2019 Hino 500 Series Standard Cab: Launch review

The new Hino 500 Series Standard Cab range was showcased to national truck media in Canberra last week and, after driving a number of examples and witnessing first-hand the models' performance and next-level tech, we're sure the new models will only add to Hino Australia's current momentum.

Hino Australia is riding high at present, having achieved all-time record sales in both the light and heavy-duty segments in 2018 and achieving overall sales growth of 17.1 per cent compared to 2017 – the highest of all the Japanese truck brands.

Its performance was constrained in the medium-duty segment last year by supply issues, Hino says – but with the new 500 Series Standard Cab hitting dealerships from November last year, Hino Australia has high hopes for its progress in this segment – traditionally its strongest – for 2019.

Related reading:
Hino plays safe at Brisbane Truck Show
Hino recognises top dealers
Hino appoints new President and COO

The introduction of Hino's 500 Series Wide Cab range roughly two years ago represented a generational shift for the brand's medium-to-heavy-duty offering, but the recent arrival of the 500 Series Standard Cab takes the medium-duty segment's evolution to an even higher level.

The Standard Cab models don't simply incorporate the changes already seen in their Wide Cab siblings – they're another beast entirely, benefitting from a raft of updates and improvements, especially in terms of cutting-edge technology…

Yes, the latest brace – spanning FC, FD and FE models – have a narrower cab, with a width of 2150mm versus 2350mm for the Wide Cab variants. The Wide Cab line-up also has heavier GVMs, from 16 and 18-tonne models to heavy-duty 26-tonne models.

However, at the lighter end of the medium-duty range – and with 11 and 14-tonne GVMs – the new Standard Cab models also bring new power, new transmissions, new cabs and cab interiors, class-leading safety tech, and next-level connectivity.

Hino Australia has dubbed the new range as its 'Street Smart' 500 Series Standard Cab, and with a dazzling array of clever technology spanning everything from truck-specific sat-nav to fully integrated Hino Traq telematics and an ability to apply operator-specific customisation and apps to the new 6.5-inch multimedia platform, the tagline is well justified.

Trucksales.com.au attended the media launch of the new models over April 4 and 5, where nine different 500 Series Standard Cab models were assessed over a range of roads and terrain.

The event began at Canberra's Sutton Road Driver Training facility, where the assembled press had an opportunity to witness the benefits of the trucks' advanced safety systems in a controlled environment, before taking to the street for a drive in and around the nation's capital.

However, before we examine the 'where' and 'how', let's take a closer look at the 'what'…

Hino Australia says the new 500 Series Standard Cab spans 13 different models and up to 54 variants, taking all the wheelbases, GVMs and drivetrain options on offer, across this 4x2 rigid range.

The line-up kicks off with the FC, which now joins the FD with an 11-tonne GVM (previously 10,400kg in the FC). The FC 1124 and FD 1124 are powered by Hino's new AO5-TE 5.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (with single turbo), rated at 240hp (177kW) at 2300rpm and 794Nm at 1400rpm.

The FC 1124 comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or Allison's six-speed 2500 Series full automatic, while the FD 1124 has a choice of the same plus an additional option of a six-speed AMT.

The FC 1124 is also available as a 'Built-to-Go' FC 1124 Tipper.

The range-topping FD 1126 and FE 1426 utilise the higher-output A05-TC powerplant, a twin-turbo unit of the same capacity and basic architecture but offering a claimed 260hp (191kW) at 2300rpm and 882Nm at 1400rpm.

The FD 1126 has either the six-speed manual or six-speed Allison auto, while the FE 1426 can be fitted with either a new seven-speed manual, the six-speed auto or a seven-speed AMT.

There are also two Crew Cab models in the line-up, the FD 1124 Crew and FE 1424 Crew – the former with the three transmission options found in the other FD 1124 models and the latter with either the seven-speed manual or six-speed auto.

Both are powered by Hino's single-turbo A05-TD engine, with 240hp (177kW) at 2300rpm and 833Nm at 1400rpm, giving a total of three power ratings for the new engine platform.

Crew-cab models have second-row seating for four passengers, with either two (standard) or three seats (optional) up front. Hino says the FE 1424 Crew is the only Japanese 14-tonne GVM 4x2 dual-cab model available in Australia's medium-duty segment.

That brings the number of cab formats in the 500 Series Standard Cab range to three: a day cab (FC); a rest cab with ADR42-compliant sleeper (FD and FE); and the crew cab (FD and FE).

The cab interiors are fully redesigned, with 'earthy tones' (Hino-speak for brown and beige) complementing the black and faux carbon-fibre dash panels. The instrumentation is also new, a large colour TFT display now nestled between the analogue speedo and tacho, and a larger 6.5-inch multimedia system in the centre of the dash, with reversing camera as standard.

This touchscreen system is loaded with cutting-edge technology developed by Melbourne-based firm, Directed Technologies, and comprises a host of smart features including over-the-air updates and the ability to add apps and enhance the platform as required.

At one point on the launch I even had the opportunity to control a drone via an app and the in-cab touchscreen, a feature that could bring incredible benefits to fire and emergency authorities by allowing them to 'see' far ahead before risking lives and valuable assets.

The scope for this platform is vast, and I for one can't wait to see what other benefits it can unlock...

On the subject of technology, Hino continues to take a leading role when it comes to truck safety. Hino says the new 500 Series Standard Cab leads the way for safety in Australia's medium-duty segment, coming with a host of standard safety features including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, vehicle stability control with traction control, adaptive cruise control, an ECE-R29-compliant cab (excluding Crew Cab models), driver airbag, LED daytime running lights (FD and FE) and front-underrun protection.

Meanwhile the reversing camera, now standard across the entire Hino model range, can also be augmented with up to three further cameras, giving drivers a view down the side of the truck when indicating to change lanes plus, just as an example, a view of inside the load bay.

Hino's 500 Series Standard Cab also receives ISRI's latest NTS-2 air-suspension and multi-adjustable driver's seat. It can be installed as the front passenger seat too, although if a centre seat is specified instead of a storage unit, only a standard fixed outboard seat can be fitted.

Wheelbases extend from 3420mm to 5320mm (FC), 4290mm to 5540mm (FD), and 4290mm to 6540mm (FE), with new choices here and there through the range to better cater to some operator's requirements. Suspension spans taper leaf springs with shocks up front and a choice of leaf springs/shocks or Hendrickson HAS 200 air bags at the rear, depending on the model in question.

Australia is the first export market to receive the new 500 Series Standard Cab line-up, which has been available in Japan as the Hino Ranger series since 2017. That underlines the importance of the Australian market to Hino Japan, even though as a nation we're sixth in terms of sales outside of Hino's domestic market.

For a first taste of the new models Hino had assembled a fleet of FC, FD and FE trucks covering a wide range of applications, from flat-deck trucks to tilt trays and a number of curtainsiders all the way up to a 12-pallet FE Auto Air.

The driver training facility showcased the safety gains of the new models to great effect. A gymkhana of sorts, with a slalom course of traffic cones and various reversing tests, quickly illuminated the benefits of the truck's reversing and optional side cameras, their output displayed on the new multimedia unit's large, crisp 7.0-inch display.

A potential impact with a cardboard cut-out of a stationary vehicle was headed off by the truck's new Pre-Collision System (PCS, generically known as autonomous emergency braking), where a radar and an imaging camera combine to alert the driver to an impending crash via a series of audible and visual alerts, before pre-charging and applying the brakes autonomously should the driver fail to act.

It's an odd feeling riding shotgun in a truck barrelling towards a stationary object knowing full well the driver deliberately won't brake, but the truck pulled up from 50km/h in the equivalent of its length, and well short of our sacrificial obstacle.

Technically it's a collision mitigation system rather than a collision avoidance system, but Hino says it's smart enough to pull up short of a stationary vehicle from 50km/h. That means that from 100km/h it will still hit the vehicle, but at roughly half the speed at which the truck was travelling before the system kicks in – resulting in far less damage and a far greater chance of survival for the occupants of both vehicles. Of course, the truck's load and the road conditions also play a big role, and the truck demonstrating the system in Canberra wasn't loaded.

Nonetheless, the benefits of autonomous braking have long been proven in passenger cars and it's great to see Hino taking a leading role and deploying the technology here in medium-duty trucks, as standard. It's also especially pleasing to see the technology also comes with 'Pedestrian Detection', the imaging camera part of the tech that is able to discern roughly human-sized shapes. Some equivalent systems only have the ability to detect metallic objects.

The radar-equipped 'Safety Eye' component of the PCS suite is also utilised for adaptive cruise control, which allows these trucks to maintain a uniform following distance from the vehicle ahead. It's basically cruise control with less driver fatigue. You can set the limit by which the truck goes over or under your chosen speed due to positive or negative gradients, and it can be used at speeds of over 35km/h in manual models or over 50km/h in autos.

Lane departure warning is also included, and gives an audible alert on the side of the truck that has crossed over a lane marking without use of the appropriate indicator. It can be switched off, if desired.

And that's all on top of Hino's stability control system, which we put to good use on a water-soaked skid pan at the Sutton Road facility. It's not every day you go drifting in a truck, but hey – we had to have something with which we could compare the truck when its stability control wasn't active, right?

Already present in many other Hino models, this potentially life-saving system basically monitors wheel speed and steering input and, after detecting any wheel spin or loss of traction, reduces engine output and independently applies the brakes on the appropriate wheel (or wheels) to restore control.

Our drive route served up a great selection of roads, the trucks loaded with everything from sandbags to other vehicles – to between 60 and 85 per cent of GVM, in most instances.

For those who might scoff at the notion of a 'little' 5.1-litre, four-cylinder engine in a medium-duty truck – it does replace Hino's JO7, 6.4-litre five-cylinder, after all – I can assure you these new models aren't lacking when it comes to lugging a decent load up a hill.

The new A05 platform is in fact based on Hino's A09C nine-litre six-cylinder platform, as found in the heavier models in the 500 Series Wide Cab range. The new twin-turbo four-cylinder with the higher rating produces roughly about as much torque as Hino's eight-litre six-cylinder, the J08E, and Hino Australia's Manager of Product Strategy, Daniel Petrovski, says it offers "exceptional power output per litre".

He also points out that the crank in these trucks is essentially the same as that found in the A09C and indeed Hino's Dakar Rally race trucks, which have to cope with up to 2200Nm of torque.

The Allison 2500 Series auto is offered across the entire 500 Series Standard Cab range and Hino says it will be the most popular transmission option. It's easy to see why – it's so easy to use and will allow operators to select from a wider pool of drivers. Gear changes are fast and efficient, with none of the interruption to momentum inherent in manual or AMT transmissions, and it has an overdrive mode and a choice of Power or Eco modes, while lower ratios can be manually selected by pulling the shifter back to third, second or first.

Emissions are handled by a mixture of SCR, EGR and DPR, with regenerations for the latter requiring no driver input – you can shut the truck down mid-burn and it will simply continue with the process when you next fire the engine up, with no detrimental consequence. These new models meet Japan's pPNLT (post Post New Long Term) emissions standard, which is the equivalent of Euro 6.

The truck also now comes with a two-stage retarder, which combines a Jacobs Brake (or Jake brake, an engine brake) with an exhaust brake – another first for the class in this country, says Hino.

It's a worthy addition, affording safe and secure descents as we meandered our way through the ACT's Brindabella Ranges, also minimising wear and tear on the truck's service (air over hydraulic) brakes.

Performance gains and great new tech count for little if the bottom line falls short, and here Hino says the new models also deliver. While proof will come ultimately from the operators who press these new models into service, Hino Australia says it's been receiving reports of average economy in the range of 3.8km/lt to 4.5km/lt – an efficiency improvement in the order of 10 per cent over their predecessors, says Mr Petrovski.

It's that economy – and on-going reliability – that will ultimately determine the success of these new models in our market, far more than safety features or a new multimedia platform, but all the new additions and improvements certainly make for a compelling package.

Mind you, win over those at the coalface – the drivers – and you've gone a long way to winning the war, and the new models' cab is, we think, going to win plenty of hearts and minds. Okay, so those aforementioned 'earthy tones' won't be to everyone's liking, but we have to say they look pretty darn stylish from behind the wheel, and make for a refreshing change from the usual expanse of grey.

Combined with the carbon-look dash panels and the lighter tones of the head lining and A-pillars, it makes for a classy, inviting environment, yet it should prove just as hard-wearing as that of any other truck cab.

The new ISRI seat is a ripper, with classy fabric upholstery, integrated seat belt and a wide range of adjustment, and combined with a steering wheel that's adjustable for both tilt and reach, finding a 'just right' position is an easy task for drivers of all heights.

The sleeper may be ADR compliant but it really is just a rest area – a place to put your head down for a quick nap if need be. It's firm and pretty compact in dimensions, but it ticks the box for fatigue and WHS frameworks where appropriate.

The cab's single external step is quite low and broad, and combined with the twin grab rails, a door that opens to 90 degrees and a large door aperture, cabin entry and exit is super easy (and safe).

Further enhancing safety are integrated controls on the steering wheel for the adaptive cruise control and communication, and the menu system for the central TFT display is easy to navigate.

That goes for all these trucks' various controls – everything is laid out really well, in a logical and easy-to-reach format.

Hino has come up with one very comprehensive package in this new 500 Series Standard Cab range. The brand has led medium-duty sales in this country before and, with this new offering complementing the recently updated 500 Series Wide Cab range, it looks well positioned for another crack at that title. Hino Australia says it's already taken over 600 orders for 500 Series Standard Cab models, so it's already off to a flying start.

Truck technology is evolving at a dizzying pace these days, but Hino's new 500 Series Standard Cab range provides an integrated platform the likes of which has not been seen here before in the medium-duty segment. This is a clever and very capable new range, and one eminently worthy of Hino's own 'Street Smart' tag.