Scion Keeps Up Standards With Toyota Dyna
The Scion Group, which provides a wide range of buildings and land services, has ordered 30 of Toyota’s new Dyna 3.5-tonne commercials. Scion Group, based in Newbury, has a turnover of around £27 million and employs nearly 500 people. Most of the Toyota Dynas will be used by one of the group’s four companies, Scion Estates, which provides grounds maintenance and landscaping services, from airfields and sports grounds to parks and gardens.
The Scion fleet is centrally managed and comprises some 270 light commercial vehicles and 30 management cars. The vehicles are mainly 3.5-tonners, and Scion Estates’ tipper-bodied Dyna 350s will be used on a wide range of ground-maintenance duties.
The Dynas are supplied by Inchcape Toyota Southern Fleet Business Centre, Sandhurst, on a three-year/75,000 mile contract hire agreement through Hertz, replacing LDV Convoys.
“In our discussions with Toyota Fleet we looked at commercials, and the Dyna seemed to fit in with what we do. We looked at the build quality and liked the new D-4D engines for their low emissions and fuel economy. We got some demonstrators in and the guys seemed happy with them. We have ordered 30 Dynas so far and there may be another 20 to go in, along with Toyota Hiluxes.” Commented Brendon Beaven, Fleet Manager for Scion Group.
Dyna 300 and 350 vehicles use 2.5-litre D-4D direct-injection common-rail turbo-diesel engines in either 88bhp or 102bhp form with five-speed manual transmissions, and have a payload range from 1.25 to 1.5 tonnes.
All are fitted as standard with anti-lock brakes, driver airbag, side-impact beams, remote door-locking/alarm and electric front windows. Dynas are available in chassis-cab, dropside, box van or tipper form from £12,495 ex-VAT for the 300 SWB Dropside, and from £14,495 for the 350 MWB Chassis-Cab. The 350 also comes in LWB form.
“The Dyna has brought Toyota into the volume 3 and 3.5-tonne GVW market in the UK for the first time,” says Jon Pollock, General Manager of Toyota Fleet. “It has proved popular on the Continent but the new range offers improved fuel consumption combined with more power than before, as well as extended service intervals and better load capacity. We’re sure that its many strong qualities will stand the Scion Group in very good stead.”
The Scion Group were initially impressed by Toyota through the new Corolla explains Scion Group’s Assets Manager Brendon Beaven, who is responsible for the vehicle fleet: “We hadn’t used any Toyota vehicles before, but then we evaluated the Corolla and offered the T-Spirit. The majority of staff actually downsized from their 2.0-litre Vectras to get one!
“They liked the styling, the ride and, as most of them look after profit centres, the fuel consumption and general running costs. We’ll probably have about 20 eventually.”
The company operates in an area from East Anglia to the South Coast, and its locally-based drivers cover between 10,000 and 25,000 miles a year. The group also includes Scion Technical Services, which offers electrical, mechanical and building services; facilities management provider Scion Direct; and construction company Spear & King.
ENDS
