Category: Drive videos

Off-road with the Isuzu D-Max 4×4 LS-A 3.0L

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We try Isuzu’s off-road challenge with their just-introduced D-Max variant with the bigger 3.0L CRDi VGT turbodiesel.  Delivering peak power and torque of 160hp @ 3200rpm and 280lb-ft @ 1800~2200rpm, the new 2,994cc engine adds 27hp and 44lb-ft to the numbers of the former top-spec 2.5L engine.

The diesel’s not so high top-end reigns back the horsepower equation, but down low where you’d be for off-road crawls, that 280lb-ft of torque is equivalent to the pull of a plus-250hp petrol engine.  Hence the forced upshift into second gear for shallowing up the gear reduction on some of the obstacles–dialing back the torque multiplier for the tires to dig out more traction.

Off-road with the Isuzu mu-X 4×4 LS-A 3.0L

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We try Isuzu’s off-road challenge with their just-introduced mu-X variant with the bigger 3.0L CRDi VGT turbodiesel.  Delivering peak power and torque of 160hp @ 3200rpm and 280lb-ft @ 1800~2200rpm, the new 2,994cc engine adds 27hp and 44lb-ft to the numbers of the former top-spec 2.5L engine.

The diesel’s not so high top-end reigns back the horsepower equation, but down low where you’d be for off-road crawls, that 280lb-ft of torque is equivalent to the pull of a plus-250hp petrol engine.  Hence the forced upshift into second gear for shallowing up the gear reduction on some of the obstacles–dialing back the torque multiplier for the tires to dig out more traction.

The Tata Super Ace chassis with passenger body: a tough 18-seater truck with a van’s suspension

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We drive the Tata Super Ace chassis with passenger body, taking the compact, city-sized truck into the countryside to bring a busload of teaching volunteers on an outreach mission.  Stable at speed and packing a heavy payload, she can easily reach beyond 100km/h on the highway.  But where she really shines is on unpaved country roads where her capacity, and suspension, make the Super Ace a very neighborly hauler.

The 2015 Isuzu Crosswind XL: a basic ten-seater that’s a comfortable and competent soft-roader

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We drive the 2015 Isuzu Crosswind XL on unpaved, rain-swept roads. The base-variant XL is a ten-seat people mover that’s become ubiquitous as a “UV Express” transporter in urban settings.  But with its FlexRide suspension and high-walled 185/80 truck tires, the Crosswind XL turned out to be a comfortable and competent soft-roader, explaining its popularity among rural motorists.

Driving the BAIC A115 hatchback built on the Z-Platform of DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi

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We drive the top-spec BAIC A1 hatchback (called the E1 in some markets).  Built on the Z platform developed jointly by DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi, and powered by a Mitsubishi MIVEC made by a DaimlerChrysler subsidiary, the engineering of the defunct American-German and Japanese alliance still shines through on the China-made sub-compact.

Taking the Honda Brio DOWN and back UP the Tagaytay-Talisay Road

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HARD BRAKE, DOWNSHIFT, TURN IN:  We took a Brio AT variant down the winding Tagaytay-Talisay Road to see how well it could take the twisties with its D, D3, D2 and D1 drive modes.

SHIFT INTO D AND KEEP IT THERE:  Then we took the back UP to Tagaytay and found that the electronic shifter responds promptly to punching the gas pedal when in D, triggering a quick downshift for a timely torque boost on steep climbs.