Hino FC9JL7A

The cabin of the Hino FC9JL7A looks nothing like that of how a modern truck should look from the inside. The overall cabin is finished in a dull theme of black, and the dated layout of the cabin makes it look drab. However, it gets several essentials which still make it a decent place to be in.

The driver’s cockpit of the Hino FC9JL7A consists of a basic four-spoke steering wheel with a large rectangular instrument console behind that, which has two rounded AC vents beside it. The instrument console surrounds are finished in a faux theme of carbon fibre, which is extended around the centre console as well.

The upper centre console has two rectangular housings – one for the 2-DIN music system and the other placed on its right has two rectangular storage spaces stacked one over the other. The lower centre console gets the switches for manual AC and a range of other functions.

The Hino FC9JL7A has a very basic design if you look at it at the first glance. However, some design highlights make the Hino FC9JL7A look quite large, especially when it is viewed head-on from the front.

The Hino FC9JL7A might not be as tall and wide as a full-sized truck. However, the large windscreen and wide grille create an impression of it being a full-sized truck. The entire front profile of the Hino FC9JL7A is divided into two halves. The upper half of the front profile has a curved windscreen which has rounded edges on all four corners. Either side of the front pillars beside the front windscreen has long and vertically-aligned rearview mirrors, which are placed on extended frame members on the pillars.

The lower half of the Hino FC9JL7A is majorly covered with a grille, which looks massive for the size of the truck. The trapezoidal layout of the grille, with its side, edges tapering down towards the bottom, consists of two thickly-shaped horizontal slats. The upper slat of the front grille has a large rounded logo of Hino in the middle of it, which further makes the grille look large.

Another design element of the front profile, which makes the Hino FC9JL7A a good-sized truck, is the wide front bumper with large side edges. These side edges incorporate headlamp clusters, which also come integrated with turn indicators and fog lamps within them.

The side profile of the Hino FC9JL7A has a conventional trapezoidal design for the window panel. The design of this window panel is mimicked on the lower half of the door panel as a design element, beside which the blacked-out door handle is placed.

The Hino FC9JL7A is a six-wheeled truck that has a suspension setup of semi-elliptical leaf springs with single-action shock absorbers at both front and rear. When it comes to brakes, the Hino FC9JL7A gets air over hydraulic, dual-circuit service brake accompanied by mechanical, internal expanding parking brake acting on transmission shaft output.

The Hino FC9JL7A sources its power from a reliable 5.1-litre, four-cylinder, water-cooled, and turbocharged diesel engine, which is coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox. This J05E-TY series engine produces 210 PS of maximum power and 637 Nm of maximum torque.

Apart from ABS, there is no other noteworthy safety feature that has made its way in the Hino FC9JL7A.

The Hino FC9JL7A might not look too appealing in and out. But when it comes to serving the basics like a reliable engine and a durable chassis, the truck perfectly serves as a long-term investment.