Hino FG8JP7A

While the exterior design of the Hino FG8JP7A has a few interesting highlights which add some zing to its visual appeal, the same cannot be said about the cabin design. Finished in a theme of all-black, the cabin of the Hino FG8JP7A lacks modernity in its layout. However, it is easily one of the most ergonomic places among all the medium-duty trucks, with all the controls in your easy reach.

Consisting of a four-spoke steering wheel and a comprehensive but boring-looking instrument console, the driver’s cockpit of the Hino FG8JP7A has a functional design to it. The same can be said about the centre console as well, which has several asymmetric-looking rectangular panels for various systems, such as an AC control panel, 2-Din audio system, and a few open storage cavities. There are not many comfort and convenience features to talk about in the Hino FG8JP7A.

The Hino FG8JP7A has a bigger appearance and a bulkier visual appeal than the FC9JL7A, which makes it look much like a bigger heavy-duty commercial truck. The squared-out tall stance coupled with an aggressive-looking front end makes it look bigger and better.

Just like other trucks from Hino Motors, the Hino FG8JP7A also has its front profile divided into two equal-sized halves. The upper half of the Hino FG8JP7A is covered by a large curved windscreen, which has rounded edges on all of its four corners. On either side of the front windscreen on the pillar, there are hinged supports for the rearview mirrors, which are placed on the extended members of the mirror supports on the pillars.

It is the lower half of the Hino FG8JP7A which makes the truck look bulky and aggressive. There is a massive front grille that immediately catches your attention in the very first place. The grille consists of two thick-looking black coloured slats. There is an additional third slat, which is included as a part of the grille but is placed on the front bumper. This grille is arranged in a trapezoidal manner and has a large rounded logo of Hino placed just in the middle of the upper slat.

The panels of the front apron on the sides of the front grille have orange-coloured turn indicators placed on their lower part. Just below these turn indicators, there are extended and wide members of the front bumper, which accommodate the headlamp clusters. The lower corners of the front bumper also house the rounded fog lamps just below the main headlamps.

The side profile of the Hino FG8JP7A looks quite conventional and just like any other truck, with a trapezoidal-shaped side window. The same trapezoidal shape of the window panel is copied in a design element, which is placed on the lower part of the door panels, just beside the blacked outdoor handle. Just like in a full-sized truck, you have to climb your way into the cabin of the Hino FG8JP7A.

With a 6-wheeled setup, the Hino FG8JP7A is armed with a suspension combination of semi-elliptical tapered leaf springs with double-action shock absorbers at the front and semi-elliptical main and auxiliary re-inforced leaf springs at the rear. The braking action is taken care of by full-air, dual-circuit, S-cam type service brake, and air-operated spring parking brake acting on the rear axle.

Powering the Hino FG8JP7A is a 7.7-litre inline-six, water-cooled, and turbocharged diesel engine, which is one of the most reliable six-cylinder engines you can find in a medium-sized truck. Coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the engine produces 240 PS of maximum power and 716 Nm of peak torque output.

The only safety feature present in the Hino FG8JP7A is ABS.

For a medium-duty truck, the Hino FG8JP7A packs in abundant power and load-carrying capacity, which is very impressive for a truck of this size. However, the lack of features, especially in the cabin, dilute the overall experience a bit.