Achieving an overall average speed of 100 km/h on the 1 431 km run from Johannesburg to Cape Town is a reasonable expectation for both business drivers and holiday travellers – and doing it with an average fuel consumption of 5,1 l/100 km is a bonus considering the ever-escalating price of both petrol and diesel.
Isuzu D-Max Single Cab
Race driver and head of the Isuzu Driving Academy, Grant Mcleery, recently achieved this by piloting an Isuzu D-Max 1.9 Ddi Double Cab 4x2 manual as a precursor to the upcoming Isuzu 1-tank Challenge.
Recording a realistic, real-world average speed of 100 km/h over the entire distance, the D-Max 1.9 Ddi used 73,82 litres – which translates to 5,1 l/100 km, or 19,39 km/litre.
A similar test done in 2021 with a previous-generation D-Max 2.5 Single Cab used 102,31 litres to cover 1 454 km, with an average consumption of 7,02 l/100km or 14,2 km/litre.
“Isuzu customers trust our D-Max range to deliver superb fuel economy and low running costs, matched to uncompromising reliability and durability, which are essential to keep their vehicles on the road and have fleets running as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible,” says Kevin Fouché, Department Executive: Product Planning and Programme Management at Isuzu Motors South Africa.
Isuzu Fuel Economy. D-Max interior
With the launch of the seventh-generation D-Max last year, we raised the bar significantly in all areas, including technology, safety, comfort and refinement. More importantly, the introduction of the 1.9 Ddi engine is designed to fulfil the requirements for a modern turbo-diesel engine that meets the increasingly stringent global emission standards, uses less fuel, is quieter and more refined, and delivers Isuzu’s world-renowned reliability and durability.
The outcome of the initial fuel efficiency test proved that the D-Max 1.9 Ddi ticks all these boxes. Isuzu plans to take this concept further by hosting an innovative 1 Tank Challenge with a fleet of 1.9 Ddi models in March to reinforce the fuel and budget-saving attributes in the D-Max range.
D-Max 1.9 Ddi
The RZ4E-TC 1,9-litre four-cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel engine used in the D-Max range relies on a 200 MPa common rail direct injection system along with a high-efficiency variable geometry turbocharger with an electronically controlled actuator to produce 110 kW of power at 3 600 r/min and peak torque of 350 Nm between 1 800 r/min and 2 600 r/min.
