Hino 616 TradeAce: A tradie’s joy

Hino Australia has developed several ‘Built to Go’ truck models, with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions, known as the Alloy Tray Range and the TradeAce Range. The latter are aluminium-tray models, but with the addition of extras that are judged important for tradies.

The TradeAce Range covers 616, 617 and 721 models: all fitted with drop-side bodies, ladder racks, expanded mesh headboards and polished aluminium nudge or bull bars.

Our test vehicle was the Hino 616 TradeAce auto, with passenger-car-licence (4495kg) GVM. It's powered by Hino’s four-litre, four-cylinder diesel, in Euro 5 specification with diesel particulate filter and oxidation catalyst, putting out 110kW (150hp) at 2500rpm and with peak torque of 420Nm in the 1400-2500rpm band.

The automatic box has a ratio spread from 3.742:1 to 0.634:1, giving a theoretical top speed of nearly 140km/h. A torque converter stall ratio of 1.951:1 means that first ratio reduction was effectively more than 7:1, giving the 616 automatic truck better lift-off capability and gradeability than the manual-box version.

Even at full load, the auto box lets the engine run happily in the 1000-2000rpm ‘green’ band and our test economy worked out at a reasonable 12L/100km. When we picked it up the economy history was showing 14L/100km, indicating that someone had been giving it too many revs…

Like all Hino 300 Series models the TradeAce comes with a very high degree of standard equipment, including infotainment screen, cruise control, vehicle stability control, ABS brakes, traction control, lane departure warning system, pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian detection, reversing camera and buzzer, ECE-R29 cab strength certification, twin SRS airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and daytime running lamps.

The 616 ladder frame features independent wishbone, coil-spring front suspension and taper-leaf rear springs. Axle capacity is 2.4 tonnes up front and 4.4 tonnes at the rear.

Braking is by four ventilated discs, with a propshaft-mounted drum parking brake. A powerful exhaust brake is standard equipment.

Our evaluation truck is fitted with some extra-cost options including GPS navigation, chromed wheel covers, floor mats, dash mat, tray tie-downs, vinyl tonneau and weather-shields. Other available options included up to three additional cameras.

Sitting on its compact 2525mm wheelbase, the Hino boasts a three-metre-long tray, with 1.8-metre width and 257mm-high dropsides, giving it a mounded-load capacity of more than two cubic metres.

As tested, with a full tank and two people in the cabin, the 616 TradeAce had a payload of 2.2 tonnes.

For a standard-specification RRP of $58,382, the Built to Go Hino looks like excellent value for money.

By far the most popular tradie’s vehicle is the ubiquitous ute. These days, utes come with car-like performance and equipment, making them dual-purpose machines; particularly in the case of 4x4 utes that can double as recreational vehicles when the working day is done.

However, utes have become progressively heavier over recent years and most late-model ones have less payload capacity than their predecessors. Many tradies must pull trailers, to carry tools and gear that won’t fit in their utes.

Related reading:
Hino 300 Series 616 Hybrid: Review
Hino 300 Series 721 Crew Cab: Review
Hino launches new 300 Series

Even in the case of utes that can carry the required amount of freight, the end result isn’t always pleasant, with loading disproportionately over the rear axle, resulting in dangerously ‘light’ steering and poor braking ability.

Utes with overloaded rear axles are an all-too-common sight and insurance companies can and will cancel cover if they suspect overloading.

The alternative to an overworked ute is a light truck, with its heavier-rated chassis, brakes and axles. Forward control ensures the tray length is much greater, within the same overall length as a ute, and a dual rear wheel axle designed to carry twice the weight of the front axle. (The Hino 616’s rear axle alone has one tonne more capacity than the entire GVM of a medium-sized ute.)

Traditionally, owners accustomed to running utes frowned on forward-control light trucks that were crude, noisy, ill-equipped, hard to park, lacked safety equipment and were just not ‘cool’.

In the case of the Hino 616 TradeAce, most of those arguments don’t apply, because it’s at least as well equipped as most utes and it can access anywhere a 4x2 ute can. The bonus is double the payload.

We spent a working week with the little Hino and mostly enjoyed driving, loading and unloading it.

The 616 TradeAce is a proper truck, including having a tilt cab that means no cramped under-seat engine access. The nudge bar is set below the cab tilt threshold, so there is no need to lower it before raising the cab.

Pre-trip checking could hardly be easier: a flick of three interlocking catches is followed by a gentle lift at the rear of the cab and all is revealed. A spring-loaded prop ensures safe inspection under the raised cab.

Getting in and out is easy, thanks to well-placed steps and grab handles. Seating is okay, if not at today’s ute standards, and we reckon the centre perch should be avoided. The best use it has is as a centre table when the seat back is folded forward.

Vision from the driver’s seat is very good, but the flat-plane mirrors create big front corner and side blind spots. We like the view they give, but smaller, convex mirrors would reduce the size of the blind spots. The rear vision camera, however, is excellent.

After a recent spate of ute tests we were very impressed with the Hino’s dynamics at full 4495 GVM. Where all the fully loaded utes we’d previously tested felt rear-axle roll sensitive – some of them scarily so – the TradeAce felt completely balanced on smooth surfaces.

Gentle bitumen undulations that upset the fore-aft balance of our test utes didn’t produce any ‘hobby-horsing’ in the Hino.

It could be punted along at legal speeds, at full GVM, with no feeling of handling or braking compromise. Speaking of braking, very few of our test utes had all-wheel disc braking like the little Hino did, and none of them had exhaust braking.

The 616’s exhaust brake was powerful and prompted a downshift program in the auto box when activated, which is ideal for long descents. When additional exhaust brake action is needed it is simply a matter of manually downshifting the box, to raise engine revs.

The Hino’s proper truck engine is ‘rattly’ at idle, but smoothes out at operating revs and the in-cab noise level is quite acceptable. We had the infotainment system playing music via Bluetooth without the need to crank up the volume too much.

We deliberately asked for the test truck to be supplied empty, so we could judge performance and ride quality when unloaded, part-loaded and at GVM.

A generous power-to-weight ratio means the TradeAce performs nearly as well loaded as when empty. It has no trouble keeping up with car and ute traffic when fully loaded – even on hills. The wide, flat torque band also results in smooth lift-offs and seamless ratio shifting.

Despite having twice the payload of a typical ute, the Hino 616 standard-width-cab truck has the same footprint as a ute and we found it easy to park in suburban parking lots. Its tight turning circle – only twice its overall length of 4.9 metres – was better than that of some utes.

The aluminium dropside body is well made and the ladder racks are rated to carry a useful 250kg. The optional tonneau is a good fit and the tubular aluminium support bars are very easy to fit and remove, without the need to cross from one side of the vehicle to the other.

We checked the Hino 616 out on building sites following heavy rain and were impressed with the traction control’s ability to limit wheelspin. It was no 4x4 truck, but did have useful traction enhancement. However, should the truck get bogged on a site there are very strong front and rear recovery hooks attached to the chassis.

On paper, the suspension arrangement looked state-of-the-art, with independent coils up front and long taper leaves at the back. However, it was clear that Hino, like most light truck makers, has at least one more challenge: fixing ride quality. On smooth roads it is fine, but on the rough stuff, not so good.

With anything above a tonne in the tray the 616 feels okay on most surfaces, but sharp bumps provoke even sharper suspension reaction. When the tray is empty, the rear end feels completely ‘solid’ and transfers bumps harshly into the cab.

We’ve driven several Japanese 4x4 light trucks with aftermarket-modified suspensions and all of them rode better than the TradeAce. Better quality dampers would be our starting point.

We know it’s very difficult to build a vehicle that maintains ride quality as weight changes from empty to double that figure, but heavy truck makers have done a fair job of it. C’mon Hino, there’s one more job to do.

Specifications:
Engine
Model: Hino N04C-WL
Max. output: (ISO Net) at 2500rpm 150hp/110kW
Max. torque: (ISO Net) at 1400rpm 420Nm
Max. engine RPM: 3100
Engine compliance: ADR 80/03 using Euro 5 Standard
Type: Diesel, turbocharged and intercooled, flour-cylinder, OHV
Combustion system: Direct injection with EGR
Bore & stroke: 104 x 118 mm
Piston displacement: 4.009 Litres
Fuel injection system: Electric control common rail
Air cleaner & intake: Under cab mounting dry paper element
Exhaust system: Horizontal outlet RHS
Emission control systems: DPR & DOC after treatments

Weights and measurements
GVM: 4495kg
Optional 5500kg
GCM: GVM + 3500kg
Automatic limited to 8000kg
Transmissions: Five-speed Manual, six-speed Automatic
Wheelbases: 2.5m, 3.4m
Max Nominal Body Length: 3.4m, 4.8m

Safety
Pre-Collision System (PCS) including AEB & PD
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Dual SRS Airbags
Reverse Camera
ECE R-29 Cab Strength Certified
Cruise Control