the Proace Verso (just 11.3m in the smallest Compact model) but at speed the lack of feel makes it tricky to position the car accurately and constant adjustment is necessary in sweeping corners. The manual gearbox slots into position positively but it’s notchy as you move across the gate, while the brakes are a little over responsive and difficult to modulate. The firm feel of the brake pedal seems out of sync with the softness of the ones either side.
Engines
Toyota is offering the Proace Verso with a solid range of diesel engines. The entry-level unit is the 114bhp 1.6-litre with 300Nm of torque from 1,750rpm. It’ll get the Verso to 62mph in 13.4s and reach a 100mph top speed so performance is not its strength but we found it adequate, especially around town where the vehicle does seem to be in its element.
If you’re heading out onto the open road, you’ll probably upgrade to the 2.0-litre 148bhp unit. There’s no more torque but the 0-62mph increment improves to 11s and you can feel the superior pulling power when accelerating up to motorway speeds. The engine does take some time to lose its gruff note after a cold start but once things have warmed up, it’s refined at idle and a steady cruise. The noise levels only step up when you step down, hard on the throttle.
The final engine option is the range-topping 174bhp version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine. It’ll do 0-62mph in 10.1s and is mated to a 6-speed self-shifting gearbox rather than the 6-speed manual that’s the only option with the two lower-powered engines.
As standard, all Toyota Proace Verso models get the usual stability control and twin front airbags but there’s also hill-start assist, a tyre pressure monitoring system and cruise control with a speed limiter. As you ascend the range you can increase the airbag count up to eight and both Family and VIP models get the Toyota Safety sense pack as standard.
This package includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, cornering lights and a head-up display. The Verso scored 5 stars in its Euro NCAP crash test so it sets a very high standard in the safety department overall.
Warranty
Toyota thinks it can win sales for the Proace Verso by offering the five-year/100,000-mile warranty that’s common across its passenger car range. The mileage is unlimited in the first year too.
Servicing
Service intervals for the Proace Verso are every two years or 25,000 miles. The only exception is the 2.0-litre 174bhp models, which have their service intervals cut to every year or 20,000 miles.
The look, feel and practicality of the Proace Verso depends very much on which trim level you choose as each has been specifically tailored to cater for a different sector of the market.
The entry-level Shuttle trim is intended as a taxi or airport transfer shuttle and is only one step up from the Combi minibus model that sits in the Proace van range. It has 8 or 9 seats, the latter achieved thanks to an optional 2-person bench next to the driver - despite the fact that squeezing a paying passenger into the tight middle seat might well be a bridge too far. The back seating row can be removed for extra luggage capacity but it doesn’t slide.
The Family version is targeted at private buyers. Crucially, it gets the more flexible rail-based seating system where the 8-seat layout can be adjusted by sliding the seats back and forth or lifting them out completely. The range-toping VIP model is intended as executive transport and comes with 7 leather seats as standard. It gets rotating armchairs in the middle row and a folding table to create what Toyota calls a ‘lounge-style environment’. In all cases, lifting the seats out of the Verso is a tricky manoeuvre due to their size and weight but that tends to be the case in van-based MPVs generally.
The driving position is high by MPV standards but a little lower than other people carriers based on mid-sized vans (think Volkswagen Caravelle or Ford Torneo Custom). It gives good visibility despite the high dash making you feel a little like your peering out through a letterbox. There’s also lots of adjustment in the driving position but we still found it oddly difficult to get comfortable.
Size
At a shade over 4.6 meters long the Compact version of the Toyota Proace Verso is suspiciously ‘compact’ for a vehicle claiming to be able to seat 8 in Family spec. For reference, a (7-seat) SEAT Alhambra is 4,854mm and the shortest (8-seat) VW Caravelle is 4,892mm.
The Compact model has a 2,925mm wheelbase but when you step up to the Medium and Long models the distance between the wheels increases to 3,275mm. These larger versions of the Proace Verso are 4,856mm and 5,308mm long respectively with the increase in the longer version achieved through an extended rear overhang.
Leg room, head room and passenger space
So to the crucial question of whether the Compact version of the Toyota Proace Verso really can seat 8. The somewhat surprising news is that it can, with a couple of caveats. Headroom is plentiful but for the legroom to be viable for adults the rear seats need to be slid right back on their runners so that there’s next to no boot space. When this is done, two trios of 6-foot tall adults can squeeze into the rear two rows without too much discomfort.
The comfort in which your passengers can sit grows as you step up the range of Proace body sizes. The Medium model is better from a legroom perspective and the Long version can get 8 in with a reasonable amount of luggage.
Access to the rear seats differs according to the Proace model you choose. In the Family and VIP versions the middle row is split 60:40 but the seats don’t tumble forwards to give access to the rear row. You have to fold the seat backs down and slide the whole seat forward on its runners – how far you can slide the seat depends on the length of the vehicle. The result in the Compact models is a very small gap for third row passengers to step through for access. Things are better in the Shuttle models that do without rail system but get middle row outer seats that tumble forwards to give easier access. At least all models get wide-opening sliding side doors, and these are electrically powered on the VIP.
Boot
Officially, the Toyota Proace Verso’s boot can hold can hold 224 litres in the Compact model, 627 litres in the Medium model and 977 litres in the Long model. Although these figures sound reasonable, it’s worth noting that this is dependant on the position of the rear seats and the space available is very tall and slim.
The actual boot floor area at your disposal is quite small with Toyota quoting a load area length of 282mm in a Family model with 8 seats occupied. Our experience is that if the 8 seats are occupied by adults with legs, you’ll probably have to half that.
If you want to carry 8 people and their luggage for more than a weekend away, you’ll only have a realistic chance in the Long version but that’s no means a unique problem to the Proace Verso. Lack of boot capacity in fully-loaded MPVs is a problem across the market.
If you take the back row of seats out or even fold the seat backs down, the Toyota becomes a hugely practical 5-seater with the three models able to carry 1,242, 1,497 and 1,847 litres respectively with the third row removed.
You also get a huge lifting tailgate on all models for easy access, you just have to make sure there’s enough space behind the vehicle to get it open. On Family spec models the tailgate glass opens separately so you can load items in the confines of a tight parking space.
Fuel efficiency and low emissions, with all the running costs savings they entail, are a definite strength of the Proace Verso. It’s more compact size than the majority of van-based 8-seaters helps save weight and the PSA engines are proven to be economical.
Only the 174bhp version dips under the 50mpg barrier on the combined cycle with emissions of 155g/km and that’s hardly a catastrophe, especially with the standard automatic gearbox. The mid range 2.0D 148bhp engine gets 53.4mpg with 139g/km but the star turn by a whisker is the 1.6-litre 114bhp unit with 54.3mpg and 137g/km.
All the engines have Stop-Start tech and are compliant with the Euro6 emissions regulations. They have a 22.5-litre AdBlue tank to fuel a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust after treatment system. The tank will need refilling approximately every 9,300 miles and this can be done via a flap in the B-pillar just inside the driver’s door.
Insurance Groups
Insurance groups for the Proace Verso have yet to be announced but one benefit of it being based on a commercial vehicle is that extra attention will have been paid to keeping the cost of repair low.
Depreciation
It’s a little early to get a firm idea of how the Toyota Proace will perform on the used market. Toyota products tend to combine a solid reputation for reliability with decent residual values but, of course, this isn’t strictly a Toyota product – the car being designed and built by PSA.
There is a precedent of sorts in the shape of the Toyota Previa, the last large Toyota MPV. That model was very popular at the time and residual values have been strong since it went off sale, possibly suggesting that the demand for Toyota-badged people carriers is there. Whether the Proace Verso can out-perform its key rival, the Volkswagen Caravelle, in terms of retained value is another matter.
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