TESTLONG-TERM
88 SEPTEMBER 2019 leisurewheels.co.za
This page: For
her first road
trip, we took
Suzie all the
way to the
Mapungubwe
National Park
where she
got to hang
around with
elephant,
check out
some beautiful
baobabs and
appreciate
a spectacular
sunset.
Hey Suzie
is a heavy-duty towbar that allowed us
to hook up a Thule Euroride bike rack
for safe and convenient transportation
of the mountain bikes to the event.
Our test unit is fitted with a set of
General Grabber all-terrain tyres that
offer a slightly more aggressive tread
pattern and allow the D-Max to
traverse all road surfaces with ease
without any of the tyre roar often
associated with mixed surface tyres.
The Isuzu is a comfortable highway
cruiser and used, on average, 10.55
litres/100km as we headed towards the
northern borders of South Africa with
the cruise control set to the speed limit
to avoid the many flocks of
constabulary on the N1 to Polokwane.
Suzie is already a valuable member
of the Leisure Wheels team and we
look forward to getting to know her
intimately over the next couple of
months as we embark on numerous
adventures across Southern Africa.THE Isuzu KB has been a household
name in the commercial and leisure
vehicle markets over the past 40 years
(and six generations) as it continually
offers built-in-Africa durability and
reliability. Isuzu’s bakkie range
consistently occupies third place in
the South African bakkie race with
monthly sales of around 1 400 units
across all derivatives.
Late last year, the KB name was
dropped in favour of D-Max badging.
The name change to D-Max brought
the bakkie in line with global markets
while retaining the proven qualities
that have underlined its success.
Along with that name change were
some subtle styling tweaks and an
upgraded, more premium interior
with enhanced infotainment features.
The 3.0 LX now also incorporates
significant drivetrain enhancements
with the adoption of a six-speed
transmission in both the automatic
and manual models. These gearboxes
have done a lot to improve overall
performance, efficiency and
refinement when compared to the
previous five-speed units.
Styling changes on the LX range
include a chrome radiator grille and
tapered chromed accents extendingacross the full length of the sleeker
L-shaped headlight clusters. Inside,
there are now soft-touch panels and a
high-quality grain for the dashboard
and door trims along with a piano
black finish on the air vent grilles and
window switches.
Keeping passengers entertained
is the optional Alpine infotainment
system which features a high-
mounted nine-inch screen that is
digital audio broadcast ready. It
provides access to built-in navigation,
as well as USB, Aux and HDMI video
inputs and is Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto-ready.
We are excited to welcome the
Isuzu D-Max 3.0-litre LX Auto to our
long-term fleet. Shortly after the
bakkie arrived, we loaded up and
headed north to the Mapungubwe
Nature Reserve for the Tour de Tuli
mountain-bike event.
Our Isuzu came fitted with a stylish
Beekman canopy and this allowed for
safe storage of all our camping and
cycling gear, something that is
unfortunately necessary in order to
avoid reappropriation of your
belongings whenever you stop for a
coffee or nature break.
Standard fitment on the LX modelsThe double-cab bakkie war is a fierce one but while Toyota and Ford have
been fighting for dominance for the past few years, there’s another contender
that has been quietly going about its business successfully.
ISUZU D-MAX 300 LX
AUTO 4× 4
Mileage at start: 2 934km
Mileage: 4 052km
Average consumption: 10.55 litres/100km
Tank size: 80 litres
Distance per tank: 758kmTHE GOOD:
High level of standard
equipment
THE BAD:
Nothing yet