Isuzu D-Max clocks 1,500km in one tank
The various pick-up trucks in our market are each celebrated for their respective strengths. The Ranger is known for being tough; the Triton is acclaimed as being the most civilized of the lot; the Navara boasts the most powerful engine (even the detuned model); and the Hilux, well, is popular simply by being a Toyota. In this company, the Isuzu D-Max finds its place with fuel efficiency as its key strength.
While the D-Max does not have class leading outputs to boast from either its 2.5 or 3.0-litre engines, Isuzu is extremely proud of its fuel economy, a virtue that is heavily touted in most of the truck’s promotional materials. It is a claim that they are also very happy to back up with action.
After introducing the 3.0-litre Super Commonrail model in 2007, Isuzu personnel, among other drives attempted, drove one unit from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, clocking 1,501km in a single tank of diesel. Having recently launched the new 2.5-litre Super Commonrail model powered by the 114hp / 280Nm 4JK-1 powerplant, Isuzu Malaysia was keen to attempt an economy run once again to see how far can they stretch it.
Sometime about a month or two ago, we don’t know for sure when, Isuzu sent the new 2.5-litre 4×4 Manual up to Bangkok with the mission of doing a one-tank run from the Thai capital city to Malacca, covering a distance of some 1,600km. To make things interesting, a unit each of the 3.0-litre 4×4 Single Cab and 3.0-litre 4×2 Automatic Double Cab tagged along to attempt the run as well.
“We decided to really see how we could prove the capabilities of Isuzu engineering by putting the load-bearing Single Cab model and the city-dwelling 3.0-litre Auto into the equation,” said Product Manager of Isuzu Malaysia Wan Zaqi Zacary.
Isuzu did not invite members of the press to tag along this latest Dura-Miles Challenge, but a technical officer from the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) was present to monitor all aspects of the run and inspect the vehicles to ensure that they were stock standard and ran according to factory specifications. All potential refueling points were sealed and the observer’s task was also to ensure that the run was conducted at a reasonable pace.
Just how fast was it deemed reasonable? Well, the trucks drove the entire journey with their air-conditioning switched on, and when permitted by traffic conditions, they maintained speeds of 80kph as much as possible. The idea was that the convoy achieve its mileage figures under conditions as close to real-world driving as possible, i.e. you and I can do it too!
At the end of a four-day journey, Isuzu Malaysia CEO Mr Takashi Hata was at Malacca to greet the convoy and break the seals to its fuel tank. The D-Max 2.5 did the journey consuming 73.7 litres, while the 3.0 Single Cab consumed 71.6 litres. The 3.0 4×2 auto model used 75.1 litres; Isuzu’s official specs list the D-Max’s tank capacity as 76 litres, so it must have been nerve-wrecking last few kilometres in that particular car.
“It is astonishing to see just how far a D-Max can go when driven conscientiously. While this Dura-Miles Challenge was a test to explore the limits of the vehicle’s range, Isuzu D-Max customers are always reporting great savings on their fuel bills when they switched from other vehicles,” said Hata.
Pictures: Official Isuzu release.
