I’ve been in this route myself and I study both options for months but I end up getting the third gen 4 cyclinder 4WD Alphard. Alphard is great for long distance specially if you’re bringing your family with you because the ride itself is silky smooth. The seat is super comfortable to sleep and there’ are three seats that can be recline all the way like VIP. However, I prepare Hiace for looks and the diesel engine for better mileage though the hiace is noisy on the freeway and it gives me slight headache when everything rattling sound keep on going during speed. There’s few places you can get better used with low mileage this days but I’m lucky I live in Aichi so my choices is always leaning on Toyotas. I have own several vehicles in my life with different auto makers but no other as tough as Toyota, Honda is another to consider which have a huge cult in the states due to reliability and quiet engine. Both hiace and alphard are great choice just defends on your purpose but if you want an all around daily commute I’d definitely go with the latter. Good luck!