By Otsile Kadiege

Toyota South Africa has introduced the new, fifth generation Coaster in Mzansi. It’s a 23-seater medium-sized people mover aimed at South African bus and tour operators.

Interior & exterior

The new Coaster has adopted a 23-seater layout (including driver), with six single-file seats on the passenger side, six double-seats on the driver side and a four-seater bench in the rear – offering seating for 22 passengers. The interior is finished in highly-durable PVC, for both seat and floor trim. Similarly, Urethane has been employed on the steering wheel and gear lever. The model is only available in White, accompanied by the regulatory mini-bus stickers and chevron demarcation.

Spec and features

The Coaster features simple-to-use and robust switchgear around the driver. A tilt and telescopic steering wheel, Multi-Information Display (MID), 12-volt power outlet and Toyota audio system with Aux and USB functionality are included. The Toyota Connect in-car telematics and Wi-Fi system (with complimentary 15GB) is naturally part of the product offering.

Safety & powertrain

Safety specification includes ABS, Brake Assist (BA) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) as well as driver and passenger airbags. Powering the Coaster is the 4.0-litre, inline-four N04C turbodiesel engine – delivering 100kW at 3000 rpm and 353 Nm at 1600rpm. This Hino-sourced engine is paired with a five-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels.

Pricing & warranty

The Toyota Coaster is priced at R899,900 for the LWB Coaster 4.0D 5MT. All Coaster models are sold with a 6-services/60,000 km service plan (intervals set at 10,000 km) and 3-year/100,000km warranty.