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Review on Ashok Leyland Dost

Ashok Leyland,one of the leading brands of commercial vehicle joined hands with Nissan and introduced segment splitting product Dost for experiencing delightful ride. Whatever be the condition of the road,either the tough terrains,tight lanes,however be the payload,either bulgy or heavy,Dost is capable to face such challenges. Aspects like "Comfort" and "Efficiency" have also given importance while making up the Dost.

Build and styling:

Prominent front grille is not found,but as like that of other Ashok Leyland products,Dost also sports out company's flowing garland nose. It is quite strange that while most of the LCV boasts of flat front end,why does the Dost alone tend to possess the short nose?what the reason behind this cosmetic feature.When we probe into detail, the hidden secret gets spied out that it is not meant for cosmetic feature.The fact is that there lies a bar ,mounted to the ladder frame that act as a shield in case of collision. The headlamp gets the hockey shaped indicators with a clear lens unit. Dost has the highest payload capacity of 1.25 tonnes.Possessing a kerb weight of 1250 kg,Dost sits on the 14-inch alloy wheels with 185 section radial tyres as a standard.

In terms of efficiency, comfort and space ,no other LCV can’t beat Dost.It offers such a car-like comfort,low-turning radius and superior mileage. Quality of plastics that have been used and fit and finish are found to good that gives the effect of LCV. Interesting cue is the addition of extra seat that has been placed above the engine cover which when combined with the foldable front seats act as a flat bed for the driver to rest.For the first time,air-condition make its entry with teh Dost,that can't be seen in any other LCV.

Engine and performance:

Dost gets powered up by a 1.5L,common rail TDCR diesel engine delivering upto 58 HP @ 3,300 rpm of power and torque of 157.5 Nm @ 1,600.This mill gets mated to a 5-speed fully synchromesh gearbox. The engine has been refined to reduce the noise and sound to a greater extent.Dost scores high in the gearbox segment as the well positioned gearbox give raise to best-in-class quality.Power delivery is linear thus giving the driver an effortless ride. Further,ECU has been tuned with good low torque that comes in handy while driving. Handling dynamics are good. Usually LCV found to have leaf spring suspension. But, here Dost features out a unique double wishbone front suspension with a transverse leaf spring ,thus claiming to offer a combination of ruggedness of a leaf spring with the ride quality of an independent suspensions. Unlike other LCV ,the suspension setup that is found at the Dost is soft.With the aid of this suspension set-up, the poth holes and bumps are soaked up well.

Verdict:

Packed with good power,high load carrying capability and modern engine,it is priced between Rs4,29,859 and Rs 5,27,900,thus offering a great value for money. It really makes one-step ahead for LCV in India.