Toyota HiAce H100
The Luxury 4WD Diesel Van · 1989–2004
Toyota HiAce Super Custom (H100)
Captain's chairs, dual-zone climate and a 3.0L turbodiesel under the floor — the fourth-generation HiAce in its plushest, four-wheel-drive form is the van-life trophy America never got to buy new.
The Van Japan Kept For Itself
Most vans are tools. The Toyota HiAce Super Custom is something rarer — a van Japan built to be travelled in, not just driven. This is our full review and buyer's guide to the fourth-generation HiAce, the H100, in its top passenger trim with factory four-wheel drive.
The HiAce nameplate goes back to October 1967, when Toyota launched a compact cab-over van with a monocoque body and independent front suspension — far more car-like than the truck-based vans of the day. The name itself is a promise: “HiAce” fuses “High” and “Ace,” a vehicle meant to surpass the Toyoace before it. More than half a century later that promise has held: by Toyota's own 2019 figures, over 6.24 million HiAce vans have been sold across 150-plus countries, and the nameplate is now in its sixth generation.
The H100, launched in August 1989, is the fourth of those six and ran for a remarkable fifteen years, to 2004. It is the generation that turned the HiAce into a cult object in the import world — and the Super Custom is the trim that earned it. Where the DX and GL grades were honest workhorses, the Super Custom was the prestige passenger wagon: captain's chairs, twin climate control, power everything, and a high roof you can almost stand up under. Add the rare factory 4WD diesel drivetrain and you have the spec the overlanding world now chases.
“The Super Custom is the HiAce that Japan built to be travelled in — not just to haul cargo.”
Design & The Cabin
The H100 introduced a clean cab-forward architecture — a flat nose, a big glasshouse and a tall, square body that maximised every cubic inch inside. It was a shape so right that it stayed essentially unchanged for fifteen years, through minor facelifts in 1993, 1997 and 2002. On the road the proportions read as purposeful rather than truck-like: roughly 4,615 mm (15.1 ft) long and 1,690 mm (5.5 ft) wide, with the high-roof body standing taller still over the standard van's 1,935 mm (6.3 ft).
Inside is where the Super Custom justifies its name. This is the grade that buyers cross-shopped against luxury sedans, not other vans:
- Captain's chairs in the second row — reclining and swivelling on many examples — with full seating for eight.
- Dual-zone climate control, with the front and rear cabins heated and cooled independently.
- A high roof for genuine standing-height headroom, plus a multi-sunroof configuration on higher trims (front tilt, a panoramic centre roof and rear pop-ups).
- Power windows, mirrors and locks, a soft-close sliding door, and upper and lower storage throughout.
Above the Super Custom sat one further sub-variant, the Super Custom Limited, which piled on digital instruments, power curtains and adjustable TEMS suspension. But both are top-tier passenger grades, sitting comfortably above every commercial version of the H100 — this was the Land Cruiser of the van range.
The 1KZ-TE Turbodiesel
The heart of the 4WD Super Custom is not a screaming petrol engine — it is a torquey, near-indestructible diesel.
Our 4WD car runs Toyota's 1KZ-TE, a 3.0-litre (2,982 cc) SOHC inline-four turbodiesel that replaced the older diesels in the HiAce Wagon at the 1993 facelift. It is not about big numbers: it makes 130 PS (129 hp) at 3,600 rpm and, far more importantly, 245 lb-ft (332 Nm) of torque at just 2,000 rpm, fed by a water-cooled Toyota CT12B turbo. That low-down shove is exactly what a heavy, tall van wants — effortless pulling power for mountain passes, ski-town climbs and a fully loaded camper conversion.
What makes the 1KZ-TE special is its company. This is the same family of diesel Toyota fitted to the Land Cruiser Prado and the Hilux Surf — rugged, globally proven motors with deep parts support and a large, knowledgeable owner community behind them. It is the kind of engine that builds reputations rather than headlines.
For the record, the H100 wagon was also sold with a 2.4-litre 2RZ-E petrol four in two-wheel-drive form — a perfectly good engine, but a different car. The combination that the import market prizes, and the one in front of you, is the factory 4WD diesel: chassis code KZH106, the 1KZ-TE under the floor.
Driving & The 4WD System
You do not drive a Super Custom for lap times — you drive it for the view out of that enormous windscreen and the way it shrugs off long distances. The 1KZ-TE's torque does its best work at low revs, the 4-speed automatic keeps things relaxed, and the tall body and long wheelbase make for a calm, commanding ride. Eight people and their gear travel in genuine comfort.
The party piece is the drivetrain. A factory four-wheel-drive passenger van is genuinely rare — rare enough that Toyota never sold a factory 4x4 HiAce through its official dealer network in markets such as Australia. The H100 4WD adds high and low range via a transfer case, turning a luxury people-mover into a vehicle that can actually reach the cabin at the end of the unsealed road. (Toyota revised the exact 4WD layout across the H100's long life, so the precise system on a given car is worth confirming against its build details — but the high/low range capability is the constant.)
Built to keep going
Then there is the durability. Because the 1KZ-TE is shared with the Prado and Hilux Surf, parts and know-how are everywhere. Looked after — differential oil changes are the classic HiAce maintenance item — these drivetrains are famous for running well past 400,000 km, with some commercial operators reporting 600,000–700,000 km on original engines. It is a reputation built over decades of hard service, not a marketing claim.
Why Import One
Here is the part that matters if you actually want one. The United States never received the H100 HiAce. Through this generation's life Toyota's American van was the Previa (1991–1997) and later the Sienna — completely different vehicles. So if you grew up wanting a tall, diesel, four-wheel-drive Japanese van, you simply could not buy one new in the States.
Two things kept it out. The first is the Chicken Tax, a 25% tariff on imported commercial-style vans in place since 1963, which made a van like this commercially unviable to federalise. The second is plain market fit: Toyota saw no clear US segment for a cab-over van and sold the Previa here instead. The H100 stayed a Japan-market machine.
The 25-year rule is what finally opens the door. Once a vehicle turns 25 it becomes exempt from FMVSS and EPA conformity requirements, so it can be imported on the standard HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 forms with no Registered Importer needed. The 1989–2001 H100s are now eligible, and a 1996 model became legal to import in 2021. That is exactly the kind of import Octane handles end to end — sourcing, inspection, shipping and the paperwork at the port.
“America never got to buy the H100 new. The 25-year rule is the only way it comes home — and it is open now.”
Where Can You Take It?
The 4WD diesel Super Custom is a blank canvas for the camper and overland scene — a tall, torquey, go-anywhere van that owners across Japan, Australia and the import world turn into everything from ski-town expedition rigs to slammed show vans.
Expedition Rig
A suspension lift, all-terrain tyres and a roof rack turn the factory 4WD van into a serious backcountry tool. The 1KZ-TE diesel's low-down torque and the selectable high/low-range transfer case make it a natural for ski-town and expedition duty, where the cabin you sleep in is also the one that climbs the unsealed road.
Pop-Top Camper
The Super Custom is one of the most popular camper bases in the import world. The high roof gives genuine standing room for a bed-and-kitchen build, and pop-top conversions add even more headroom. The diesel sips fuel on long hauls, so it works as a daily van and a weekend home in one.
Slammed Dress-Up
At the opposite extreme is Japan's van dress-up scene. Owners drop these on air ride, tuck deep-dish wheels under the arches and trim the cabin to luxury-lounge spec. The Super Custom's plush captain's-chair interior and clean, square body make it a favourite canvas for the slammed, show-polished VIP look.
Weekend Basecamp
Short of a full camper conversion, many owners build a simpler surf-and-adventure rig: a sleeping platform, gear storage and awnings for a basecamp on wheels. The eight-seat layout and the 4WD drivetrain mean the whole crew and the boards reach the trailhead or the beach together.
Did You Know?
The HiAce has been built since October 1967 — over 6.24 million sold across 150-plus countries, now in its sixth generation.
The name fuses “High” + “Ace” — a vehicle meant to surpass its predecessor, the Toyoace.
The US never sold the H100. The 25% Chicken Tax on imported vans plus the home-market Previa kept it out entirely.
Our 4WD car's 1KZ-TE diesel is shared with the Land Cruiser Prado and Hilux Surf — rugged, proven, easy to support.
The Super Custom was the prestige passenger grade — captain's chairs, dual climate, high roof. Think of it as the Land Cruiser of vans.
A factory 4WD van is rare: Toyota never even sold a factory 4x4 HiAce through its official Australian dealer network.
HiAce drivetrains are famous for running well past 400,000 km, with some operators reporting 600,000–700,000 km.
In parts of the Philippines and sub-Saharan Africa, “HiAce” is shorthand for a shared taxi — the van is that ubiquitous.
Gallery
Frequently Asked
Is the Toyota HiAce H100 legal to import to the USA?
Yes. The US never sold the H100 new, but under the 25-year rule it becomes exempt from FMVSS and EPA requirements once it turns 25. A 1996 HiAce became eligible in 2021, and the 1989 to 2001 H100s are now importable on the standard HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 forms with no Registered Importer needed. Octane handles the entire import for you.
What engine is in the 4WD Super Custom?
The 1996 HiAce Super Custom 4WD (chassis code KZH106) runs Toyota's 1KZ-TE, a 3.0-litre inline-four turbodiesel making 130 PS (129 hp) and 245 lb-ft of torque at just 2,000 rpm. It is the same diesel family used in the Land Cruiser Prado and Hilux Surf. The two-wheel-drive wagons were offered with a 2.4-litre 2RZ-E petrol instead.
Why did the US never get the HiAce?
Two reasons. The Chicken Tax, a 25% tariff on imported commercial-style vans in place since 1963, made it commercially unviable to federalise, and Toyota saw no clear US segment for a cab-over van, selling the unrelated Previa here instead. The H100 stayed a Japan-market vehicle for its entire fifteen-year run.
How is the HiAce 4WD different from a normal van?
A factory four-wheel-drive passenger van is genuinely rare. The H100 4WD adds high and low range through a transfer case, so a luxury eight-seat people-mover can also reach a cabin at the end of an unsealed road. Toyota never even sold a factory 4x4 HiAce through its official Australian dealer network, which is part of why the spec is so sought after.
Are HiAce vans reliable for high mileage?
They have a strong reputation for it. The 1KZ-TE diesel shares parts and engineering with the Land Cruiser Prado and Hilux Surf, and with regular maintenance, particularly differential oil changes, HiAce drivetrains are famous for running well past 400,000 km. Some commercial operators report 600,000 to 700,000 km on original engines.
What makes the Super Custom different from a base HiAce?
The Super Custom was the prestige passenger grade, well above the DX and GL commercial versions. It adds captain's chairs in the second row, dual-zone climate control, a high roof, power windows, mirrors and locks, and a soft-close sliding door, with seating for eight. The Super Custom Limited sits one step above it with digital instruments, power curtains and adjustable suspension.