Well, if you’ve ever wanted to find out more about one of the most invisible heroes on our roads, welcome to our review of a Toyota Dyna. When we were given an opportunity to review one, we simply couldn’t say no. For starters, lorries are perhaps one of the most utilitarian vehicles on the roads – they’re made to serve their utilitarian purposes and getting the job done, and serve none of our hedonic needs. They ply our streets all day and night, they’re everywhere, but we hardly ever pay attention and notice them.

Let’s start with a little history lesson. The Toyota Dyna has been around as early as the mid 1950s, when some Toyota models were sold under the Toyopet nameplate, and was called the Toyopet Route Truck. The mid-sized lorry was renamed Toyota Dyna in 1959, and the name has stuck since.

Six generations later, the Dyna is how we know it today. Initially launched in 2000, the Dyna shares many components with the Hino Dutra, a company that Toyota has a majority stake in. Over the years, the Dyna has been updated to keep up with the times – a Euro IV compliant engine was fitted in 2006.

The Dyna’s appearance has pretty much remained unchanged since its initial launch in 2000, other than a mild facelift in 2007 that saw a change in the move incorporating the Toyota emblem into the grille.

Climb into the cabin of the Dyna, and well, the first thing one will realise is the tall driving position and the expansive view from the windscreen. You sit inches from the upright windscreen, and while the driver’s seat slides back and forth, the adjustments are really minute.

The bench seats provide no lateral support, instead your seatbelt and the grab handles on the door are the best tools to keep yourself in your seat while taking a corner quickly.

The interior is admittedly sparse, there’s an air conditioning, a simple radio and two low-end speakers, and that’s really about all the toys you have. But they’re all very well built. The dash is made of hardy plastics that will stand the test of time, and abuse, very well.

The 3-litre turbodiesel unit is Euro IV compliant, and produces 142bhp and 300Nm of torque – you’ll need all that torque when the truck’s fully laden. What the interior lacks in terms of toys, is made up for by the view out from the windscreen and experience on being on the seat.

The steering wheel is pretty much upright and almost perpendicular to your body, pretty much like in a bus. The rear-wheel driven truck steers predictively and there’s feedback from the wheel, surprisingly.

While you may not be driving fast, you feel like you’re going quickly, the 5 speed manual gearbox has a long throw, but it’s responsive and the excellent torque form the engine provides great pull from the get go. With the engine vibrating and spinning hard under your seat combined with the feel that you’re going quickly, it’s a rather interesting sensation.

The Toyota Dyna is not to be judged in this review, but rather to provide an insight to the driving experience of a truck. Businesses will likely judge the truck based on its loading capacity, reliability, and running costs, which the Dyna delivers extremely well. This explains their ubiquity on our roads, and the reliance of so many businesses upon these earnest and industrious workhorses.

Car review sponsored by: Autolink Holdings

Credits: Oneshift Editorial Team