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REVIEW
Review: Hino 616 Tipper
Driven on a car licence, Hino’s small tipper could prove a smart alternative to a large uteAs the proliferation of utes continues on the Aussie market and the offerings in the light truck market get more comfortable with more technology and better performance and handling, the lines are becoming blurred.
Sure, a ute is more comfortable but the light truck is more versatile, can carry more and will no doubt give many years of faithful service. Not only that, but the little trucks can be driven on a regular car licence with a GVM of 4495kg or upgraded for those with a truck licence with a GVM of 5500kg and a GCM of 9000kg.
Case in point is our test vehicle, the Hino 300 Series 616 Tipper. The little Hino is a workhorse alright with a sturdy 4.0-litre turbo-diesel engine with a power output of 110kW at 2500rpm and 420Nm of torque at 1400rpm. This is fed through a five-speed manual gearbox with a very low first gear and overdrive fifth.
Interestingly, the Hino offers an independent front suspension (IFS) with double wishbones and coil springs, hydraulic dampers and a stabiliser bar. Down the back we have the typical semi-elliptic main and auxiliary tapered leaf springs with shock absorbers.
Braking is taken care of with discs all round and ABS. Standard also is stability control, traction control and an exhaust brake. The park brake is transmission mounted.
The tipper tray has a capacity of 1.9 cubic metres and a tipping angle of 60 degrees. The deck and front plates have a thickness of 3.2mm while the side and tailgate thickness is 2.3mm. The tilt function is controlled by a simple lever in the cab and there is a mesh ‘tarp’ that rolls out of the headboard and attaches to hooks on the rear of the tray to secure your load. We actually used this feature during our test and found it to be really handy if your load includes some loose items.
IN THE CAB
It’s one small truck-like step up onto the cab assisted by handy grab handles. The driver’s seat is a fairly basic affair but with enough adjustment to get comfortable and, with an adjustable steering column, we were ready to go. It’s an upright seating position as with most cab-over vehicles and there’s not much space behind the seats. There are, however, plenty of storage spots around the cabin as well as two overhead compartments.
Both the driver and passenger get air bags, which is another plus for the Hino, and although there is a third seat in the middle it’s not really useful and only has a lap belt.
Vision all round is good save for a blind spot behind the driver’s B-pillar. Rear vision is great though with electrically adjustable wing mirrors and convex lower mirrors giving a great view behind and somewhat negating the blind spot.
The gearshift is notchy with a bit of a long throw but I soon got used to it.
For entertainment there is a DAB-equipped stereo system with two speakers. There’s Bluetooth as well and an optional navigation system. The screen also displays the rear camera and you can have up to three cameras feeding into the system.
Air-conditioning is, of course, standard as are electric windows, central locking and the afore-mentioned powered mirrors.
ON THE ROAD
The Hino’s maximum 420Nm of torque is delivered at 1400 revs and starts to drop off at about 2300rpm. Maximum power is at 2500rpm when it too drops away. So you’ve got a fairly tight rev range to work with to keep the engine on song.
We found that at highway speeds of around 100km/h the engine is spinning at a fairly high 2500rpm and on our long 500km-plus drive on one of our test days, the little green ‘economy’ light basically had a day off.
That said, our fuel economy figure wasn’t horrible. The basic trip computer that you get with the Hino was reading an average of 7.5km/litre (13.5L/100km) at the end of our week in the truck and our real-time check when refuelling after a 420km stint of combined highway and urban driving backed that up with an even better figure of 12.4L/100km.
Using that as a guide, you should get between 600 to 650km from the 80lt tank.
We didn’t fully load the Hino but we did get a partial load of about 600-800kg, which didn’t faze the truck at all. We drove loaded for over 300km and hardly noticed a difference in performance and only a slight difference in economy. Braking remained good throughout the test with the exhaust brake maybe helping a bit but not a lot. The all-round discs are more than up to the task.
The ride is good especially when unladen. Light vehicles like the Hino 300 Series are notoriously rough when unladen but the independent front suspension seems very compliant when the truck is empty, yet it’s able to cope with a load – it’s a remarkably good compromise.
Similarly, the handling is good too. It’s almost car-like (well, ute-like) in the way it corners and handles. We didn’t try it in the wet, but certainly in the dry it’s a sure-footed little truck with no real vices.
WHAT’S IT COST TO OWN?
The recommended retail price for the Hino 616 manual tipper is $53,970.57. An auto version will set you back $59.070.20.
The IFS Tipper is recommended to be serviced every 20,000km or six months.
A minor service is at a fixed cost of $559 for the 20,000km, 60,000km and 100,000km services.
The major services at 40,000km and 80,000km are around $1400 each.
On average, over three years and 100,000km, the service costs would be approximately $4500.
Specifications: Hino 300 Series 616 Tipper
Engine: Hino N04C US, 4.0-litre, four-cylinder, in-line, turbo-charged intercooled diesel
Max power: 110kW at 2500rpm
Max torque: 420Nm at 1400rpm
Fuel injection system: Electronic control, common rail type
Emission control system: EGR and DPR meeting ADR 80/03 (Euro 5)
Overall length: 4760mm
Overall width: 1880mm
Overall height: 2090mm
Turning circle: 9.6m
Turning circle: 11.0m
Fuel tank: 80lt
GVM: 4495kg (opt. 5500kg)
GCM: 7995kg (opt. 9000kg)
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Written byGeoff Middleton
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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