Faults:

I regularly drive a Toyota Hiace Commuter at work, and I’m the one who organises maintenance for it. All in all, a good dependable vehicle, although maintenance is starting to get expensive now there is 400000+ on her. Interior is very basic, but really the van handles reasonably well considering that this is a van, not a car. Some minor negatives are cornering isn’t the best, as the van has a high centre of gravity as well as a live rear axle. Life can get bumpy as the driver's seat is directly above the front wheels. We find tyre wear to be an issue, but that could be partly to do with how we drive our vans.

Positives are the Toyota quality and reliability that’s baked right in. Although the vans suspension and steering now feels a little worn, it is pretty good considering she is fast approaching half a million kilometres. A few little things have been replaced, such as wheel bearings, but most suspension components are original, as well as the original ball joints. Engine still feels strong, and is not consuming too much oil.

General Comments:

Not fancy, but great mechanical quality and durability. Basic, no frills, low cost to run, won’t let you down.

Faults:

The timing belt hadn't been changed, and caught that just in time at 135,000 km just after purchase.

The metal connection between the upper hose and the radiator was leaking and had to be changed.

Apart from that, a rear left window was shattered on a cut section of a tree whilst driving around a corner, which cost a fortune to replace even second hand... imports!?

General Comments:

The van's great. I've always wanted a van like this. Plenty in New Zealand when I was living there, but not as many in Australia. Not sure why, but maybe because of wanting more 4WD clearance, as the Super Custom (non modified) is a little limited. I haven't had too many problems though, and managed some flood water, soft sand beaches and some good sized rocks up in some steep hilly country near here.

Generally very happy, and can fit 7-8 folk or 4 with full camping stuff and no trailer required. Generally runs very well (with the help of a great mechanic with Russian army mechanical background here on the central coast, who seems to like the van a lot).

Faults:

Nothing. Just a dent and a scratch from someone not willing to own up.

General Comments:

Fantastic commercial van, mainly for its reliability and performance. It's got plenty of power to haul a big load up the hill, and easily sits on the freeway speed limits up big hills.

It's got plenty of space in the back, and with the cargo barrier, I can fit lengths of stuff up to 2.8m I think. The cabin is spacious enough for what you need to do, and with the cargo barrier, there is enough room behind the seats to put stuff and a small Esky.

Only have 8000kms on it so far, so can't comment on long-term reliability, but it's going great for me so far.

This is my first commercial van, so take that into consideration while I mention the following.

I find the ride to be bumpy, but the front seats are directly over the front wheels. And you have to go really slow over speed humps, unless you want a couple of big jolts.

Getting in and out is a bit awkward. I find the iLoad easier to get in and out of.

Without anything in the back, i.e no carpet, equipment etc, it is a little noisy, but that's what you get with a diesel.

I get a small clunk from the rear suspension when turning into some driveways up a slope. Had that since day one, but it has never affected anything.

Knee room in the cabin for the driver and anyone tall in the passenger seat is next to nil. I'm 182cm, and wouldn't want to be any taller, but I do fit. Would definitely suit a small Japanese guy better.

It has a reversing camera, which is absolutely fantastic. I love it, and it lets me reverse really close to other cars/objects, and has saved me from reversing into a couple of things already. I do have a technician's step on it, so that would be the first thing to take the brunt anyways.

Overall it's a great van. Performance is good, steering is good, ABS works a treat, but it's a little reactive on bumpy surfaces, and I get about 10.6L/100kms.

Things they could improve on are cabin room for the legs, and making it a more comfortable drive.

24/11/13 Update:

The van is still going well, done over 30,000kms on it. Some things do annoy me a lot though. The steering wheel is too far forward, and there's definitely not enough leg room!

Also the open diff is extremely bad. You have to be really careful what driveways you go down and what angles they are on, because you can get stuck easily! Get on a bad angle and the right wheel will just spin and spin and spin. And that's in the dry!

It's too light in the back along with the stupid live rear axle. If you drive it off the road, seriously think about putting an LSD of some sort in it. And no cruise control bugs me too.