PETALING JAYA: Three units of the latest Isuzu D-Max successfully drove an astonishing 2,000km using only the contents of its 76-litre fuel tank.
The feat underlines the fuel efficiency prowess of these pick-up trucks that previously completed the journey from Bangkok to Singapore, a distance of 1,809km, with one tank of diesel.
More recently, the company successfully drove a 1.9-litre Single Cab model loaded with a tonne of weight, clocking over 1,000km using just its single tank of fuel despite climbing three mountains, each measuring over 1,000 metres in elevation.
This time, Isuzu Malaysia’s Dura Miles Challenge tested the capabilities of three units – the 1.9-litre 4x2 Auto Plus model, the 1.9-litre 4x4 Auto Premium and the top-of-the-line 3.0-litre 4x4 X-Terrain model by driving them from the central Thai town of Phitsanulok, 300km north of Bangkok to Klang, Selangor.
This was the first time the company had put the new third-generation D-Max to the test.
The 2024 D-Max models feature updated Euro 4 engines.
The epic feat was witnessed by a technical steward from the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) who sealed the fuel tanks.
It also earned the D-Max a place in the Malaysian Book of Records for the "Longest Distance Driven In A Pick-up Truck With A Single Tank Of Fuel".
Speaking at the arrival of the vehicles at the new Ultra Gallant Isuzu 3S Centre in Klang, Selangor after completing its 2,000km journey, Isuzu Malaysia CEO Shunsuke Okazoe said the achievement underlined Isuzu’s amazing engineering capabilities in developing Blue Power diesel engines.
“While we do not expect every customer to drive their Isuzu vehicles 2,000km on a single tank of fuel, it clearly demonstrates the level of engineering that goes into every Isuzu vehicle to even make a feat of this magnitude a possibility,” said Okazoe.
At the ceremony, Okazoe joined Isuzu Malaysia light commercial vehicle division COO Kenkichi Sogo to receive the certificate of completion from MAM’s secretary general SN Nanthan and steward Muhd Siraj and the certificate of achievement from The Malaysian Book of Records’ officers Edwin Yeoh and Mohd Nazrul.
An elated Sogo said that the achievement represented a win for every D-Max owner.
“With the rising costs of various daily items including the price of diesel, those who use the D-Max in their daily operations will truly benefit from its cost-saving character.
“Whether it is conquering the jungle trails of Sabah in the Borneo Safari, bringing families and loved ones home safely and comfortably or speedily delivering goods to its destination, the D-Max displays the prowess to handle it all with ease,” said Sogo.
