Hino 700 Series 2026 Review

The Hino 700 Series isn't new. The current generation launched locally in 2021, with Euro 6 emissions and a stack of safety tech, setting the benchmark for Japanese heavy-duty trucks at the time.

But, the range was recently expanded to cover more applications than ever before.

Hino rolled out 11 new 700 Series variants in October last year, headlined by a new M112 12-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). The new AMT is paired with the existing 9.0-litre A09C-VN and the 13.0-litre E13C engines, unlocking previously untapped segments for Hino.

For 9.0-litre models, the 12-speed opens up a new 360hp rating (up from 320hp) with an increased 45-tonne GCM, while also opening up a lower 450hp rating (down from 480hp) for the 13 litre.

Of course, the 320hp 9.0-litre remains, mated to a city-friendly six-speed Allison, and the higher horsepower 13-litre models running a 16-speed ZF TraXon also remain. The new variants aim to offer more options across key segments, not replace the existing models.

The new FH 1836 4x2, FS 2636 6x4 and FY 3036 8x4 models all run the 360hp 9.0-litre with the new 12-speed AMT, while the FS 2845 – available with airbag or leaf rear – gets the 13-litre with 450hp. The new additions bring the 700 Series lineup to a total of 31 models, as Hino pushes deeper into the vocational and freight segments.

We were handed the keys to the 6x4 FS 2636, fitted with a 14-pallet curtainsider body loaded to around 75 per cent of its operating weight.

The plan was to head from Hino’s headquarters in Sydney out to Canberra over a couple of days, opting for the most challenging route possible. For the sake of putting the truck through its paces we decided to run over Mount Ousley, and out Clyde Mountain before making our way onto Canberra.

Before we get to how it drives, let's break down what sets the new FS 2636 apart and why Hino is so excited about the model’s potential.

The FS 2636 sits smack bang in the middle of the 700 Series rigid lineup, with a 26,000kg GVM and a 45,000kg GCM. Our test unit was the AIR 6388 variant, meaning it has a 6388mm wheelbase paired with the optional Hendrickson HAS airbag rear end.

It's a configuration aimed at metro and regional distribution work, ideal for general freight or refrigerated linehaul, and the 14-pallet curtainsider body fitted to our test rig is a prime example of how Hino thinks operators will fit this truck out.

The truck wears Hino's familiar 700 Series face, with polished Alcoa wheels and LED main beam headlamps with daytime running lamps as standard. Differential cross locks are also fitted; handy if you’re running into the odd soft yard or worksite.

Hino tells us the new 12-speed-equipped models are primarily targeted at general freight, refrigeration, construction, waste, traffic management and civil works applications. Well, our FS 2636 tester is all about the first two.

As an added bonus, all 700 Series models are now covered by an increased five-year/600,000km warranty, and Hino said the improved warranty will be backdated for all purchases after 1 January, 2026.

The A09C-VN nine-litre (technically 8.8 litres) isn’t new for the 700 Series, but pairing it with the new M112 AMT greatly improves its versatility.

This Euro 6-compliant variant produces 360hp (265kW) at 1800rpm and 1569Nm of torque from 1100 to 1600rpm, with the new gearbox exploiting the broad torque spread. Until now, the 360hp rating was only available in the 8x4 FY 3036 paired with an Allison 4400 automatic, so this represents the first time 6x4 customers can have it.

The new AMT isn't entirely new, developed using the proven 12-speed synchromesh manual ‘box used in Japan for years. Hino converted it to a constant mesh setup for faster shifting, and a concentric slave cylinder and countershaft brake further enhance shift speed. The engine brake is also automatically applied during shifts to bring revs down faster, making this a particularly sharp-shifting unit.

Hino has set the M112 up with a 3.9:1 final drive ratio, which puts the truck at around 1617rpm at 100km/h in 12th. According to Hino, that’s around 100rpm lower than the existing models, which translates directly to better fuel efficiency at highway speeds.

Operation is via a rotary dial selector on the dash, offering neutral, drive, slow forward, reverse and slow reverse, paired with a column-mounted sequential shifter for manual gear changes. There's an auto-to-manual switch on the end of the lever, so you can override the shift schedule without taking your hand off the wheel, which is a big plus.

The Jacobs engine brake on the 9.0-litre has two stages. The first activates the engine brake without any downshifts, while the second triggers downshifts to amplify retardation.

There's also a Brake Sync function we liked, which uses the first portion of the brake pedal travel to apply the engine brake before bringing the service brakes into play. It's a feature designed to extend the life of your service brakes, particularly in stop-start metro work, while giving you a bit more control than if you simply left the engine brake on at all times.

The 700 Series cabin sits on a four-point air-suspended system with shocks integrated into the air bags themselves. It's solid rather than floaty, but it still takes the harshness out of rougher surfaces – of which we traversed plenty.

The headline cabin update is the new ISRI 6860/870 NTS2 driver's seat with integrated seatbelt, which has become the seat of choice across many of the Japanese brands lately. Comfort is excellent and it seriously elevates the cabin.

Ergonomics in the 700 Series have always been great, and that hasn't changed. The wrap-around dash puts every essential control within arm's reach, and the steering wheel adjusts for both tilt and reach to suit drivers from compact to lanky.

Steering wheel-mounted controls handle cruise, MID display and phone functions, while the climate controls sit logically below the central infotainment screen.

That central screen is a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ digital radio and navigation. Between the speedo and tacho is a seven-inch TFT driver display that shows gear position, trip data, fuel and AdBlue, DPR status, plus cruise and safety system information.

The rotary gear selector and sequential shifter are well-placed, with the engine brake stalk sitting directly beside the shifter for easy thumb-and-finger operation. It's an intuitive layout once you've spent five minutes driving, despite being fairly tech rich.

Hino's SmartSafe safety package is comprehensive, and has been included on the 700 Series as standard since 2021.

Active safety includes a pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian detection, vehicle stability control, ABS, adaptive cruise control, anti-slip regulator, lane departure warning system, driver monitor, Safety Eye distance warning and a reverse camera with buzzer.

The driver monitor uses a cabin-facing camera to flag fatigue or distraction events, while the Safety Eye displays the distance to the vehicle in front on the MID display.

Adaptive cruise works down to about 35km/h, below which the driver takes over – this is a deliberate choice from Hino, because the system would otherwise lean heavily on the service brakes in low-speed stop-go traffic which would accelerate wear.

Passive safety includes an ECE-R29-certified cab, driver airbag and seatbelt pretensioner, energy-absorbing steering column and front underrun protection.

It's a comprehensive package, and is among the safest trucks offered across the Japanese brands.

We pointed the truck south, out of Hino’s headquarters at Caringbah, jumping onto the Princes Highway for a steady run south. This stretch is anything but flat, and the 12-speed did everything right.

It was difficult to deduce whether the extra 40hp, in this 360hp spec, was the reason for the added performance or whether the extra cogs are keeping the engine in its happy place. For the sake of perspective, I jumped into one of Hino’s FS 2632 models, equipped with a six-speed Allison, for a brief stint.

As it turns out, it’s probably a mix of the engine and the ‘box. The FS 2636 pulls well and the 12-speed is intuitive, both around town and when out on the highway. Of course, it doesn’t have eyes, so I found that manually downshifting during climbs helped squeeze a bit more performance out of the truck. In saying that, leaving it in full auto would probably get the best fuel results.

A serious test for the 9.0-litre, and the 12-speed for that matter, was the Mt Ousley descent. The mandatory 40km/h zone for trucks – a 4.5km long, 10 per cent grade descent – would test the Hino’s engine brake and gearing because the constabulary don’t want to see a truck’s brake lights when coming down.

We grabbed seventh gear manually and the engine brake held us at 40km/h, with no need to touch the service brakes. Back up some of the steeper hills on the stretch out to Kiama, the 12-speed would hold 11th gear, happy to lug along without revving its head off. It’s clear the engine and transmission are well tuned for each other, because it all just works.

After lunch at Kiama’s Diggies Cafe, and a quick look at the nearby blowholes, we were back on the road headed for Falls Creek. Heading out of Kiama, I got a feel for how the FS 2636 handles stop-start traffic. This is where, in my opinion, an Allison auto is often far nicer to drive, as it feels essentially like a car.

However, the 12-speed AMT is genuinely impressive at low speeds – quick to upshift, and quick to drop gears when you ask for power. There's none of the hesitation at take-off or during low-speed shifts that AMTs were so bad for in the early days, and the Brake Sync function does a great job of leaning on the engine brake before the service brakes kick in, without slowing you down every time you lift off the accelerator.

We parked up for the night at Willinga Park, an incredible equestrian park built by the late Canberra property developer and philanthropist, Terry Snow AM. The property was an incredible backdrop for Hino’s new lineup, but our time there was brief, with an early run to Canberra planned.

The rougher stretches of road heading out towards Clyde Mountain put the handling and chassis composure to the test and the FS 2636, with its 6388mm wheelbase and airbag rear, felt composed across all of it.

Climbing the road up Clyde Mountain, I opted to leave the ‘box in automatic. It doesn’t have to be manually shifted, like some AMTs, but it definitely favours economy over maximum power. I see that as a good thing, really – leave it in full auto for efficiency, switching to manual only when you need the grunt. Nonetheless, the 9.0-litre got us up and over some pretty steep climbs without much intervention.

Cabin noise is low for a Japanese truck, and it’s noticeable if you’ve driven competitor brands recently. The ISRI seat means a longer day behind the wheel won't shake you apart, adding to the overall comfort. It’s a refined option in this class, from the comfort to the technology offering.

In terms of driver aids, we mostly avoided them because our route was anything but monotonous. The adaptive cruise was set-and-forget on the motorway sections, and the lane departure warning only buzzed a handful of times, meaning the safety systems aren’t overly intrusive.

The driver attention system pinged us a couple of times when we dropped our eyes to the centre screen, which is exactly what it’s supposed to do. But again, it’s nowhere near as touchy as other systems.

As we rolled into Canberra, I was ready to keep driving. The new 700 Series models are comfortable, efficient and simple as ever to operate.

The FS 2636 6x4, with the new 12-speed AMT, fills a gap Hino has long had in its 700 Series lineup.

Until now, customers wanting a 9.0-litre 6x4 had to settle for the 320hp Allison-equipped models or, realistically, go with another brand. With the new models, Hino now has proper highway-friendly 9.0-litre options.

This 14-pallet curtainsider is a versatile body option, and the underlying chassis offers enough flexibility – leaf or air rear, three wheelbase options – to suit just about any configuration. The engine and that new AMT are a serious step up too, nudging this truck ahead of its competition ever so slightly.

Hino has been refining the current-generation 700 Series for five years now, and the expanded range proves the brand isn’t done squeezing more out of the platform. According to Hino, its customers have noticed because it’ll be the strongest year ever for 700 Series sales.

Engine: Hino A09C-VN 8.8-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Power: 265kW (360hp) @ 1800rpm
Torque: 1569Nm @ 1100 to 1600rpm
Transmission: Hino M112 12-speed AMT
GVM: 26,000kg
GCM: 45,000kg
Suspension: Taper leaf with shocks and stabiliser bar (front), Hendrickson HAS with ECAS (rear)
Fuel Tank: 390L (diesel) and 28L (AdBlue)
Warranty: 5 years/600,000km vehicle, 60 months/750,000km engine
Safety: Autonomous Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Detection, Vehicle Stability Control, ABS, Adaptive Cruise Control, Anti-Slip Regulator, Lane Departure Warning System, Driver Monitor, Safety Eye distance warning