The Toyota Lite Ace is a light commercial vehicle. It was introduced to the local market by Toyota Motor Philippines on July 15, 2022, and it comes in August with different variants. The Lite Ace Panel Van retails at Php 695,000. The Lite Ace Pickup truck is then priced at Php 645,000. The Aluminum Cargo Van then has a price tag of Php 699,000, while the most expensive variant is the FX Utility Van at Php 737,000.
Powering the Toyota Lite Ace is a 1.5-liter inline-4 gasoline engine. At maximum, it can make up to 94 horsepower and 134 Nm of torque.
Size-wise, the Panel Van is 4,045mm long, 1,665mm wide, and 1,930mm in height. The Pickup truck variant meanwhile, is 4,195mm long, 1,675 wide, and 1,920mm tall. The FX utility, then has a length of 4,300mm, a width of 1,675mm, and a height of 2,015. The largest Lite Ace variant is the Cargo utility van, which spans 4,370mm long, 1,675mm wide, and 2,165mm in height.
Locally, the 2023 Toyota Lite Ace competes against the likes of the Suzuki Carry, Mitsubishi L300, Kia K2500, Isuzu Traviz, among others.
Launch
Initially, the Lite Ace name was released globally way back in 1970. It then enjoyed a great deal of popularity as a simple but capable people carrier in the Philippines in the 1980s to the 1990s.
More recently in July 2022, TMP revived the famed name as a light commercial vehicle. It comes in four forms: a panel van, a pickup truck, an aluminum cargo van, and as an FX utility van.
Exterior
On the outside, the Philippine-spec Lite Ace assumes a simple box-like design equipped with 14-inch steel wheels, halogen headlamps and halogen taillights. Its front end looks similar to the original Lite Ace as it also comes with a slanting wedge shape.
The pickup truck in particular features a flat bed with dropside capability. The panel van meanwhile has power side and rear doors.
Interior
As a simple logistics-focused ride, the Lite Ace gets a simple front cabin. Its dash is mostly made of durable plastic, though it has some niceties like cupholders and ample elbowroom. It also has manual air-conditioning, as well as manually-adjustable PVC-clad seats.
Tech and Safety
For safety, the Lite Ace comes standard with dual front airbags and antilock braking. Both trims also come with seat belts and a steering lock. Only the panel van though, gets stability control.
Chassis
The all-new Lite Ace falls under the S-series of models just like the Japanese-spec S400 series Lite Ace and Town Ace. Like the model sold in other markets, it also assumes a semi-cab-over-engine body.
For suspensions, the Panel van gets a Macpherson strut for the front, and a five-link type for the rear. The pickup truck version meanwhile, uses leaf springs for the rear.
Engine
Powering the 2023 Toyota Lite Ace is a 1.5-liter inline-4 engine. This is the same 2NR-VE that the Avanza and Veloz uses, though it was detuned to produce up to 94 horsepower and 134 Nm of torque.
All trims of the new Lite Ace are rear-wheel-drive, and they all use a five-speed manual gearbox.