Isuzu I-Van Test Drive Report

[kompressor]

Sa totoo lang there's nothing really wrong with Isuzu being a car/truck manufacturer (I loved the Gemini diesels of the 80's). The thing I really find terribly wrong here is how Isuzu Philippines currently market their products to us. If they only offered their modern DiD engines and price competitively with other car makers, malamang everyone will switch to Isuzu utility vehicles. Kaso hindi eh. Ang ginagawa nila:

- old technology being dumped in the Philippines and selling them at high prices for profit and using nothing but their self-proclaimed name to vouch for its value

- gagawa ng isang bagay na not intended for it's use and ibebenta ng pagkamahal-mahal, like the i-ban, and again gagamitin ang isuzu brand kasi "reliable"

- gagawa ng isang variant ng AUV na napakalayo ng presyo sa mga counterparts and hindi man lang matapatan ang safety features and amenities ng competition, kasi may mga uninformed buyers pa rin sa lalawigan who are stuck to the 80's in terms of technology. Yes, maraming may technophobia sa mga probinsya and sila ang nagagatasan ng profits because of the self proclaimed "reliability" sales pitch



Again as far as giving the i-ban a chance, no need kasi sigurado meron at merong bibili nito because of brand loyalty/fanboyism especially sa mga probinsya. Yun lang, kawawa naman sila. They're not getting what they're paying for.

[mondragon]

old school diesels ang isuzu gaya ng sabi ng iba..wat about ung 4D56 ng mitsubishi hndi ba old school din un? e sa dami ng nabasa kong testimonials ms lamang padin sa reliability ang mga 4ja1/isuzu engines kumpara sa 4D56 pati s fuel efficiency eh..

lam mo pre, if isuzu will switch to advance direct injection diesels, baka mas mahal ang maintenance nun.. ung simplicity ng mga old school engines ng isuzu supreme reliability nun.. kahit jan k sa tabi2x mgpadiesel ok lng.. not sensitive sa diesel... tama lng iretain ng isuzu ang old engines nla since matitibay naman... kahit pano nga ng advance ng konti isuzu sa d-max at alterra nila.. ng crdi na din cla...

kung tutuusin ms mdami pang mahal na sasakyan ang mga mitsu,nissan,toyota compare sa isuzu eh...

[mondragon]

naniniwala aq kahit n mejo my di nga maganda sa pg gawa ng centro sa body ng i-van., mgkakaroon din nyan sa uv express services sa malls... nakakaaliw tignan.. my ngpark nga sa opis namin nun... tinignan ko un tapos tingin din aq sa urban.. parang nanliit c urban at hi-ace.. were hoping dis i-van will be able to compete sa mga vans ngaun

[kompressor]

Plain and simple facts:
- a truck's chassis and suspension system is designed to carry heavy payload/cargo
- a passenger van's chassis and suspension is designed for passenger carrying capacity and ride comfort
- a truck engine's purpose is to have low end torque for hauling heavy cargo
- a passenger van's engine's purpose is to bring the vehicle from point A to B without sacrificing passenger comfort (extreme vibrations), acceleration (for traffic stop and go situations), and top end (for long distance driving).
- Cargo won't mind if it's carrier is running slow but passengers do, which is why UV express shuttles are the prime choice nowadays for working commuters against the slow, non-airconditioned and bumpy jeepneys who stop at every opportunity to pick up passengers.
- Cargo won't mind very very very bumpy rides as long as they're delivered, but passengers DO especially on long drives.

Therefore, a light truck poorly transformed into a passenger van is of very very poor taste. Hence, the i-ban.


If Isuzu Philippines only introduced the Como van here fitted with a 4JB1 (even the non-turbo version will do), then that would've made better sense.

[greenfield]

Plain and simple facts:
- a truck's chassis and suspension system is designed to carry heavy payload/cargo
- a passenger van's chassis and suspension is designed for passenger carrying capacity and ride comfort
- a truck engine's purpose is to have low end torque for hauling heavy cargo
- a passenger van's engine's purpose is to bring the vehicle from point A to B without sacrificing passenger comfort (extreme vibrations), acceleration (for traffic stop and go situations), and top end (for long distance driving).
- Cargo won't mind if it's carrier is running slow but passengers do, which is why UV express shuttles are the prime choice nowadays for working commuters against the slow, non-airconditioned and bumpy jeepneys who stop at every opportunity to pick up passengers.
- Cargo won't mind very very very bumpy rides as long as they're delivered, but passengers DO especially on long drives.

Therefore, a light truck poorly transformed into a passenger van is of very very poor taste. Hence, the i-ban.


If Isuzu Philippines only introduced the Como van here fitted with a 4JB1 (even the non-turbo version will do), then that would've made better sense.

sir kompressor, agree! hehe. parehas tayo ng thoughts sa I-Van. sana nakita ko agad post mo para di na ako nagtype ng kahabahaba.hehe.

sir mondragon eto na pala. summarized form nung akin..

[kompressor]

Having read all the discussions here, all I could say is: Good luck Isuzu Philippines! You can all blame us if your truck to i-ban conversion flops big time. After all, we're the customers.


And good luck to the rabid sales agent! I hope you learn more from the inputs of all tsikoteers!

[greenfield]

dun kay ry_tower= hndi naman pre... dati din ako mitsubishi fan,,the only vehicle i like about mitsu is lancer.. at adventure(because car like comfort and speed)... game lng ako sa mga coments.. thread i2 so dapat hndi lng puro nega coments..dpat my positive din.. mya mga ngsasabi pa nga d2 lang sa pinas number1 ang isuzu.. so anu gusto nila palabasin?engot mga pinoy sa pgbili ng mga isuzu trucks o kung may bumili ng i-van? buti pa kahit panu sure na #1 truck seller ang isuzu sa pinas.. well mas kapani paniwala nman tlg.. sa thread may positive. may negative

oh sabi mo sa thread dapat may positive, may negative. yan nga kasi ang problema sa iyo pre, on the thread there are talking about the negatives pero di mo naman matanggap kung ano ano pinagrereply mo about isuzu.

one negative on this thread yung all drum brakes. sabi mo there is no need for better brakes. useless ang safe brakes nasa driver lang kamo. which we find BS. kung ano ano sinasabi mo but the bottomline is the set of brakes on that truck converted to van are not trustworthy. sinabi na nga ni sir OTEP from his review eh.

And speaking of primitive, I wouldn't trust anything with 4 wheel drum brakes! At highway speeds, stopping distances are very long and there's no pedal feel to speak of. The pedal just reaches the floor and you pray that you don't hit the vehicle in front.

kahit sobrang galing mong driver sir kung uncontrolled yung situation tignan na lang natin kung di mo masabi sana you have better set of brakes.

other are the "anemic" engine, rock hard suspension, pure execution of van conversion, and others

again, kung ano anong non-sense ang sinasabi mo, payload, at kung ano ano pa sa isuzu pati mga other brands and statistics pa. sige na ikaw na truck expert. da best ka. yun pala yung source internet lang ata and hi-lander lang pala ang naidrive kala ko naman you own or have atleast any experience on any of the trucks to make comparison. kaya pala sa mga post mo puro hearsay lang. "sabe ng mga experience driver" "sabi ng iba" "sabi ng good mechanic", etc.

again, the bottomline is, I-Van is a people carrier. I believe ride and passanger comfort will be a much priority than a truck spec payload. me too if I have 1.3m to spare I would rather buy an Urvan which is much cheaper or better yet a Hiace kahit yung commuter lang kasi more power and newer technology engine, better brakes(may ABS pa ata) and a much better handling. the I-Van OK sana for mixed personal and commercial use kung mura e kaso mahal e. and alam naman natin yung NHR chassis alone cost above 1M na. so sana di na pinilit. 1.2++m for that truck van is not worth it IMHO. e ano ngayon kung aabot ng half a million kilometers ang reliability lang ba ang basehan para bumili ng more than 1M na vehicle? kailan mo maaachieve yun 500Kkms mga 15-20 years? matitiis mo ba yun for that long span of time yung peace of mind for your passangers safety, not to mention the rock hard suspension which is designed for cargo not for passengers. extended trips at the back of an Urvan already make me a bit sick kahit sanay na ako sa mga trucks and pickups. and urvan has a more refined ride than these trucks so i couldn't imagine if sa I-Van ako nakasakay. though I am basing my opinions on an Isuzu NHR so if may tweaks sila sa ride, which I don't think so, we must see first.

hndi aq ahente ng isuzu mga pre..bkit db i-van thread ito and i-van is an nhr truck?pepechugin ba ito compare sa canter o sa ibang trucks?i think not.. sa thread na ito puro negative lng ba lalagay natin?sympre may postive din dapat... at since hndi aq ahente ng isuzu ngkkmali din minsan... pero more often ung ibang tama eh nresearch q lng.. kung 1000.00 lang ang lamang s price ng isuzu trucks sa mitsubishi trucks baka halos lahat isuzu na binili.. under normal circumstances mostly isuzu engines are tougher than mitsubishi.. actually sa dami ng site na napuntahan ko msmadami ng sasabi my matitibay at less maintenance ang isuzu engines sa mitsu.. whether trucks,auv etc.. 60% cguro.. kabilang k cguro sa 40%.... kumbaga isuzu eh tito,vic,joey... ang mitsu willy,vice ganda kumbaga back up... at bakit greenfield.. cge personal experience mu basehan mo.. hindi ba pwde personal experience ng iba itestify ko? may kahawig yang testimony mo pare.. na msmadalas gamit n gamit ung isuzu nya compare sa mitsubishi... pero ms mdami ng sira ang mitsu.. ms mgastos pa sa diesel.. sa kasmahan namin ung mitsubishi nya na delica..abah delikado kc almost every year sira... samantala ung mga crosswind xuv dun sa paligid cool lang..

Hearsay nanaman . wala naman akong sinasabing walang kwenta ang isuzu. sabe ko nga sayo diba yung bagong bili kong truck this 2012 isuzu din. shinishare ko lang naman par yung experience ko in maintaining these trucks for all this time. kasalanan ko ba na mas reliable isang canter ko dun sa isang NHR? kasalanan ko ba na reklamo sa akin ng mga driver na pag same load mas nahihirapan yung ELF dun sa isa pang canter? shinare ko lang then bigla sasagot mo sirain yung delica, mas madami sira and magastos sa diesel yung mga mitsu?WTF?

san mo ba galing yang 60% and 40% na yan.hehe. FYI, sa business we have 7 isuzus (forward,NHR,Elf,) and dalawa lang yung Canter. so 78% isuzu kami. and unfortunately there are times na mas prefer ng mga tao ko si willy and vice ganda, at ginagawang backup sina tito,vic,and joey...

[kompressor]

and alam naman natin yung NHR chassis alone cost above 1M na. so sana di na pinilit. 1.2++m for that truck van is not worth it IMHO.

Chief, hindi naman ganun kamahal ang NHR chassis kasi plain ladder type chassis lang yun with ancient, truck suited leaf spring suspension. As per Isuzu Philippines, the NHR cab and chassis model with tilt head costs 897k, sabagay 103k lang, 1M na. :D :D :D

http://myclubisuzu.com/clubisuzu/dow...list010212.pdf

NHR NT CC 50A - 905k
NHR NT CC 80A - 925k
NHR MB 80A - 935k
NHR CC Tilt - 897k

Wala lang.



Again I would loooove to see a bubble topped Isuzu como (dual sliding doors please, with body and chassis made by Nissan) fitted with a 4JB1-TC engine, instead of an i-ban.

[mondragon]

mr greenfield.. klaruhin ko lng, hndi ako ahente ah.. may mga specific vehicles din ako gus2 sa ibang brands fyi din.... ok i respect ur experiences sa mga isuzu at canter mo.. pero porke ba wla pa ko driving exp sa isuzu trucks hearsy lahat snsabi ko?hndi b pwde mging testimonial sa mga kakilala ko?or sa mga forwarding services ng govt na halos isuzu lahat?pg sinabi ko ba na naikwento ng kaopismate ko na maasahan tlg ang isuzu trucks eh imbento ko lng un?ksalanan ko ba na karamihan sa mga isuzu owners eh satisfied sa product lalo na sa mga testimonies na nakikita ko sa forums? ung about sa delica hindi paninira un..totoo po un.. sa kasamahan namin sa simbahan.. 2-3 times a year pinapagawa delica nila... at transmission pa.. ms matipid ng konti ang isuzu sa mitsu sa fuel consumption.. one concrete example is ung mga nbasa ko sa mga forums ung adventure vs crosswind... kasi sabi nila dun, adventure uses indirect injection vs direct injection na gamit ng isuzu... my nabasa pa ko sa thread na pg napupuno ang mitsu parang airplane ready for take of daw.. ang isuzu steady lang... mdalas ko makita un sa L300fb.. at the end of the day, is stil respect ur experiences sa mitsu canter at nhr.. di din natin kasalanan kung ms madami mgssabi na normal maintenance lng gnagawa nila sa isuzus nila para mkaabot ng 500-600k kms or up to 1,000,000km sa mga trucks di din natin ksalanan..

likuin ko lng usapan saglit., kelan ba napataob ng mga katapat na show ng eat bulaga (where tvj are hosts) ang eat bulaga mismo?

back to the topic... mas unique kc ung style ng i-van.. they dont need to patern the design mismo ng nissan ang i-van.. ang pwde mo sguro suggest, ung seating arrangement ng urban na 2front seats x 4 , tapos ung dalawang side facing na seat sa rear instead na 4x4 lang sa urban eh gawin 6x6 para 23 seater... maaring matagtag nga kc truck ang isuzu na ito.. pero mbawasan namn cgro ng konti kasi my flexi ride suspension naman...

kayo din nman mr greenfield puro nega ang coment... tapos nagmumura pa kau jan... exxagerated kc mga nega coment nyo... kya ako mjo inaalalayan ko lang... yah nbasa ko nga na drum brakes are cheaper than discs.. but drum brakes are prone to overheating dw.. imagine 1.2m na ang i-van pg dinagdagan p ng puro discs baka dumagdag s presyo haha..
introductory p nmn yan MR.GREEN let's just wait sa mga susunod na kabanata.. in fact dami din nega coment sa ivan lalo na sa clearance at doors..

[mondragon]

kompressor, not only tsikoteers.. there are also other forums... slamat at my mga natutunan din ako.. pero i-van ippromote padin namin yan