KOTA KINABALU : The Isuzu D-Max 3.0 litre iTEQ Super Commonrail has done it again, this time pushing its limits in extreme off-road conditions at the recent 2007 International 4X4 Borneo Safari challenge.

Sponsored by Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd for the media car in one of the most renowned off-road events in the country, the D-Max has indeed performed beyond expectation - be it in deep and swift river crossing, deep and slippery ruts, steep hill climb on muddy stretches, or slippery, tricky descents.

One might ask whether the D-Max, specially flown from Kuala Lumpur days before the Borneo Safari, underwent total modification specifically for the event: Not true. The engine, gearbox and axles remain standard, and the only changes are the front and rear bumper fitted with a Warn winch, a slight body lift to fit the 32-inch extreme off-road tyres, and a snorkel.

The D-Max proudly paraded through long line of enthusiasts during the flag-off and went in nicely and came out in one piece without even minor problems - thus proving its quality, durability, torque, off-road abilities, superb accceleration (on 4X4 low four), and garnering applause from bystanders during some of the tougher obstacles in the event.

Needless to say, the 3-litre Super commonrail engine offers the optimum balance of power, refinement and fuel economy compared to the other four wheel drives.

The D-Max had to be on par with the rest of the heavily modified four wheel drives including all the super spec competition vehicles when going through the off-road stretches, having to rev up to more than 3,500 RPM over adverse and almost impossible terrain, but it tackled them without problems despite a few instances whereby having to use its own winch to get out of the ruts.

It was really amazing for the D-Max to prove its critics wrong as initially many thought it might face some problems: the bigger, fully-equipped media vehicles assigned to support the D-Max had little to do.

The achievement of the D-Max in Borneo Safari, arguably one of the toughest off-road events, was truly yet another milestone to showcase its off-road capabilities, and a testament to the 3.0-litre Super Commonrail engine, a true inflation beater in fuel economy.

There are no words to describe how well the D-Max performed throughout the event which was initially planned to traverse over Sabah's long abandoned timber tracks and rainforest covering 1000km. But having lost their way, the convoy was forced to shorten the distance using an alternative route that turned out to be even tougher.

A thumbs-up for the Isuzu D-Max all the way for proving its fuel economy qualities, having been pushed to its limit over harsh terain and very deep river crossings. The power that every driver wants to feel especially when engaged in 4X4 low gear, comes with sheer responsive capabilities.

Congratulations to D-Max and Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd: the D-Max 3.0 litre TEQ I Super Commonrail has proven its all-round capabilites beyond doubt.

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