The Hino Dutro is Hino’s light commercial truck, a rebadged twin of the Toyota Dyna. It appeared in May 1999 in place of the Ranger 2 and Ranger 3, which had been badge-engineered Daihatsu Deltas, and outside Japan it is sold as the 300 Series.
Hino Dutro at a glance
| Maker | Hino Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 1999–present |
| Export names | 300 Series; Hino 155 in Canada; M Series in North America for 2021 |
| First generation | 1999–2011, U300 and U400 platforms |
| Second generation | 2011–present, U600 and U700 platforms |
| Predecessor | Ranger 2 and Ranger 3, rebadged Daihatsu Delta |
| Engines | 3.7 to 5.3 litre diesels; 4.0 litre N04C; 1GD-FTV in the 1.5-tonne class from 2021 |
| Hybrid | parallel hybrid added in November 2003 |
| Electric | Dutro Z EV announced April 2021, on sale June 2022 |
| Also offered | standard cab, wide cab, double cab, Route Van |
History of the Hino Dutro
Ranger 2 and Ranger 3 (1978–1999)
Hino had not built a light truck of its own since the Briska; in the 2-tonne class it sold the Ranger 2 from August 1978, an OEM version of the Daihatsu Delta with Toyota B-series engines, joined by the 3-tonne Ranger 3 in 1980. Later versions were OEM versions of the Dyna and ToyoAce, with the 4.1 litre 15B-F engine from 1995.
First generation (1999–2011)
The Dutro was introduced in May 1999 as a joint development of the seventh-generation Toyota Dyna. Unlike the Dyna, it had no 1-tonne version and the driver’s airbag was standard. Standard-cab models sat on the U300 platform, most wide-cab models on U400. Japan was offered wide cab, double cab, hybrid, four-wheel drive and Route Van versions, with engines from 3.7 to 5.3 litres. A facelift in June 2002 moved the indicators into the headlamp housings. In November 2003 Hino added a parallel hybrid, the first hybrid in the 2-tonne class; from 2006 the range used the 4.0 litre N04C engine and a six-speed automatic.
Second generation (2011–present)
The second generation came in July 2011 with the standard cab on the U600 chassis and the wide cab on U700. The wide cab was entirely new, with a trapezoidal grille, projector headlamps, a front underrun protection system and slimmer A-pillars. The N04C 4.0 litre diesel continued alongside a full hybrid. A 2019 facelift brought LED headlamps and a restyled grille. In April 2021 Hino announced the Dutro Z EV, an ultra-low-floor walk-through electric van whose floor is some 400 mm lower than a conventional chassis; it went on sale in June 2022. A 1.5-tonne class was added in July 2021 with the Toyota 1GD-FTV engine.
Design and features
- Dyna twin: developed jointly with Toyota and built by Hino rather than supplied as an OEM product.
- Many chassis: cargo, dump, tank lorry, mixer and Route Van bodies on several wheelbases and cab widths.
- Hybrid: a parallel hybrid from 2003, and a full hybrid with a dedicated Atkinson-cycle engine from 2011.
- Safety: the 2011 truck offered VSC as an option, a first in the light truck class.
- Electric: the Dutro Z EV places its motor under the cabin and its battery inside the frame under the load bed.
Hino Dutro versions
- Standard cab and wide cab: the two main cab families, on U600 and U700 chassis in the second generation.
- Route Van: walk-through delivery van, built until 2019.
- Hino 300 Series: the export name; in Australia the facelifted truck was renamed Hino 300 in 2007.
- Hino 155: Canadian version built in Woodstock, Ontario, from Japanese CKD kits.
- Dutro Z EV (2022): front-wheel-drive electric walk-through van.
The Dutro replaced the Ranger 2 and 3 in the light class, and Dutro-based 155 and 195 models took over the lighter classes of the Hino 600 in North America in 2012. All Hino models are listed in the Hino collection.
Video: Truk HINO dutro 130 HD Four Wheel Drive 4×4 (4WD)
Video by cuscoz1 on YouTube.
Sources
- Hino Dutro, English Wikipedia: generations, export markets, electric version
- 日野・デュトロ, Japanese Wikipedia: Ranger 2 history, engines, facelifts
