- Cabover bakkies aren’t as popular as traditional single-cabs.
- But they do offer a lot of loadability for a lot less money. Making them ideal for urban logistics.
- Most South African bakkie buyers only know the Suzuki Super Carry, as a compact cabover bakkie. But all of a sudden, everyone knows the Ashok Leyland Dost.
Bakkies are central to South Africa’s automotive market and the country’s economy. The Hilux is South Africa’s most popular vehicle. Period. And bakkies of all shapes, sizes, and powertrain types work across South Africa’s most important industrial sectors, urban and rural, to make the economy work.
Strangely, one of the most capable real-world bakkie types, is also the least known. The cabover bakkie. With it’s cab mounted over the engine. That means you get all the load capacity in a much shorter overall length, which matters for urban deliveries and depots, where turning conditions can be very tight.
What is a cabover bakkie?
South Africans have never really taken to cabover bakkies. But they are very popular in Asia. Why? Because Asian cities and industrial zones are heavily trafficked and have constrained road infrastructure. That’s where the cabover bakkie’swheel cut and steering angle really matter.
The one cabover bakkie known to South Africans is from one of the country’s most popular brands: Suzuki. The Super Carry is Suzuki’s cabover with tiny wheels and a tiny engine, but an 850kg load capacity. But it doesn’t have any airbags…
But what if there was a cabover bakkie that could carry more than 1t? Surely, that would be what South Africans really want? Something that’s easier to turn in a tight space and can carry more than a traditional single-cab Hilux? Well, there is.
Vehicles go viral on the internet for all manner of reasons, but unquestionably the most viral vehicle of 2026, so far, has been the little-known Ashok Leyland Dost. If you didn’t follow the backstory, just search 'Ashok Leyland Dost' on your social media platform of choice...
Works harder than a 1t bakkie - for less
The Dost is essentially an upsized version of the Super Carry cabover bakkie concept. Rightized for South African loads. Like the Super Carry, it’s very cheap, but unlike the Suzuki, this Indian-sourced cabover bakkie is available with a diesel engine. And South African bakkie buyers, are all about diesel-fuelled vehicles.
Ashok Leyland launched the Dost in 2023, and unlike most other vehicles in the market, it’s been an anti-inflation hero. Why? It’s more affordable now than it was in 2023. That’s usually a sign of swelling inventory and low sales. So, if you want a bargain cabover bakkie, you’ll be paying less for a new Dost now than you’d have paid in 2023, when it was launched.
Specifications are interesting. Like most Indian sourced commercial vehicles, the spec is very sparse. Driver comfort is a fringe concept, with the Dost not even having air conditioning. You know it’s utilitarian when Ashok Leyland’s marketing material only lists power steering and a 12V power outlet as ‘features’.
But this cabover bakkie isn’t about comfort or cosmetics. It’s all about moving things, very cheaply. And you can’t argue with the 1250kg payload. That’s more than any Hilux or Ranger single-cab bakkie, all of which cost nearly three times the Dost’s R179 900 retail price.
Buy a quality new or used Ashok Leyland Dost on ChangeCars
A very unstressed diesel
And then there’s the engine. It’s a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder turbodiesel. And it’s very low-tech, which means that things like sophisticated emission control systems, hypersensitive control software, AdBlue, and premature timing belt wear won’t be an issue. This is an old-school turbodiesel engine designed for utility and durability. And ideal for South African conditions and poor quality local diesel fuel.
The Dost’s engine outputs are very low for a 1.5-litre turbodiesel. It has only 44kW and 159 Nm, but that 159 Nm torque peak is enough to haul 1250kg in its loadbed. But those numbers are enough, for a real bakkie workhorse.
If you have encyclopedic knowledge of bakkies in the South African market, you’ll also know that 159Nm isn’t too far off the peak torque output of the Isuzu 2.5-litre naturally aspirated diesel engines of the 1990s. These powered the KB250 models and were among the most trusted and proven single-cab diesel delivery bakkies ever sold in South Africa.
It might not be comfy. But as recent social media video events have proven, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Dost’s ladder frame’s strength or integrity. And if you need to move more than 1t at a time and don’t want to overpay for a Hilux or Ranger single-cab, then the Dost is a legitimate bargain. Just keep calm if someone happens to park you in.
Buy a quality new or used Ashok Leyland Dost on ChangeCars
Buying Guide insights by Lance Branquinho
