Isuzu I-Van Test Drive Report

[OTEP]

For reference, would anyone know how much would those Hiace Super Grandias/Grandia GLs converted into ambulances cost? Isuzu Phil is positioning the I-Van as a possible low end alternative ambulance, I'm wondering, just on a cost perspective, how much the difference would be.

To give you an idea, basic ambulance conversion is typically between Php100-150k. Basic cabinet, basic lights, basic interior, basic stretcher. But:

A Whelen Edge light bar alone costs Php90k (yeah there are bargains but I'm just putting it on a ballpark here)
The anti-tailgater lights on Aeromed units (by Axitech) costs Php15k installed
Whelen PA300 siren (favorite of politicians. Standard equipment on Lifeline and Aero) is Php20k (USED)
A Stryker stretcher costs US$8000 (yes, three zeros) brand new
A defibrillator costs more than Php120k (USED). Then you need an inverter to power it.

About the only thing that's not so expensive are oxygen tanks and the suction machine (both around Php3-5k).

A ready to roll basic Foton View ambulance (with standing room cabin) and 4JB1-T engine is Php950k before discounts.

P.S. I have not read the other responses yet. Just helping out.

[mondragon]

pilosopo c kompressor ah.. wat i mean sa diesel engine production/truck institution ng isuzu yan.. kumbaga forte ba... other competitors wil give a good fight but isuzu's reliability and efficiency will still rise up..

mr kompressor... u still cant get it y 1.2M ang i-van? ang urban is only purely van... so its price is a little over 1m only.. ung hi-ace nga van lng din tlga un pero nasa 1.2M din un pare... (magbasa k ng price list ng nissan at toyota ha)... ung i-van again i repeat, it is a TRUCK-with i-van body option...another variant aside sa flexi-truck... since truck sya natural mas mahal ang truck kesa sa van db? so ang price ng i-van presyong truck..kung gagaya ang mitsubishi at mglalabas sa line up nila ng katulad nun which i guess hndi kc may L300 at versa van n sila.. eh same price lang un..

y not give a chance?kung ung foton nga nabibigyan ng chance sa mga ambulance, eh isuzu engine din naman un(hope it is not clone gaya ng mga cellphones)....

ako ng cocoment din sa mga ibang brands, pero never aq nagbanggit na "u are not getting for wat u pay for".. praktikal naman yang isuzu pre... ang priority ng isuzu kc, engine reliability and efficiency.. other brands kc priority nila comfort,speed classy looks..
mas bagay mo sabihin yan kung halimbawa may pera k na 2.5M tapos binili mo lng ng pajero tapos kaw lang mag-isa.. hndi praktikal..

u wont give it a chance? are u sure wala gagamit nung pang uv express service for the coming years??wat if makapgconfigure ang isuzu i-van ng 23 seat,foldable,sliding doors,higher ground body clearance... wala pa din ba laban un sa ibang vans?? wg ka muna mgsalita ng tapos pre...puro kau negative.. dapat ang title ng topic eh "negative coments about i-van".. e kaso hndi naman eh.. so dapat both sides db

[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.

[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...

[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..

[IMm29]

isuzu maybe slower than hi ace ambulance.... noisier kasi nga truck based... not too much comfortable against urvan ambulance or hi ace ambulance.. but lets give this truck van a chance... malay natin pg naayos n nila ung sliding doors nila at foldable seats eh pumatok din at mkacompete sa ibang van ang ivan... hndi naman china brand yan para pg dudahan mr Imm29

If you're willing to give this truck a chance, then that's your prerogative. Unfortunately, with the specs posted by Doc Otep, if I were an ambulance buyer, I'd be looking elsewhere. It's a glorified backyard job of putting together a body on top of the truck chassis. Unfortunately, Isuzu Phil could not even get the prototype or press unit to be a good one that would entice buyers to see through some shortcomings. Ayun, lalong nahighlight yung pinagpilitang design.

China brand? I am equally not a fan of China brands nor Isuzu, what with Isuzu Phil's offerings. The I-Van just adds to that. What I'll give the China brands is their capability to come up with a decent copy. With Isuzu's take on the I-Van, I'd really look at other offerings, like the bare/business version of the Urvan, and mod that for an ambulance if i were pinching pennies. Hence, contrary to your point, it is my prerogative na pagdudahan ang I-Van.

[IMm29]

To give you an idea, basic ambulance conversion is typically between Php100-150k. Basic cabinet, basic lights, basic interior, basic stretcher. But:

A Whelen Edge light bar alone costs Php90k (yeah there are bargains but I'm just putting it on a ballpark here)
The anti-tailgater lights on Aeromed units (by Axitech) costs Php15k installed
Whelen PA300 siren (favorite of politicians. Standard equipment on Lifeline and Aero) is Php20k (USED)
A Stryker stretcher costs US$8000 (yes, three zeros) brand new
A defibrillator costs more than Php120k (USED). Then you need an inverter to power it.

About the only thing that's not so expensive are oxygen tanks and the suction machine (both around Php3-5k).

A ready to roll basic Foton View ambulance (with standing room cabin) and 4JB1-T engine is Php950k before discounts.

P.S. I have not read the other responses yet. Just helping out.

Nice. Thanks Doc.