Bigger and more aggressive than its rivals, it has grown in every dimension, stru!
After spending some time behind the wheel of a 4×4 double cab while traversing to my village in North West, a variety of routes and tracks in and around muddy and gravel road village, would appear that the wait has been worth it.
The fact that it is also locally produced would encourage locals to have a go at it…
It comprises of a typical bakkie shape: a cab in front, a load bay at the rear. The front-end is dominated by a bold, broad-framed grille, finished in contrasting black, in more subtle colour-coded form, or in eye-searing, blingy chrome, depending on the model. A lower air intake provides further visual aggression.
Aggression, it showed on the gravel and for once, cows and donkeys were smitten!
The extended wheel arches add muscle and dimension to the otherwise functional profile, while also providing plenty of space for the various wheel and tyre combinations and the extended suspension travel of the 4×4 models.
It is complemented by 130 kw @ 3,600rpm power and 380Nm@1,800rpm torque.
Inside, (although plastic) the cabin finds a good balance between smart and practical. The dashboard layout is modern and accessible, with just enough tech to remind you that this is a 21st-century bakkie.
The only snag is the interior quality, though. The dashboard’s styled with a modern flair that matches the exterior’s aggressive look, but all the plastic, and there’s lots of it, feels a little ‘cheap and hollow’.
Isuzu KB comes with in-line four-cylinder engine 2,999cc, turbodiesel and a five-speed gearbox manual.
It can be recommended for family, work or an outing with the boys at the back, drinking down their sorrows with cold ones, singing who knows what?
Amen!
It retails for R464,400.
Verdict:
1-10 (Diesel) 7
1-10 (Performance) 5
