Isuzu brings offroad driving thrills to Bacolod

First was Pampanga, followed by Cebu. From May 23 to 25, Bacolod took its turn as the venue for the third leg of the 2014 Isuzu D-Max 4×4 Drive Series.

This brings to more than a thousand the number of people who have test-driven the latest D-Max pickup in specially designed offroad tracks.

In the driving event, participants were able to experience and were amazed at the offroad capabilities of the D-Max 4×4 in the challenging stations that comprised the course at the grounds near the Saint Pope John Paul Memorial Tower at Rizal Street corner Simplicio Palanca Avenue (at the back of SM) in Bacolod City. This year’s holding of the      D-Max 4×4 Drive Series in Bacolod marked the third time that the event came there, following those that were held in 2008 and 2010.

Similar to the earlier Pampanga and Cebu editions, the stage held at the City of Smiles demonstrated to the participants the advantages offered by four-wheel-drive vehicles. It also gave them the opportunity to learn some of the special driving skills required when traversing rough terrain. Teaching them were instructors who are experts at offroad driving.

The experience gave participants an idea of the real-world applications of four-wheel-drive vehicles like the D-Max 4×4. Bacolod, home of the famous Masskara Festival, is also known for its sugarcane plantations. Almost all of the province’s agricultural land is planted with sugarcane, with the rest planted with coconut, banana, rice and other crops. Traversing this landscape means a pickup is an ideal vehicle, especially 4x4s which can handle rough terrain.

This makes the latest D-Max perfect for the job. Isuzu’s latest pickup has a new suspension system composed of independent double wishbone with coil springs in front and semielliptical over-slung leaf springs in the rear, making it capable of carrying a heavy payload. It also boasts of one of the highest ground clearances among pickups with a 235-millimeter height for the LS 4×4 and 225 mm for the LT 4×4 variants.

Boosting the offroad capability of the D-Max is Isuzu’s new 4WD Terrain Command Select Dial that allows the driver to switch from two-wheel-drive to four-wheel-drive high even while traveling at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. The pickup has a 30-degree approach angle, a 22.7-degree departure angle, and can be tilted sideways on a 49-degree slope. It is equipped with a Limited Slip Differential, which lets it pass over any obstacle.

Numerous obstacles also littered the special offroad track that duplicated Bacolod’s geography. These included 40-degree hill climb done in first gear and in second gear; 40-degree hill climb with a stall midway up; 40-degree descent without braking; lateral climb mount; driving over “elephant holes”; tackling trail ruts; camber right and camber left sides up in 40-degree angles; traversing a roundabout cone; lateral descent ditch crossing; driving over cross axle articulation rails; and going on a steel inclined plane with rollers.

“It is notable that Bacolod has always been included in our D-Max 4×4 Drive Series since it was first held in 2008,” Isuzu Philippines executive vice president Takashi Tomita said at the event’s opening.

After the Bacolod leg, Isuzu will hold the D-Max 4×4 Drive Series in Cagayan de Oro City on June 6 to 8, and in Davao City on June 20 to 22.