Mighty launch by Hyundai
Mighty launch by Hyundai
By Colin Windell
Packaged with a four year unlimited mileage factory warranty, the new Hyundai Mighty EX8 medium commercial truck stirs the pot in what the company is predicting will grow to be a very competitive segment as business confidence returns to the country.
The new Mighty EX8 – the successor to the previous HD truck – is assembled at Hyundai Automotive SA's commercial vehicle factory in Apex, Benoni and joins the H100 and the H1 panel van in Hyundai Automotive SA's commercial vehicle range.
Studies are also underway with the aim of introducing various other new models, such as the larger H350 bus and panel van, as well as automatic transmissions for the medium truck.
"Hyundai's addition of the EX8 truck to the local commercial range is the beginning of exciting new developments. It is supported by Hyundai Automotive South Africa's commercial network that consists of 40 sales dealers and 37 servicing dealers spread throughout the country, as well as Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe," says Wade Griffin, commercial vehicle director at Hyundai Automotive South Africa.
“This ensures our footprint covers all the major routes travelled by our customers.
"It also comes at a time when we at Hyundai are very optimistic a strong increase in sales of commercial vehicles is bound to happen over the next five years due to renewed hope in the change of political leadership, and the prospects for a return to a healthy GDP growth."
Compared to its predecessor, the EX8 Mighty's interior space has been increased from 2,9 m² to 3,5 m² and there has been an increase in storage space for driver and passengers to 11,8 litres.
Visibility from inside the cabin has been greatly improved by increasing the windshield size with height increased by 20 mm and width by 70 mm. Furthermore, the dash has been lowered by 80 mm, allowing an increased visibility angle of 2,2 degrees.
Interior space has been enhanced by increasing the interior cabin height to 1 490 mm. The steering column now has forward-backward adjustment of 60 mm, as well as height adjustment of 76 mm. The seat also slides back by a further 55 mm, with increased reclining setting for maximised comfort while driving.
The new, tall style headlamps cast a significantly longer (167 m) and wider (8,4 m) beam pattern, making night driving much safer.
One of the distinct exterior features is the main rear-view mirror that is 10 mm taller and a newly added sub-mirror below it, which is convex-shaped to ensure a much wider field of vision, thus eliminating the blind spot in traffic.
The size of the side step for easy entry into the cabin has been increased for better footing. It now measures 350 mm x 103 mm, and the door now covers the step when closed.
The longer wheelbase of the new EX8 has increased its versatility as a load carrier and resulted in a longer deck (4 850 mm) that allows for more freight. The Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of the new EX8 is 7 800 kg versus 7 500 kg of Hyundai's main competitors, giving it a realistic 4-ton payload for the dropside version.
Various load-carrying options according to customers' demands are available, including a tipper conversion, closed bodies for secure transport of goods and the dropside body.
The D4DD 3 907 cc engine, which conforms to Euro 3 emission standards, has a common-rail diesel injection system that delivers maximum power of 103 kW at 2 800 r/min. Peak torque is 373 Nm, which is produced at a relatively low 1 600 r/min. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual synchromesh gearbox.
Hyundai's assembly plant on the East Rand in Gauteng started in 2014 and is now fully operational, assembling the EX8 and the H100 Bakkie. The plant has a land area of 32 000 m2 , with 19000 m2 under roof. The assembly plant is currently manned to produce over 400 units of the H100 and EX8 trucks per month.
Hyundai Automotive SA's Commercial Vehicle Division has its own truck body builder on site in Benoni that produces several standard and customized options according to the customer’s specifications. This includes van bodies, dropsides, tippers, tautliners, trailers and H100 tipper conversions. The truck body builder also does all kinds of repair work for customers.
"Hyundai's mission is to partner with customers to help them build their businesses by offering them good quality commercial vehicles that is suited for its specific purpose. We offer vehicles that are durable and reasonably priced, with generous warranties for peace of mind and low cost of ownership," says Griffin.
"We also have what we call trained transport solution consultants who will make sure that we offer the right vehicle to get the best return for your business."
"The durability and reliability of our drivetrains has also enabled us to launch the EX8 with a warranty of 4 years, with unlimited mileage. We also offer a 3 year / 200 000 km roadside assistance plan as part of the standard package," says Griffin.
Pricing
| EX8 LWB CC | R379 500 (excl. VAT) |
| EX8 LWB CC (with aircon) | R394 500 (excl. VAT) |
| EX8 Dropside | R413 100 (excl. VAT) |
| EX8 Dropside (with aircon) | R428 100 (excl. VAT) |
| EX8 SWB Tipper | R451 500 (excl. VAT |
Driving Impressions
Marketing speak that goes with the launch of almost every bakkie on the market claims ‘car-like cabin’ as part of the mix, however, it would be an applicable descriptor for the EX8. The extra wide opening door makes ingress easy and it is easy to find the perfect seating position thanks to the multiple movement options on the steering column.
The driver’s seat is comfortable and, while this is mainly a fairly short-haul worker, long trips would not be an arduous task. The cabin materials look and feel classy and the dash is laid out for perfect visibility, irrespective of the driver’s seat position. All switches and levers fall easily to hand.
The dogleg five-speed gear lever is centrally mounted and comfortably positioned for short or tall drivers, with the change action smooth and positive.
Launched at the multi-corner tight motorcycle racing circuit, Red Star Raceway, the profusion of tight and open turns provided ample opportunity to test the agility of the EX8, while a quick reverse slalom through a set of cones confirmed the usefulness of the lower mirror.
Cabin noise remains muted even when the engine is revved hard and the hydraulically actuated drum brakes work well to bring it to a controlled straight-line stop.