“Oh, my Dark Horse”.
In my career as a Motoring scribe, I have driven some of the sharpest contenders in the bakkie segment and it is worthy to say that they all excelled at the tasks they were all subjected to.
However, it all depends on their appeal to certain owners and what their intended application is.
So, for the entire festive period, I spent a full month behind the wheel of the limited-edition Isuzu D-Max X-Rider Black Edition 4×2.
As its name suggests, it comes only in black exterior colour complimented by blacked-out wheels and mat black accessories such as black front bumper guard, black roof rails, black side steps, black sports bar, projector headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights, as well as front fog lamps.
It runs on some sexy 18-inch black alloy wheels with red Isuzu badges.
Jumping inside the cabin, the black treatment continues. It spawns black leather seats with red stitching, an 8-inch touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay connectivity) and black inserts on the door panels. Red “X-Rider” accents lift the otherwise sombre ambience.
The manual air conditioning and absence of cruise-control buttons on the steering wheel make the X-Rider fall short.
For convenience sake, there are storage compartments in the door panels which were a pleasure and made the ride all the more comfortable for all five passengers.
Our holiday destination was in Bushbuckridge which sits 500 km away from my house in Centurion. On the road, the X-Rider showed the need to get up and go with strong pulling power in all five gears.
It has always been the case with Isuzu bakkies, they have this old-school driving ability that is followed by the unyielding, long-throw manual transmission.
Sadly, the X-Rider comes with no reach adjustment of the steering wheel as well as parking assistance features – something that made manoeuvring the large vehicle into tight parking spots a mission.
During the festive period, the X-Rider was mostly driven on gravel roads and it felt at home, even through serious muddy terrains without having to worry much about the 4×2 configuration that the X-Rider Black Edition only comes in.
I managed to cover over 7 000km with the X-Rider Black Edition and it really did not disappoint in all the tasks at hand.
The suspension was stiff, but that is the case with most bakkies – with the firm ride you get to feel even the smallest road bumps, while the load bin jitters when empty.
Power comes from Isuzu’s capable 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine with 100 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque.
On the final days with the bakkie, I towed an unbraked trailer from Bushbuckridge to Midrand just to put to the test the towing capabilities of the Isuzu and I wished it came with an automatic transmission as the manual would struggle at some point.
The 750 kg unbraked towing capacity should come in handy when pulling sizable trailers, though.
In terms of fuel consumption, the X-Rider Black Edition averaged 9.1-litre from its 80-litre fuel tank. Despite the slightly high fuel consumption, we covered 485 km on a ½ tank of fuel with the driving range coming to 650 km.
Despite the lack of parking aid, automatic transmission, cruise control, the X-Rider Black Edition is not a bad bakkie. Overall build quality is top-notch and it is a bakkie that you can take anywhere. Thanks to its trusted mechanical reliability – makes me understand why Isuzu sells more units every month.
Although I did not put to the test the safety features, it comes with airbags for the driver and passenger, EBD, BAS, ESC plus ABS.
The Isuzu bakkie range comes standard with Isuzu Complete Care, comprising a five-year/120 000km bumper-to-bumper warranty and Isuzu Roadside Assistance, a five-year/unlimited km anti-corrosion warranty and a five-year/90 000 km Service Plan. Service intervals are every 15 000 km/12 months. Extended cover can be purchased for Roadside Assistance, Service Plans and Maintenance Plans.
The X-Rider Black is priced at R462 000.00 including VAT and is available at Isuzu dealerships nationwide.
Likes
- It is beautiful
- Capable engine.
- Pricing on point
Dislikes
- No cruise control
- Lack of automatic and 4×4 version in X-Rider Black Edition trim
- Rear suspension jitters over bumps.
What I think
Capable bakkie and possesses a go-anywhere attitude.
This article first appeared @whipdt