Hino conventional trucks are filling a niche in North America with features and designs well suited for inner city applications

In October I had an opportunity to take a Hino truck out for a spin. The purpose was to see how this new conventional cab vehicle, which has been specifically designed for urban delivery applications that require good visibility and tight turning abilities, really worked on crowded city streets.

It was a gorgeous autumn afternoon when I arrived at the Hino dealership, Inter City Truck Service Inc., in St. Paul, Minn. The truck –– a Hino 268A, Class 6 (25,950 lbs. GVW), 4 X 2 conventional cab truck (BBC 108-in.) sporting a 24-ft. van body –– stood ready and waiting on the lot. I stepped up into the cab using the two handy grab handles and settled into the standard air-suspension driver’s seat as my hosts from Hino took their places on the ample crew-sized bench seat, which easily accommodated both of them.

As I turned the key in the ignition the engine started quickly and quietly and we pulled out of the dealer lot on to a narrow side street. The dealership is located in an industrial section of town, so the road was uneven and bumpy, but that did not affect the comfortable ride inside the cab.

At the end of the first two blocks, I approached a five-way intersection that required a hard right-hand turn onto a four-lane city street lined with parked cars. The deep slope of the hood coupled with the expansive windshield provided excellent visibility to set me up for the turn. When the light turned green, I pulled forward and easily negotiated a tight turn. The ease of the action can be attributed to the tight turning radius (up to a 55º wheel cut) and to the responsive TRW recirculating-ball steering system. It should be mentioned that the four standard exterior mirrors (one flat and one convex on both sides of the cab), provided added confidence when pulling around a parked car at the curb.

Moving through traffic, changing lanes and turning all were a breeze thanks to the Allison six-speed automatic transmission. Hino 268A, and other models, may also be specified with an Eaton UltraShift six-speed, direct-drive synchromesh transmission. Soon, an open stretch of road with a higher posted speed limit provided an opportunity to accelerate and get a sense of the power provided by the Hino JO8E-TV, six-cylinder in-line diesel engine. The 220 HP engine has a maximum torque of 520 lb.-ft. at 1,500 RPM. Moving on the straight-away was easy with the engine providing plenty of power and responsiveness for hills and curves.

But, since I wanted to put this vehicle through more rigorous turning tests, I headed for a residential neighborhood with which I was familiar. It’s in an older part of town that was developed prior to 1940, which meant I would need to maneuver through some really small places. After a brief stop to take a few photos of the truck, I turned up a small hill on a tree-lined street in pursuit of a difficult turn. One block up I met my challenge –– a double-back, left-hand turn down the hill, which would take me on a street that was lined with cars on both sides. It was a tight turn, and I wanted to make it without backing up to renegotiate the angle. I took a deep breath and pushed on. Even more easily than I might have imagined I pulled the truck forward and turned the steering wheel sharply left with the right front bumper edging past a parked car with at least two feet to spare –– okay, maybe it was 18 inches. A quick look in the side mirror told me the back of the truck handily cleared the obstacles in the rear.

I have to give the designers of this truck credit. I would have expected these turning capabilities from cab-over model trucks, but what a surprise to find a conventional with this type of inner-city maneuverability. In addition, because Hino engineers designed the conventional to fill this niche, they also have provided options like extended cabs, right-hand drive and dual steer for certain fleet applications.

Hino offers the conventional in Classes 4 through 7 with an impressive line-up of standard and optional features for flexibility ideal for a wide variety of fleet applications. The company plans to introduce a Class 4 hybrid version in the future, and has just announced that its proprietary Hino engines will use SCR technology to meet 2010 engine emission regulations.

Also, Hino is looking at telematics technology partners to add this functionality to its product line in 2010.