Hino GH8JF7D

The cabin of the Hino GH8JF7D is purely functional and lacks the modernity which many new-generation trucks are featuring nowadays. The complete black theme of the cabin further makes it look gloomy.

The driver’s cockpit of the Hino GH8JF7D, combining a large four-spoke steering wheel and an all-analog instrument console, looks dated but very well placed ergonomically. The other part of the dashboard looks functional too, with rectangular housings for the 2-DIN audio system, manual AC switch console, and open storage cavities.

While the cabin of the Hino GH8JF7D might not too modern and is not well-equipped either, it is very thoughtfully designed with all the controls and switches in easy reach of the driver.

The Hino GH8JF7D shares much of its design with the bigger FG8JP7A, though there are a couple of differentiating design elements that set it apart from the latter. However, there is no denying the fact that the Hino GH8JF7D looks large for a medium-duty commercial truck, especially from the front.

The front profile of the Hino GH8JF7D looks large and bulky, and some design elements add a bit of aggression and individuality to the design of the truck. The front profile of the Hino GH8JF7D is divided into upper and lower halves. The upper half of the front profile is entirely covered with a huge windshield, which has rounded edges on all four corners and gets a vertical mount for the rearview mirrors. These mirrors are placed on the suspended members of the clamps which are mounted on the side pillars of the truck.

The lower part of the front profile is characterized by the massive grille, which is placed right in the middle of the front profile. This grille gets two extra-wide C-shaped horizontal slats, which are blacked out throughout their width and form a trapezoidal design for the whole grille. The upper slat in the grille gets a huge rounded logo of Hino in the middle, which is finished in chrome. The side panels beside the front grille have orange-coloured turn indicators placed on their lower parts.

The wide front bumper of the Hino GH8JF7D looks aggressive and adds some more heaviness to the front profile. The extreme corners of the front bumper are wide and accommodate wide halogen headlamps on their upper parts and small rounded fog lamps below them. Moving towards the side profile, one gets a conventional trapezoidal design for the window panels and twin mirrors mounted for rear visibility. There is an additional trapezoidal design element present on the lower part of the door panels with a blacked-out door handle beside it.

The durable and long-lasting frame of the Hino GH8JF7D is accompanied by a suspension combination of reinforced semi-elliptical leaf springs with single-action shock absorbers at the front and reinforced semi-elliptical main and auxiliary leaf springs at the rear. For the brakes, Hino has equipped the GH8JF7D with a full-air, dual-circuit, S-cam type service brake, and air-operated spring parking brake acting on the rear axle.

Hino has made the GH8JF7D available with only one diesel engine option, and that is a J08E-WD series 7.7-litre inline-six water-cooled and turbocharged diesel engine, which it shares with the FG8JP7A. Coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the engine produces a maximum power output of 280 PS and a maximum torque output of 824 Nm. The maximum speed of the Hino GH8JF7D rated is 104 kmph.

Apart from ABS, there is no other noteworthy safety feature available in the Hino GH8JF7D.

The Hino GH8JF7D is not a feature-rich offering among the modern-era medium-duty commercial trucks, and its dated cabin makes it look even more old-school. However, for the price and size, it is offering a tractable and reliable inline-six diesel engine, which surely is the biggest deal.