Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain, towing in comfort

Hi all, we’ve just had the pleasure of picking up our new Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain from Bundaberg Motor Group, or BMG as its locally known.

I was so impressed by the service and the sales staff’s knowledge.

We knew what we required in the vehicle, so when we were in Brisbane, we spoke to several dealerships… to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

All were quick to point out they’d supply the vehicle standard and that it was up to us to take care of the outside after-market products.

With so much advertising promoting the D-Max as a towing vehicle, you’d have thought some of our wish-list items would have been optional extras.

Fortunately, BMD bent over backwards to have everything we needed fitted to the vehicle and kept the project progressing under their watchful eyes and quality control.

When you walk into a dealership and begin discussing your needs and the salesperson sitting across from you is all over it, you know you’re in the right establishment.

The new Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain had a lot of features we wanted already built-in as standard and after our 12-month trip around Queensland – 95 percent off-grid and bush camping – we knew what was important to us and the equipment we needed.

We’re getting ready to undertake another adventure, and this time I reckon we’ll shed a good 200kg of unnecessary junk.

 

Cutting to the chase, Tonia and I walked into BMG to pick up our vehicle – fitted out by both BMG and A2Z 4X4 Accessories.

It’s so satisfying when you look over every bit of work and nothing looks like an add-on.

Internal switches looked as if they were part of the original interior.

The colour-coded Ironman 4×4 bull bar may have been a bit pretentious but wow, it looks a treat – matching the standard of the under-body protection supplied on all X-Terrain models.

Clearview Accessories Next Generation Towing Mirrors are the ultimate electric side mirrors – enhancing all-round visibility with a split screen on each side, which offer different perspectives of the rear view.

The simple Lightforce Australia 20” light bar was all we’ll need for our country night-driving.

Even travelling at night a stone’s throw from our home requires an additional light source because of the local kangaroo population and occasional stray bovine.

Having the Redarc braking system with all the wiring and Anderson plugs to our specifications completed made turning the key to drive out of the showroom a pleasure.

We were walked through our extras, as well as how to make the most of the vehicle’s standard features.

After our experience with our old D-Max LS-M, we had no hesitation in purchasing Isuzu again.

I’ve kept the LS-M – mainly due to the kilometres on the speedometer.

 

It’s given us 400,000km of trouble-free reliability and if you were looking, an oil leak could not be found in the beast, even though it’s been used as a workhorse it’s entire life.
Funny how a car can bring so many memories to mind.

Two of the door panels still show the scarred dents from an angry bull who was indignant at the use of our car horn to entice him off a track.

A near miss with a herd of camels when travelling along a dirt track west of Mount Isa springs to mind.

I remember manoeuvring the caravan and truck in some extremely dangerous situations, when we pushed everything to their limits.

Have to laugh, particularly when we had a property owner ask, “How the hell did you reverse and turn that caravan around on that steep muddy slope?”

In hindsight, we must have come close to rolling the whole rig, though I did ask my wife to leave the car and stand clear as we inched ourselves out of trouble.

Believe me, I don’t consider myself the most experienced off-roader, however I’ve always felt the D-Max carried us well beyond my capabilities.

If I was calm, steady and thinking laterally, the truck always responded and did what it was asked.

When you have those memories, it’s very hard to look at any other brand.

I’m praying the new X-Terrain gives us the same reliability and performance.

So far, we’re off to a great start, with our first ever automatic transmission in a four-wheel-drive.

As a passenger in a manual vehicle, I can be a little critical when it comes to the driver’s choice of gear selection while towing, so with tongue in cheek, the auto should improve our overall travelling relationship.

Driving long distances can be hard on the body, so in the old truck I always used a back support supplied by a local physio – but I cannot believe how good the X-Terrain seats are!

With power lumbar selection, they give great support, helping to make sitting for long periods easy and ergonomically comfortable.

A fractured neck and lasting nerve damage have left me extremely discerning when it comes to the correct sitting position for myself.

Additional technology including adaptive cruise control, distance sensors, lane assist, blind spot monitoring and a host of other special features are all built into this impregnable Isuzu truck.

You’ll see our new X-Terrain in some of our stories in coming months and we’ll let you know if it continues to deliver as well as our good old D-Max LS-M did.