When you see a typical passenger van, you will probably think of the Toyota Hiace and the Nissan NV350 Urvan, but not necessarily the Hyundai Staria. The South Korean van doesn’t fit our perceived notions of what a passenger van is, a boxy rectangularly shaped vehicle with a rounded nose and sliding doors. The Hyundai Staria gives off something more futuristic with its softer curves and cleaner look. That being said, here is how the Hyundai Staria breaks passenger van stereotypes and norms and e

Disclaimer: Hyundai Philippines lent us a Hyundai Staria unit for a week with a full tank of gas and access to its RFID cards. Remember when Hyundai Philippines launched the Hyundai Starex? It was a hit for the South Korean automaker as it saw a second generation. However, Hyundai had to discontinue the Starex nameplate and replace it with the 2023 Hyundai Staria, its new replacement. We had on loan the family-oriented GLS+ version, which seats 11 passengers but has retained a row of captain sea

At some point or another, during your elementary and high school days, there was one student who always got a big chunk of the achievement awards. In a similar vein (albeit in the Philippine auto industry setting), that student is Toyota Motor Philippines. According to information gleaned from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI), which is the largest automotive group in the country, Toyota once again dominated in 2022 by having eight of the top 10 models and nine o

Have you ever wanted to have your brand-new Toyota Wigo, but you can’t handle heavy monthly payments? Toyota Motor Philippines said in a January 2023 press statement that you can bring home the Wigo 1.0 E M/T at just ₱6,256 a month through its Pay Light option, which requires a 50-percent downpayment and 60 months amortization. The same financing plan means you can also have a Toyota Veloz 1.5 G CVT at ₱13,210 a month or a Toyota Rush E 1.5 M/T at ₱10,724 a month. The Pay Light option is availab

More and more local carmakers are jumping onto the smartphone-integration bandwagon after Ford Philippines recently unveiled its FordPass app. This time, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) announced in a November 2022 press statement that it is rolling out its myTOYOTA Connect app, initially for the GL Grandia, Grandia Tourer, and Super Grandia variants of the Toyota Hiace van. The app lets Toyota owners instantly get information on their vehicles, such as driving information, trip summaries, and ma

The Toyota HiAce has always been a go-to choice for a van or minibus since October 1967. This Japanese-made vehicle is continuously gaining popularity in the country and internationally. In the Philippines, aside from big families, the HiAce is commonly used as a commuter vehicle around the Greater Manila Area. It is also used as an ambulance, company shuttle services, camper van, and an all-around company business car. The Toyota HiAce is also a popular model for high-functioning customization