SUBSTIT-UTE

IS THE WORK UTE STRUGGLING A LITTLE TO CARRY AROUND THE NECESSARY TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE AND MATERIALS FOR JOBS, SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY? PERHAPS IT’S TIME TO CONSIDER STEPPING UP TO A SMALL TRUCK INSTEAD. WE GET IT, AND SO IT SEEMS, DOES HINO. YOU DON’T HAVE A TRUCK LICENCE AND NEITHER DOES YOUR APPRENTICE, AND YOU DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE EXPENSE AND DOWNTIME OF GETTING EVERYONE LICENCED, PERHAPS THE NEW HINO 300-SERIES COULD HELP. WARREN CAVES TOOK IT FOR A SPIN.

The recently released new Hino 300-series range of trucks offer class-leading safety and tech with the addition of a suite of active and passive safety features to include, dual SRS air bags, Hino’s PreCollision System (PCS), incorporating Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), and Pedestrian Detection (PD), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), ABS braking, Traction control, Daytime Running Lamps, and Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), all wrapped up in a light truck that can be driven on a standard car licence.

We grabbed the keys to an all new, Hino 300-sereis 616, standard cab to evaluate the benefits and performance on offer.

The test vehicle was fitted with an aluminium drop-side tray, with generous proportions measuring, 3150mm long by 1900mm wide, with ladder racks and a soft tonneau cover, your typical tradie spec truck.

Down in the engine room, resides Hino’s NO4C-WL, four-cylinder, OHV, turbo diesel, intercooled engine producing 110kw (150hp) @2500 rpm and 420nm of torque, spanning from 1400-2500 rpm.

The featured transmission is Hino’s A86OE, six-speed, double overdrive, true automatic transmission.

The weights for practical purposes are listed on the driver’s door to state a GVM of 4495kgs (optional 5500kgs available), and a tare weight of 2360kgs. So, for this application the usable payload is 2135kgs, which is greatly in excess of any single cab, Japanese-based ute which could offer around 1300kgs of payload. Additionally, with the greater expanse of cubic tray space and handy integrated ladder racks useful for floor /wall and roof sheets or timber lengths out to six months or so, versatility is even more enhanced over the standard, tray back ute.

All this extra load carrying ability of the 300-series 616, tray back, doesn’t necessarily come at the expense of practicality. We found the 616 really easy to park in most supermarket parking areas, in-fact, the compact dimensions, tight turning circle and narrow width of the standard cab made short work of the parking task, a morning smoko run by the apprentice to McDonald’s or the local coffee spot, shouldn’t pose any problem.

While the 616 offers a seating capacity of three, the in-cab space is best suited for two. The centre seat is cramped, with not much leg room, although with the automatic transmission (a five-speed manual is also available), there would

be no need for fondling around for gears obstructed by the centre passengers’ knees.

Accessing the cab and the driver’s seat was quite easy. The low seat base and cab height posed no real issues for access. The driver’s seat provided reasonable comfort from a fixed base seat, and offered generous rearward adjustment for my medium (182cm) height.

The space between the gear lever and the driver’s door frame was ok, but I found when resting my right leg against the door, it lined up with the hard, window control switch panel and became uncomfortable.

The steering column offers dual adjustment for both reach and tilt, to cater comfortably for most driver sizes.

The passenger side seat looked as if it would not be particularly comfortable on a long journey.

The 616 is equipped with two main cup holders on the dash proper, to securely hold early morning Latte, heart starters. A further two cup holders become available when the centre seat is folded forward.

Two overhead roof vestibules are fitted above the windscreen on both sides for storing small items, although these are open and there are no lift-up doors to secure things in place.

New to the Hino 300-sereis is the 6.5inch touch screen multi-media system, which incorporates the audio and DAB radio, phone Bluetooth functions as well as the satellite navigation system. The satellite navigation system was easy to operate and phone Bluetooth pairing was a simple affair, without the need for plying your way through multiple menu options to connect.

The 6.5-inch screen is also used for displaying vision from the reverse camera, which is standard equipment across the entire, 300-series range. A further three, optional camera inputs can also be connected.

We do believe that the sound system could benefit from better speakers, even tradies value a premium sound experience.

On the road the four-litre engine was nimble and quite punchy considering it was loaded to a gross weight of 3754kgs.

Smooth and remarkably quiet in operation, the engine gelled well with the six-speed auto to collaborate and agree on sensible operating parameters, keeping the whole show rolling and working the engine within the range of 2000-3000 rpm, a speed at which the engine seemed to perform at its best.

Only at infrequent times did the transmission embark on fruitless hunting of gears between fifth and sixth in an

argumentative tug of war between trying to achieve optimal fuel economy or best performance. During these conditions (usually in an 80km/h speed zone), we found it best to make use of the OD lock button, located on the gear lever, to lock out top gear. This eliminated the hunting and yielded better performance while maintaining smoother operation and consistent road speed.

With the exception of the abovementioned foible, the transmissions behaviour was floorless during our test, to offer a relaxed and unstressed driving experience.

To keep speed in check, the 300-series 616 is equipped with a single stage exhaust brake, located on the left side steering column stalk. The deceleration offered was considerable, and the transmissions shift response to the exhaust brake activation was harmoniously effective to bring speed down to the desired level, reducing the reliance on the foot brake and thereby reducing associated maintenance and service costs to the braking system.

A new 4.2-inch Multi-Information Display (MID) is found between the speedo and tacho gauges on the dashboard, to display various vehicle operation and maintenance data, emission control system status, fuel use and trip statistics. These menu functions are easily navigable via the steering wheel buttons, as is the cruise control and phone operation.

The LDWS worked as expected on well-marked roads, offering an audible reminder if you were to drift from your marked lane.

Thankfully the AEB system didn’t get a test run. We have however experienced a simulated AEB test, from the cabin on Hino’s test circuit in Hamura, Japan, under controlled conditions. For that test, the truck did pull up without any driver assistance and did not run into the simulated obstacle, so we’ll assume that if the unthinkable were to happen, the AEB system would intervene, appropriately.

The 300-series 616 complies to euro five emission standards achieved via EGR and DPR (Diesel Particulate Reduction) technologies. To compliment the system, a dash mounted manual DPR button is fitted for peace of mind.

At the conclusion of our test period, keeping in mind the weight of the Hino 300-series (3754kgs), over mixed driving conditions the 616 showed a fuel consumption figure of 14lts/100km. In the grand scheme of things this fuel usage would not be that far in excess of a heavily laden Japanese-based diesel ute, though with the 300-series Hino tray back, all that gear is a whole lot easier to fit in.