Photos by Ulysses Ang

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) kicked off the 2014 Isuzu D-Max 4x4 Drive Series last weekend at the Eastgate Center in Barangay San Jose, San Fernando, Pampanga in front of a visibly excited crowd of off-roading enthusiasts and pick-up lovers.

The 2014 Isuzu D-Max 4x4 Drive Series is the third such drive organized by IPC and the first one that features the all-new D-Max. The first Drive Series was held in 2008 with only three locations which was grown to four locations in 2010. This year, IPC is bringing the total number of locations to five including the Pampanga leg. After Pampanga, the 2014 Isuzu D-Max 4x4 Drive Series moves to Mandaue, Cebu on May 9 to 11, Bacolod City on May 23 to 25, Cagayan de Oro City on June 6 to 8, and Davao City on June 20 to 22.



The Drive Series is designed specifically to cater to the continuous growth of the four-wheel drive pick-up sector and the rapidly increasing popularity of outdoor recreational activities among Filipinos. It also aims to educate the market on the techniques required in order to maximize the advantages of a four-wheel drive vehicle. The off-road activities showcased the strengths of owning a four-wheel drive vehicle like the D-Max 4x4 especially in provincial areas where people engage in agricultural, mining, construction, and other businesses that traverse across rough terrains. In Pampanga for instance, the D-Max 4x4 is ideal in crossing areas still heavily covered by lahar.

Participants in the D-Max 4x4 Drive Series got to try out a specially-made track meant to simulate extreme off-road situations. The exercises include a 40-degree hill climb done in first and second gear; 40-degree hill climb with a stall midway up; 40-degree descent without braking; lateral climb mount; driving over “elephant holes”; tackling trail ruts; camber right and camber left sides up in 45-degree angles; traversing a roundabout cone; lateral descent ditch crossing; driving over cross axle articulation rails; and, going on a steel-inclined plane with rollers.



“Since the introduction of the Isuzu D-Max to the local market more than a decade ago, the pickup has steadily built a reputation for being a durable workhorse that one can depend on in both livelihood and leisure—the more than 23,000 proud owners of the model vouch for this,” said IPC President Nobuo Izumina. “Of this number, a good 20 percent of them chose the D-Max’s 4x4 variants, indicating that a lot of them appreciate the added benefits of genuine all-terrain capability. This trend continues in the all-new D-Max, whose popularity is rising along with that of the 4x4 pickup sector in general.”