For the extra-large families
Filipinos are known for their large families, yet for those big happy families even larger than the Filipino average, there’s a way to transport the whole family together. Enter the extra large van segment. Once a rarity in the Philippine car market, this segment has now grown to include offerings from Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz. We look into one of the most reasonable offerings thus far, the Foton Toano 15-seater.
The Toano is a large vehicle indeed, measuring three meters tall and nearly six meters long. Don’t even attempt to enter multi-level mall parking spaces with this car. It shows off a wide and large grille that dominates the front end. It’s accompanied by large headlights on either side, foglamps on the bottom, and clearance lights along the side. The windows are massive and entry is through the passenger side sliding door. Its opening is wide and a step slides out from underneath the van for easier entry and exit. There are also cargo doors behind but the rear bench seat blocks access to the cabin.
Inside are a total of five rows of seating to fit a total of 15 occupants. All passengers get three-point seatbelts. Naturally, it’s quite spacious inside. Children and short adults can stand inside without having to duck or bend their heads down while moving from row to row. Second to fourth row passengers get reclining seats to make themselves more comfortable.
A vehicle this size can be quite challenging to drive. However, Foton took pains to make the shift as easy as possible with a car-like dashboard with knobs, switches and dials where you'd expect them to be. The view from the seat is panoramic and makes it easy to see both near and far. The large mirrors also offer a good view of the sides of the vehicle. The steering wheel is tilted at a more horizontal angle than most cars. The manual stickshift is positioned on the dashboard to make it easier for the driver to reach.
Propelling this massive vehicle is a 2.8-liter turbodiesel Cummins engine. It produces 160-PS and 360 Nm of torque delivered to the rear wheels. It’s paired with a six-speed manual, making it most efficient on the highway.
Granted, the large size takes some getting used to, necessitating wide turns to get around sharp corners. Nonetheless, it’s fairly easy to adjust to, thanks in part to good visibility. Wide angle inserts on the mirrors also provide a good view of how close the rear wheels are to the curb. This makes parking and taking on U-turn slots much easier. Reverse sensors help when backing up, though it might have been more prudent for Foton to fit a reverse camera. Thankfully, the steering is light. The clutch offers little feedback, so take car when managing the high initial torque.
Much more care is also needed when driving on the highway. It’s large size makes it more susceptible to strong winds. Still, there’s more than enough power to overtake and take on steep slopes even when fully loaded. That power comes in at around 1,700 rpm.
The Toano will return 7-8 kilometers per liter in the city. It may not sound impressive compared to a car, but considering that it weighs over 2.5 tons unladen, that’s pretty efficient. On the highway, that figure rises to about 9.6-10 kilometers per liter.
As for passengers, we recommend choosing the second to fourth row seats for maximum comfort. Though the ride on the last row can get bouncy. Cabin noise is suppressed well enough although front passengers will hear a lot more of that Cummins turbodiesel.
At P1,978,000, the Toano undercuts a lot of other large vans in the market today by a big margin. It's similarly priced to other high roof vans but those may not offer as many as 15seats. It also offers the Toano Executive with a more luxurious interior for a few hundred thousand more.
The Toano is an excellent vehicle for transporting 15 people in relative comfort. The cabin may be fairly bare, but will leave lots of possibilities for some customization work if desired. Transporting large groups of people may not be a common problem for most, but for those rare few, the Toano is a prayer answered.