Ashok Leyland Dost: Variants Explained

Dost has emerged as a reliable, sold last-mile truck that becomes hugely popular among truck buyers in India. This ubiquitous truck now comes in as many as 5 different variants. Do you want to buy one? We explore all of them.  

Ashok Leyland’s Dost family of compact trucks need no introduction when it comes to their performance, versatility and reliability. Whilst the company has been late to the LCV party, nevertheless, the introduction of Dost in India’s last-mile cargo delivery segment became a legend within a short period, making it one of the key players in this growing segment of the industry. Today, Ashok Leyland has not only become among the prominent LCV players but it has been aggressively entering into rivals territory by expanding its portfolio with equally promising trucks. 

Taking into account the higher upside in India’s last-mile delivery segment, the small commercial vehicles category is likely to grow over the short to medium-term, thus offering huge prospects to truck makers. To cater to the expanding needs of customers, the Dost range of trucks has turned into a strong line-up offering variants at almost all key tonnage categories and fuel options. Ashok Leyland Dost is now available in as many as 5 different variants starting from 1000 kg payload to 1860 kg. Are you exploring a truck in the 1-2T payload category? We explain to you all the 5 variants which should make your decision ease. Let's get into it. 

Bada Dost

Ashok Leyland Bada Dost is the latest addition to the company’s promising LCV portfolio. This modern and stylish, elegant looking, strong and reliable truck you can buy in the price ranging between₹ 7.75 - ₹ 7.99 lakh.

With the introduction of the new Bada Dost- which is a bigger variant within the Dost family, Ashok Leyland now caters to all new customers in the higher bracket of LCVs. So if you’re aiming to expand your logistics and transport business, Bada Dost offers a lot of key performance characteristics, also gets a modern, comfortable cabin that makes it suitable for longer trips. 

Bada Dost gets the proven Ashok Leyland powertrain comprising a 1.5L, 3-cylinder diesel engine. The power figure is 80hp at a peak torque of 190 Nm, tuned to a fully synchronized, 5-speed, manual gearbox with a cable shift mechanism with PTO provision. 

Some of the comfort features include a spacious, elegant certified 3-seater, walkthrough cabin, ergonomically designed dash-mounted gear and controls, a comfortable drive with power steering & factory-fitted AC, large windscreen with panoramic view and a low turning circle radius. Bada Dost is available in standard cabin and chassis bodies and customized bodies such as high side, container, reefer, refuse collection options. 

Bada Dost is a premium truck with many segment-leading features and performance elements along with an aesthetically appealing look. 

Dost Plus

The Dost+ remains the mainstay of the Dost family that continues to appeal to wider customer needs. Dost + is available at an attractive price of ₹ 7.24 lakh. What makes Dost + special is its overall superior built quality, higher mileage and strong vehicle that make is one of the most reliable truck and takes on some of the heavy cargo & challenging operating conditions effortlessly.

You get the same proven powertrain consisting of 1.5 L, 3-cylinders, BS6 diesel engine with 1478 cc of displacement, and substantially higher power of 80HP and 190 Nm of torque. Dost+ is 2805 kg of gross weight vehicle and carries a rated payload of 1500 kg across any terrain. 

Dost Strong

There is another variant the Dost Strong a lower payload sibling of Dost + starting at a price of ₹ 6.68 lakh. Dost Strong comes from the same performance DNA of the Dost family of trucks that offer good mileage, comfortable cabin and sizable cargo deck to help you carry all kinds of logistics at highly competitive maintenance cost. 

Dost Strong is a 2590 gross vehicle weight truck and carries a rated payload of 1250 kg comprising voluminous, large or strong cargo quite effortlessly.

The Dost Strong powertrain includes a 1.5L, 3-cylinder, BS6 diesel engine with 1478 cc of displacement, producing 70hp of power at 170 Nm of torque. This engine is tuned to the fully synchromesh 5-speed manual gearbox. 

Dost Strong is equally capable of taking on highly congested city roads, tough semi-urban roads and the remotest parts of Indian villages. Dost Strong is effortless to drive, easy to navigate through all terrain and you can deliver cargo to the customer’s door-step quick and fast. 

Dost Lite

The Dost Lite is another variant within the Dost family of trucks that comes in three different trims levels such as LE, LS and LX, the Dost Lite offers you superior power and pickup, easy driving, greater comfort and a low turning radius to quickly move your cargo even in congested lanes or tight spots. 

Dost Lite is a 2590 kg gross weight truck that can carry a rated payload of 1250 kg. What you get on the Lite is the 1478cc engine that produces 70hp of power at a peak torque of 170Nm between 1600-2400 rpm range. It has a fully synchronized 5-speed manual gearbox with a cable gearshift. Dost Lite shares a lot of common aggregates and key performance characteristics of the Dost truck DNA. 

Dost CNG

For those customers looking for an affordable & environment-friendly last-mile truck, Ashok Leyland brings the new Dost CNG variant. The Dost CNG offers you 1208 kg of payload and fitted with the refined and efficient BS6 CNG powertrain. Carrying forward the same I-gen technology, Dost CNG is a good option for those customers who primarily wnat a truck for their urban last-mile cargo delivery business. 

The Dost CNG is available in two variants- LE and LS, both of them get the 1.5L, 3 cylinder BS6 CNG engine. The 1478cc engine produces 45hp of power at a peak torque of 105Nm between 1600-2000 rpm range. It has a fully synchronized 5-speed manual gearbox. 

Recognizing the growing potential of the light trucks market in India and the opportunity that it provides to not only gain market share but also expand the market by bringing segment-leading products. Clearly, Ashok Leyland has done so with the robust portfolio of LCV trucks. There is Dost for every customer's need now, and if you’re on the lookout for a truck to enhance your logistics business, just check out all the five variants before you decide which one suits your requirements the most. Remember, all the prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi, and they differ in every state and city. So, head to the nearest Ashok Leyland LCV dealership in your city or town to check them in and out!

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