A Little Fuel Goes A Long Way For ISUZU D-MAX Owners
Dura-Miles Challenge proves prowess of the pick-up truck

3rd July 2008

In these economically-trying times, Isuzu D-Max owners seem to drive their vehicles with a little more pride, knowing that their wise purchase decision has left them with more money in their pocket to spend.

This sentiment was unanimously echoed by winners of the recent Dura-Miles Challenge Kuching where 32 Isuzu D-Max owners pitted their vehicles and their driving skills against each other to determine who could make their D-Max sip the least amount of diesel along a 120km route.

Owners gathered at Isuzu’s authorised dealer Rhino Motors in Kuching and after an intense scrutineering session where five Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) officers sealed off all possible refuelling points and checked for fuel-saving devices, participants then embarked on their quest to the town of Serian and back before their fuel readings and samples were taken.

The eventual winners achieved an amazing 44.89km per litre driving a 2.5-litre D-Max while the winner of the 3.0-litre category achieved 49.71km per litre further underlining the prowess of the Super Commonrail engine. On average, the competitors returned with a consumption of just 39.7km per litre having used 3.03 litres, a remarkable feat considering that most drivers had never competed in a contest of this nature before.

“I didn’t do anything special. I just drove carefully and patiently and did not accelerate or brake too abruptly,” said Rosman Yong, runner-up of the 2.5-litre D-Max category who regularly drives his D-Max from Kuching to his hometown of Keningau in Sabah. “With the D-Max, I can almost halve my fuel bills compared to my previous saloon car,” said another owner.

The event organised by Isuzu Malaysia not only sought to highlight the tremendous fuel-saving capabilities of the Isuzu D-Max, but to also educate owners on how best to stretch their Ringgit in light of the global trend of rising fuel costs.

“Higher fuel prices will be something the world needs to come to terms with but that doesn’t mean we need to spend a lot of money paying our fuel bills. With proper education, the right attitude and the ideal vehicle, you can stretch refuelling intervals and find those extra savings put aside for other purposes,” said CEO of Isuzu Malaysia Kyoya Kondo.

According to him too, Isuzu’s leading position at the cutting edge in diesel engine technology has resulted in vehicles that provide the optimum balance between performance, durability, reliability and of course, fuel efficiency.

“Isuzu draws heavily from its heritage of building and developing diesel engines. The core of our business is centred on making vehicles that exploit the remarkable capabilities of our engines to optimally provide vehicles that are more than capable of satisfying all the demands of our customers,” added Kondo.