Still Frontier Country Isuzu KB300 D-Teq I came to a pretty plausible conclusion as I winded my way down the Euphorbia-lined Blaukrans Pass towards Port Alfred.
Still Frontier Country Isuzu KB300 D-Teq I came to a pretty plausible conclusion as I winded my way down the Euphorbia-lined Blaukrans Pass towards Port Alfred.
I was relatively chuffed at myself as well for managing to fit some intellectual pondering into my day, even if it lasted only 10 seconds or so.
The question I posed was whether there is a place on earth where people are more diversely fanatical about pick-ups as South Africa?
I mean, to prove my point, we’ve even adopted a word used across 11 languages to accommodate our unique affiliation with the “bakkie”.
If you walked up to someone in a bar and said I drive a pick-up, chances are you’d leave considerably worse off than you were when you arrived.
People just won’t trust you. Leave the Yanks and the Aussies to fight over Chev and Ford. We’ve moved onwards here in the southern tip of Africa. Or so I thought until I arrived in Bathurst.
And mind you, one does not simply “arrive” in Bathurst. Usually I only “arrive” about 200m out of town, after driving straight through of course, in a plume of tyre smoke, grabbing reverse gear only to be reminded that things there haven’t changed in the last 50 years.
Bathurst to me is like the bakkie.
It’s been around a while and apart from adding a coil spring here, a turbo there and some shiny bits everywhere, nothing has really changed.
This brings me to the new Isuzu KB, in particular the 300 D-TEQ double cab. If one backtracks 25 years it’s hard to find any similarities between this vehicle and the old 250D’s of yesteryear.
However, it’s still an Isuzu. I will admit, the diesel clatter that became synonymous with Isuzu, has been dealt with, sufficiently.
Isuzu’s drove like passenger cars.
They didn’t roll around or bounce your liver out of place.
They may have made your ears bleed if you had a diesel and the only way to silence the clatter was to either switch it off or run out of diesel because you were never going to break it.
When Isuzu’s common rail diesel technology was introduced in the previous model, it received much acclaim.
The new car is considerably more quiet and spacious than its predecessor.
It certainly looks the part as well and when one considers 130kw and a pleasant 380nm of torque things are looking good for the KB.
There is no denying that within South Africa there is a bakkie hierarchy which presently exists between Toyota, Isuzu, VW, Ford and, on a good day, Nissan.
The two true veterans remain Toyota and Isuzu.
The Hilux has its work cut out to stay on top.
A facelift can only do one well for so long.
Rather strangely, VW is part of this list because of the Amarok which is by far the most comfortable and the best built bakkie.
But the only things that come in two litres are coke bottles and Amaroks.
Ford has been top of the charts for producing an all-round brilliant machine with the new Ranger making it arguably the best bakkie on the market.
It’s unfair, however, to deliver a judgement like that because the Isuzu puts up a noble fight.
It has a properly good engine with loads of grunt and minimal turbo lag.
The gearbox compliments the motor so well that once you’re in 5th, changing gear to overtake becomes an irrelevant task.
It looks as good as it feels to drive and being an Isuzu it is superbly comfortable, even in the back. And then there is the frugal nature of the thing.
The trip computer showed a constant consumption of between 8.5 and 9.5l per 100km.
That’s more economical than most humans.
My only real reservation is the plastics on the interior.
They feel terribly cheap and just don’t compliment the rest of the car. Inevitably the Isuzu is outclassed by the Ford.
But it has enough merit and pedigree to make it worth owning.
Perhaps it is worth noting that despite what the Toyota boys say, the Eastern Cape has always been Frontier country, Isuzu territory.
Quick Facts:
Isuzu KB 300 LX DTEQ 4×2
Engine2999c Common Rail Turbo Diesel
Power (Kw)130kw
Torque(NM)380nm
Fuel Consumption (per 100km)9.0l
Towing Capacity3500kg
Service Plan5 Year / 90 000km
Service Intervals15000km
Price as Tested R426 000 (Special Offer of only R375 000 currently available at Kenrich GM on KB Series )
Contact them on 046 6227312
Overall Rating: 7/10
