Naturally, the seats slide and fold in usual MPV fashion to make
a big load bay, but the centre - row seat-fold needs some strength and skill to deploy.
The only rival that springs to mind is the Skoda Octavia vRS estate, which boasts a much
bigger load bay and is cheaper at # 21,480.
Toyota is fully aware of this, which is why the new - generation model has
a bigger load bay and towing capacity than the old one.
Not exact matches
While it's better - looking, better to drive and better - equipped, it's still tough as old boots, and has a wider
load bay and
bigger capacity than any of its predecessors.
It's
bigger in every dimension than before, benefiting that all - important
load bay, which is a full 130 mm wider than the old Hilux's.
Still, the
load bay itself is
big enough for most buyers, and the combination of a wide opening and small
load lip means sliding in and out more cumbersome items should be fairly simple.
All that's really holding the trunk back, though, is when you fold down the rear seat backs to form an even larger
load bay: there's a lip in the floor where the seats hinge from that could prove problematic, with the tapering aperture that leads into the passenger cabin when the seats are folded down potentially being an even
bigger irritant.
And for that money you get more sophisticated looks, large front seats with more adjustments for comfort, more rear space with
bigger seats, and a
loading bay that lowers for easy access.
Since our
biggest worry was carrying the air conditioning
load in the afternoons in the
Bay Area, we used wind turbines, which became active just as we needed their energy, and needed NO FUEL.