We can’t blame the big wheels at the Isuzu Philippines Corp., a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors of Japan, if they seem flushed with pride after unveiling an admirable display of five new lines of trucks during the three-day Truck Fest held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
The first-day hype sparked a surge of interest within the truck world turf which wanted to scour for a more diverse range of trucking options: neck-steady strength to meet maximum payload conditions for long stretches of miles, style, the latest safety technology, dependability and comfort during those punishing long hours of rough driving. The new Isuzu trucks — N-Series Light-Duty trucks, F-Series Medium-Duty trucks, the C&E-Series Heavy-Duty trucks, QKR Light trucks, and the D-Max Pick-up trucks (soon to roll out of IPC’s Laguna plant—from what first-day visitors saw, might just galvanize a stampede to IPC distributors nationwide.
The latest lines of Isuzu trucks boast a high IQ resulting from a totally reengineered and redesigned hauling machines equipped with the most advanced technology expected from a powerful truck. Consider these breakthroughs. The N-Series Light-duty trucks — NLR77 Flexitruck, NLR85 Refrigerated Van, NMR85 Aluminum Van, NQR75 Dropside, NKR71 N-Cool Ref Van, and Fruehauf Ref Body Cut-away —pack a GVW from 4,490 kg to 8,500 kg with a rear body length from 10ft to18ft. They run on Euro IV Compliant Blue Power Diesel engine that delivers maximum power output with high fuel efficiency and emission, and has a reinforced chassis frame, an all-new cab design, improved aerodynamics cab, spacious leg room, power door locks with vertical door handling for uncomplicated ingress and egress, power windows, and high visibility meters.
The F-Series Medium-Duty trucks — FVR34 Cab and Chassis, FVR34 Dropside with crane, FSR34 Flatbed, and FVM34 Fruehauf Wing van — come with Euro 10 Compliant BluePower engine. Their GVW, from 10,600 kg to 26,000kg and rear body length of 20ft to 32ft can easily take on a heavy payload and still look good on the road. Aside from a reinforced chassis frame, the F-Series trucks have a new front grille design, high-axle capacity, plus all the other N-Series feature, and engines so installed for easy access during maintenance.
The C&E Series Heavy-duty trucks should have IPC competitors biting their fingernails up to their cuticles. One of the splendors of the Truck Fest, the C&E Series — CYZ52 Dump truck, EXR52 Tractor head with fuel tank trailer, and EXZ52 Truck head — is definitely the capstone of the exhibit, the reason for the big commotion and second looks, the jumbo-hearted Isuzu trucks equipped with the same eco-friendly diesel technology, with a GVW starting from 32,000 kg to 41,000 kg.
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hese muscle trucks feature anti-lock braking system, an easy coupler attachment, electronic tilting cab, quick-access front panel, air condition, air suspension seats specially tailored to not give the driver a sore backside, audio, full-coverage wipers on an expansive windshield to let the driver read the road in whichever way he may be heading, and multi-leaf suspension among other upgrades.
Also on display were the QKR Light-truck Series and the D-Max Pick-up trucks.
It used to be that trucks merely hauled and carried things — cement bags, sacks of rice, goods, motorcycles and cars. Now, truckers are more confident that their shipments will arrive on time, on the exact day as promised and in perfect shape. The new Isuzu trucks may not transform the trucking world but we expect them to be a revitalized segment in the truck market