Hino 700 - The Bee’s Knees!

In-depth

3 June

The 700 is here! After a couple of months of teaser photos, Hino have revealed all to assembled trucking journalists yesterday. Residing in Victoria I wasn’t able to travel to Sydney to experience the truck in the flesh, but joined in via Skype. In true Hino (Skype) tradition, the company kindly supplied me with a goodies box to get me through the 3+ hour presentation. My taste buds loved it. My waist line maybe not so much.

So, am I swayed by Hino’s box of delicious munchies? Nope! My summation of the all-new 700 Series would be the same with or without a full gut.

For now I’ve missed out on nothing as it was a static launch. Those present in Sydney didn’t get to drive it. Test drives will occur in the 3rd week of October with extended driving through November/December.

I’ve already put my hand up for the semi version to coincide with the truck shows at Maffra and Castlemaine. All being well I’ll be able to bring the truck to those shows and you can crawl in, over and under it. Perhaps Hino may even send some merch with me to hand out.

Like the 300 and 500 before it, the 700 was presented in Hino’s signature red. Whether this is a purchasable colour, I forgot to ask, but it certainly should be as it stands out in the trucking crowd and displays the lashings of chrome to great effect.

The interior also follows on from the 500 with a mix of earthy tones, black, grey, and faux carbon fibre on the dashboard. The result is contemporary, classy and is a great place to spend your working day in. The cockpit-like dashboard wraps around the driver with all controls within easy reach and logically laid out. The steering wheel joins the company’s other offerings with controls on the spokes – and thankfully they are hard buttons so no need to take your eyes off the road once you’re used to their functions. (Some car manufacturers have moved to touch switching which looks cool but is not practical). The most often used switches and buttons are placed nearest to the driver.

From the presentation it was difficult to discern whether the door pockets would take a decent sized bottle or two (a beef of mine with both 300 and 500), but there are three good sized cup holders with one appearing large enough to do the job, so I guess I’ll forgive Hino in this case. But please, it’s a simple plastic moulding job.

Entry and egress is aided by grab bars on both A and B pillars and in a clever move, Hino have ‘stepped’ the steps so that the lower you go the more they protrude. This makes (particularly) dismounting much easier and safer.

When you do get in the seat, it’ll be the latest and greatest ISRI NTS2 which sits on remotely mounted 4-point suspension. In fact the whole cab also sits on 4-point air suspension, so you should be very well insulated from the lumps and bumps of the world outside. My bum is a very sensitive one – and I think every seat manufacturer should use it as the yardstick - so I look forward to giving you feedback on that when I get hold of the truck. There is more fore/aft movement, together with reach/rake steering so most should find the right possie.

Outside, the ‘face’ of the 700 is dominated by the chrome grills, flanked by LED daytime running lights, LED headlights and incandescent indicators. Under the headlights is a foot well which allows you to step up onto the lower (reinforced) grill crossbar for cleaning the windscreen – further aided by grab handles just under the screen itself. This is not as simple as Scania’s grill, half of which folds down as a step/seat, but it will certainly do the job when needed (which is every day!)

Polished alloy Alcoa wheels come as standard, adding to the overall classy look and reducing weight.

Some models have four bar grills and others only three. These denote whether the truck is powered by Hino’s 9 litre mill (3 bar) or the 4 barred 13 litre.

Would you believe that Hino now offers nineteen models in the 700 range? There are rigids, there are prime movers, and there are low roofs and high-rise lids. There are 4 x 2’s, 6x2’s, 6x4’s and 8x4’s (and very possibly other configurations I’ve missed). Whatever you may be after it appears Hino is going to have you covered.

As mentioned there are two power sources with varying outputs: All models drive through auto ‘boxes.

I’ll try to simplify it for you

9 Litre Models: (FH 1832 4x2, FR 2632 6x2, FS 2632 6x4)

320hp (235kW) and 1275Nm of torque delivered from 1,100 – 1,600rpm, and is mated to the six-speed Allison 3200 true automatic transmission.

FY 3036 8x4

360hp (265kW) and 1569Nm of torque delivered from 1,100 – 1,600rpm, and is matched to the larger and stronger six-speed Allison 4440 true automatic transmission.

13 Litre Models:

SH 1845 4x2 - 450hp (331kW) and 2157 Nm of torque.

SS 2848 6x4 prime mover FS 2848 6x4 rigid FY 3248 8x4 rigid -

E13C-BK engine with peak horsepower of 480hp (353kW) and 2157Nm of torque, which is now available across a wider range between 1,000 and 1,500rpm, offering the opportunity for improved drivability and fuel efficiency.

The E13C engines are matched to the latest generation of the ZF 16-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), the TraXon TX 2441TO.

There’s gotta be a model in there for most of you. The Prime Mover (SS 2848) with 480 hp doesn’t sound a lot (and one journo questioned why Hino didn’t go to 500 – for marketing purposes, if nothing else).

But the torque out of this motor is right up there for this displacement, coming in at a handy 1,000rpm. There is also that 16 speed ‘box – which is the most auto gears I can think of in a truck - which should ensure a cog for every occasion.

All 700 Series models now feature an Electronic Brake System (EBS) combined with the Hino Taper Roller brake system, which enhances braking performance and reduces maintenance requirements.

Standard auxiliary braking on all 700 Series models is courtesy of the ubiquitous ‘Jake Brake’ – the only Japanese heavy-duty truck to utilise this ‘truckies best friend’.

In addition, all 13 litre models receive additional auxiliary braking from the ZF intarder, which is integrated into the rear of the 16-speed ZF TraXon AMT. If you can’t stop with that lot, don’t get in the seat!

Tech:

Driver Monitor (DM) has been added to the Hino SmartSafe package, which is a comprehensive safety package featuring driver assist technologies that take an active focus on protecting the lives of drivers, passengers and other road users.

Driver Monitor constantly monitors the driver’s attention towards the road using key metrics such as driving posture, face orientation, and eyelid status via a camera integrated into the A-pillar. The system provides a visual and audible alert if it detects drowsiness or a lack of attention from the driver.

There’s a Pre-Collision System (PCS) with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Pedestrian Detection (PD), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Reverse Camera and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

The Electronic Braking System (EBS) combined with brake hardware changes, will improve stopping performance and provide a more consistent brake feel, while reducing maintenance requirements and costs. Hino tells us that the system recognizes whatever weight is on board and maintains consistent brake feel, optimizing the braking force.

There’s lots of other stuff as well and no-one is ever going to remember all those acronyms, but it’s good to know that they are all there, doing their bit to keep you as safe as possible.

Wrap up

The new Hino 700 series is a great looking truck with a host of improvements – many visible and just many sitting in the background to keep you as safe as possible. The truck is distinctive and the interior is amongst the best out there.

Hino has been in the Australian market for 56 years and has gathered a loyal following over that time. These new models can only add to the marque’s appeal. Throw in things like cap-priced servicing and the umbilical connection to the most reliable auto manufacturer in the world – Toyota, and Hino is surely on a winner with the 700.

I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel and having an extended test drive.

Good one Hino.