Hino Contessa Reviews

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Peter Barnwell road tests and reviews the Hino 300 Series 616 IFS Tipper truck with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the 2014 Hino 300 High Power with specs, fuel economy and verdict.

Until now, drivers of the medium duty 500 models had no option but to change gears the traditional way despite automated transmissions increasing in popularity each year.  Called the ProShift 6, the new transmission is an automated version of the six-speed manual gearbox that is available as standard. It is a two-pedal system, which means the driver does not need to operate the clutch to get going or when coming to a halt, as is the case with some automated gearboxes.  The automated transmission will be available with the best-selling FC 1022 and FD 1124 500 Series to start with, but Hino Australia plans to make it available on heavier hauling models over time.  Hino Australia product chief, Alex Stewart, says the company needed to offer an automated option given the strong demand in the lower capacity end of the medium duty market.  "Over the last five years there has been an absolutely obvious trend of sales going in the direction of fully automatic or automated manual transmissions," he says.  "If you do a projection of those figures you can see that by 2015, 50 per cent of all trucks sold will be automated manuals or full automatic. If we didn't we would be missing out on a large section of the market." Stewart says not all customers are going to opt for the automated manual, despite its fuel economy advantages, because of a reduction in the gross combination mass (GCM), that is, the maximum weight of the truck, the load an the trailer.  "The FD 11-tonne truck has a GCM of 20 tonnes with a manual transmission, you put the automated manual in it and it has a GCM of 16 tonnes," explains Stewart. "That is pretty much normal for any manufacturer with an automated manual transmission."

Just like mobile phones and computers, electrified trucks are advancing quickly. The last Hino Hybrid was a fairly effective machine, but the new version makes it look and feel out-of-date. Working Wheels has hit the road in Hino's 300 Hybrid and it is impossible to miss the improvements.Of course, the entire 300 Series range has been made better with a recent update which included an all-new wide-cab and an array of upgrades including electronic stability control, but the hybrid model has also been given a lot of attention. Frankly, it needed it because the last Hino 300 Hybrid was not as advanced as its opposite number at Mitsubishi Fuso, the Canter Eco Hybrid.Hino has hit back and although it still uses nickel-metal hydride battery technology, which is being replaced by lithium-ion (used in electric cars, top power tools and the Canter hybrid), the new 300 series Hybrid is significantly more advanced. This writer wasn't expecting much before the test drive and was pleasantly surprised. Like the Eco Canter and the last Hino Hybrid, the diesel engine must tick over when the truck is going. It is needed to power components such as the hydraulic power steering. However, the new Hino Hybrid can now accelerate gently without increasing diesel engine revs, using the electric motor for propulsion instead (as is the case with the Canter hybrid).Of course, if you accelerate hard the diesel engine will start providing assistance and it will kick in when you reach higher speeds regardless of how easy you go on the accelerator. In really bad stop-start traffic you could go some way using only the electric motor for forward movement.One of the best parts about the new Hybrid is the five-speed automated transmission. The last model was available with a manual or a full automatic and both had issues.Drivers tended to over-rev the manual model out of habit, rather than relying on the extra torque of the electric motor. The automatic wasn't really compatible with the stop/start system, which kills the motor at idle to save fuel. The driver had pull on the handbrake and select neutral to get the engine to switch off automatically, which just too hard for most.Now, the driver doesn't have to do anything and the engine will stop and then start up when he or she is ready to get going again. The automated transmission works very well and the shifts are quite quick. Better yet, the driver doesn't have the hassle of working a manual box and the boss gets some fuel savings because it doesn't get over-revved and switches off at idle.Of course, the start-stop system can be over-ruled if the operator prefers to have the engine running at idle. The automated transmission can also be told what to do and can be flicked into sequential manual mode should the driver want more control.As for the performance, we didn't have much of a load on but the Hybrid appeared as responsive as the regular diesel model.The low down torque is good thanks to the extra torque of the electric motor which assists the 4.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel which has 10 per cent more power, for a total of 110kW and 19 per cent more torque, for a total of 420Nm. The electric motor 36kW of power and 333Nm. It is fed by a 40-module battery (240 cells), which is already operating in the Lexus RX 450h SUV.Thanks to a new layout that allows the diesel engine and electric motor to be operated separately, the Hino Hybrid can get the best out of both powerplants. It is now able to take as much or as little power from either power source and the split is infinitely variable.Working Wheels mentioned in previous tests that both the Eco Canter and Hino Hybrid were lacking trip computers, with instant and average fuel economy readings. Now the Hino has one and it will be helpful especially when a driver is interested to see how his or her driving is impacting the fuel consumption.Hino says the Hybrid model will use up to 26 per cent less than a diesel-only model, although the figures change dramatically depending on how the truck is used. We'll have to wait for some firmer figures in real world conditions, but either way the new Hino Hybrid is a much-improved truck that makes saving fuel far easier than before.

Sliding sideways in a truck is great fun in a controlled environment such as Mt Cotton's diesel-splashed skid-pan but I never want to experience it out on the road. Thankfully companies like Hino are working at reducing the likelihood of drivers losing control of trucks, starting with the new light duty 300 Series.Working Wheels was able to test the new machine at the Mt Cotton driver training facility in Queensland. The most dramatic drive experience of the day was the Electronic Stability Control demonstration on the wet skid pad. Hino is making a big safety push with the 300 Series and has included ESC as standard on each model. Keen to make a point, it hired rally ace Neal Bates to help guests experience driving the 300 Series on the very slippery surface with and without the ESC switched on. It certainly was a wild ride with the ESC turned off.It was fun to slide around in a controlled environment, with not much of a load on the back, and having a spin didn't matter because there was lots of run-off and no cars coming the other way. Out on the road and a spin like that could have fatal consequences.The ESC made a big impact as soon as it was switched on. The truck braked the individual wheels and dulled the accelerator to keep it in line. It was remarkable. And yes, Neal was able to set a faster time around the figure of eight course with the ESC on than when he was sliding around without it.On normal road loops the ESC does come on a bit earlier than you might expect. I'm tipping some drivers might been annoyed by it because the system appears to come in quickly to try and prevent an incident.DESIGNThe ESC is a highlight of the new range, but the new wide cab is what's likely to excite drivers more. Hino has actually developed this cab with relatively tall people in mind instead of shaping them solely for generally shorter Japanese customers. It's remarkably spacious in the cab.Getting in and out is easier thanks to a wider aperture and wider opening doors and there is a great deal of legroom and headroom, which is a big plus for bigger people who would have no doubt suffered in the last model.You can get comfortable with a steering wheel that can be adjusted in and out and up and down. The driver's seat can also slide back and forth 240mm to make sure youfind a good position. It is also suspended, which felt good on our test drive and would likely make life a lot easier for a driver working long hours on imperfect roads.Visibility has been improved with new, thinner, A-pillars. The standard cab has only had minor revisions, it misses out on the suspension seat and many of the other cabin upgrades as it is a budgetconscious model. Crew cabs have also been upgraded.These have a separate rear airconditioning unit for the back, which is handy, but the rear seat-back is so uncomfortable there will be fights over who gets to sit in the front.TECHNOLOGYEngineers have made small changes to the 4.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel and with up to 121kW and 464Nm, it seems up to the task. There is no automated manual transmission, but a full automatic instead. It's ok but is nowhere near as good as the dual-clutch automated shifter in Mitsubishi Fuso's Canter.The manual took me a while to get used to, but that could just be driver error and the fact it's fresh out of the box.  The real test for these trucks will come when they enter the workforce, but the wide cab's vastly improved interior and upgraded safety levels certainly make a good first impression.