Hino FS1E

While the exterior design of the Hino FS1E has some considerable visual appeal to it, the overall interior cabin of the truck feels very outdated and lacklustre in its appearance. There is a lot of rectangular influence in the cabin, which can be seen in the way the various housings in the centre console are laid out.

While the two-spoke steering wheel looks terribly dated, the instrument console with its wide layout and good readability add some appeal to the driver’s cockpit. The entire center console is slightly tilted towards the driver side and comes with a number of rectangular panels for storage bins, an AC control panel for the vents flanking the instrument console, and other corner of the dashboard. While the cabin lacks a proper infotainment system, there is a provision in the centre console for an aftermarket unit.

Like a majority of full-size trucks, the Hino FS1E looks big and has a squared appearance when viewed from the front. There is a lot of influence of geometry in the overall design of the Hino FS1E, which makes it look proportional from whichever angle you look at it.

The Hino FS1E has a tallish appearance when viewed head-on, with a large and wide rectangular windshield covering a majority of the first half of the front profile. The front windshield is slightly curved from the lower edges.

The middle portion of the front profile is covered up much by the huge grille, which has a lot of bling, thanks to the heavy usage of chrome for the three horizontal thick slats. The first two slats of the grille are placed on the front apron, while the third and last slat is placed on the front bumper.

The outer and lower edges of the front apron come fixed with big triangular turn indicators. The front bumper at the bottom looks quite sleek, and while it gets adorned with the last slat of the grille, it also comes with headlamps with rounded edges positioned on the corners of it.

The side door panels of the Hino FS1E come with trapezoidal and rectangular recesses carved on them, which somehow manage to add some character to the otherwise bland-looking design. The other traditional bits which the Hino FS1E carries on its side profile are thick cladding on the wheel arches, vertically laid rearview mirrors mounted on the door panels itself, and slanted window waistline.

The basic chassis of the Hino FS1E comprises semi-elliptical leaf springs with shock absorbers and stabiliser at the front and semi-elliptical leaf springs with torque rods at the back. The Hino FS1E has a comprehensive braking setup with leading and trailing shoes for front and rear wheels with auto brake shoe adjuster and full air dual circuit ‘S’ cam-type service brakes. In addition, it also gets a spring brake acting on the front and rear frontward wheels for the parking action.

The Hino FS1E gets its power from a huge 13-liter inline six-cylinder water-cooled turbocharged diesel engine, which features an intercooler and overhead camshafts. The engine, which has the capacity to produce a maximum power output of 410 PS and a maximum torque output of 1863 Nm, comes coupled to a 7-speed gearbox.

Save for ABS, there is no other modern-day safety feature available in the Hino FS1E.

While it is a range starting truck, the Hino FS1E is a proper heavy-duty commercial vehicle, with its brilliant load carrying capacity and extremely torquey engine serving its purpose pretty well.