I honestly don’t care how many times people say we’re ridiculous for road testing dual cab performance cars. This is South Africa, a country where we call blackouts load shedding and give the phenomenon cute little levels to mask its catastrophic failure. This is also where we use cookies like we’re participating in Street Outlaws 405 OKC. Battle of the Tanks People spend more on aftermarket accessories and performance upgrades for tanks and GTIs in Mzansi than on products and medical care. Roll your eyes as much as you like,…
I honestly don’t care how many times people say we’re ridiculous for road testing dual cab performance cars.
This is South Africa, a country where we call blackouts load shedding and give the phenomenon cute little levels to mask its catastrophic failure. This is also where we use cookies like we’re participating in Street Outlaws 405 OKC.
Battle of the Bakists
People spend more on aftermarket accessories and productivity enhancements for bakeries and GTIs in Mzansi than on groceries and healthcare.
Roll your eyes all you want, but you know it’s true. Stop at a traffic light in your double cab and the guy next to you in his will let you through. Guaranteed.
ALSO READ: WATCH: New Isuzu D-Max kills Hilux and Ranger at the drag strip
When towing your house on the open road, you’ll run into another guy towing his house, you know the personal satisfaction you get from pulling past him is real.
It’s also the reason why some manufacturers like Volkswagen and Mercedes are bringing cool 3.0-liter V6s to market with the Amarok and X-Class. And why Ford will bring a 3.0-liter V6 to market in its new Ranger and Raptor.
When it comes to life in the urban jungle, power and speed rule, which is what most top-end two-seater taxis end up doing.
Isuzu D-Max King of Strip
Enter the Isuzu D-Max in flagship automatic V-Cross 4×4 guise, which we drove to Gerotek to see how it would hold up against the competition when put to the test.
This all-new bakkie is Isuzu’s seventh generation double cab, said to bring the latest in refinement, quality, technology and efficiency to the market.
As mentioned, the D-Max V-Cross brings to market an upgraded 3.0-litre turbodiesel that offers 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque.
Ford’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo Ranger is stronger with 157kW/500Nm, as is Toyota’s 2.8-litre Hilux with 150kW/500Nm. But it is on paper. What happens on the road can sometimes be a different story.
All the usual suspects go from 0 to 100 km/h in the 12-second range. Surprise, surprise, but on paper the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross outgunned them all, showing them all a proper pair of clean heels when it came to leaving the traffic lights.
Not only did this Gqeberha-built bakkie sprint to 100km/h in just 10.59 seconds, it beat them in the real world at 60-100km/h and 60-140km/h with a time of 6.09 seconds. and 17.76 seconds, respectively.
So, now that we have a new ‘King of the Strip’, how has our Isuzu D-Max V-Cross fared in other areas?
In terms of style, I had a lot of people complementing our sides.
The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross is a handsome machine that also offers LED projector headlights and LED daytime running lights, LED edge lighting for the indicators on the mirror housings, LED combination taillights and integrated LED headlights. install a rear brake light.
READ ALSO: WATCH: The new Ford Ranger impresses on its debut in South Africa
Inside, you’re greeted with premium soft-touch materials and a combination of analog dials for the tachometer and speedometer, with a large 4.2-inch LCD multi-information display in the middle of both.
The 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system occupies a prominent position in the center stack and offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for seamless display of your connected smartphone.
Security has gone too far
The Isuzu D-Max V-Cross continued to impress and infuriate me at the same time with its safety features and smart driver assistance systems.
All brilliant in their execution and abilities, except for the lane departure prevention part, this feature made me believe in the afterlife.
When you’re pulling away and distracted by your smartphone or trying to cross a lane without showing which sports are our national, the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross reacts and aggressively pushes the steering wheel in the direction you need to go.
Well done, we need more rude awakenings like this. But not when you’re towing a 1.4-tonne racing car in the Free State.
Sometimes you need to give a big truck a little extra room and carefully head towards the outside lines on the road, the damn last thing you want is a tug of war with the steering wheel sideways about where you really want to take up space.
Our Isuzu D-Max V-Cross thought that under the truck was a great idea. I didn’t think it was such a good idea and got fed up with the arguments and eventually disabled the feature. Only to have it turn back on every time after turning off the bake. You just have to love technology.
Conclusion
In the coming months, we’ll see the all-new Ranger and Amarok hit the market with a whole new generation of technology on board, moving the gates once again.
Priced at R814 700 without any extras such as a lockable roller cover and easy-lift tailgate etc, this Isuzu D-Max V-Cross plays against the top end of the Ranger and Hilux offerings.
However, I still think it’s worth looking into as it’s very similar to what they offer now.
Isuzu D-Max road test data
model: Isuzu D-Max 3.0 TD V-Cross 4×4
Gear box: 6-speed automatic transmission
engine: 3.0-liter turbodiesel
Power: 140 kW at 3,600 rpm
Torque: 450 Nm at 1,600 – 2,600 rpm
License weight: 2,070 kg
Power to weight: 68 kW / Ton
From power to power: 47 kW / liter
0-100 km/h: 10.59 seconds
1/4 mile (402.34 m): 17.39 seconds @ 127.89 km/h
1/2 mile (804.68 m): 27.74 seconds at 149.68 km/h
1 km (1000 m): 32.33 seconds at 156.64 km/h
60-100 km/h: 6.09 seconds (in Drive Sport)
80-120 km/h: 8.18 seconds (in Drive Sport)
60-140 km/h: 17.76 seconds (in Drive Sport)
Claimed top speed: 175 km/h
Fuel consumption: Claimed 8.1 litres/100km (9.8 litres/test average)
Fuel tank size: 76 liters
Fuel range: Claimed 938 km (776 km on test)
CO2 emissions: 2121 g/km
Car odometer: 10,665 km
Temperature test: 6 degrees
Tire size: 265/60 R18
Tire brand: General Grabber AT3
Warranty: 5 years / 120,000 km
Service plan: 5 years / 90,000 km
Price from: R814 700
Test date: July 12, 2022
For more information on the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, visit the manufacturer’s website.
