2022 Toyota Lite Ace is ready to drive your business

The Lite Ace is back, and it's here to do some lifting for your business.

Returning as Toyota Motor Philippines' (TMP) newest ace card in the A-segment commercial vehicle class, the 2022 Toyota Lite Ace aims to be a reliable mobility tool for owners of commercial businesses as well as micro small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

For starters, the all-new Lite Ace is completely different from the popular 90s people carrier that it used to be. Based on the Daihatsu Gran Max, the all-new Lite Ace is wearing halogen headlights and a one-liner grille at the front. The functional cabin has manual dials for its air-conditioning, while its occupants can enjoy music through the 2-DIN audio unit with USB, AUX, and Bluetooth connectivity.

TMP is showcasing several versatile body configurations of the all-new Lite Ace that can cater to the needs of various businesses. The first two are a dropside pickup truck version for agricultural sectors as well as a panel van that can be used as a patient transport vehicle or e-commerce business.

Eventually, Toyota will offer more versions like a utility van variant that could serve as an employee shuttle, an aluminum van that can move dry goods, and a cab and chassis variant that can be converted to food trucks, patrol vans, or basically anything you like. But for now, Toyota's only offering the Lite Ace in pick-up and panel van configuration.  

Size-wise, the all-new Lite Ace's dimensions vary depending on its body configuration. The panel van measures 4045mm long, 1665mm wide, and 1930mm high, while the pickup variant stands at 4195mm long, 1675mm wide, and 1920mm high. 

The all-new Lite Ace is powered by the 1.5-liter 2NR-VE 16-valve, DOHC four-cylinder gasoline engine with Toyota's Dual VVT-i system. The powerplant makes 98 PS at 6000 rpm and 134 Nm of torque at 4400 rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. Its rated payload capacity varies depending on the body style, but the all-new Lite Ace is capable of carrying a maximum payload of up to 950 kg.

Underneath, the Lite Ace gets a MacPherson strut front suspension and leaf springs at the rear for the pick-up variant. On the other hand, the panel van has a five-link coil spring rear suspension. The panel van gets 14-inch steel wheels wrapped in 165 R14 tires while the pick-up has wider 175 R14 rubber.

In terms of its safety features, the 2022 Toyota Lite-Ace gets two SRS airbags and anti-lock brakes as standard, while there's vehicle stability control for the panel van variant.

As for its pricing, the 2022 Toyota Lite Ace costs PHP 570,000 for the dropside pickup variant, while the panel van is priced at PHP 655,000. These two body configurations will be Toyota Motor Philippines' initial offering for the LCV. As for the 3 other body configurations, they will be revealed around September of this year.