Isuzu is not letting the advent of Ford’s Ranger Super Duty affect its continued push into the ‘Ute to Truck” market and is adamant that its N Series range is now an even better proposition for ute operators.
In a day long exercise at the Lang Lang proving ground South East of Melbourne, which for about 60 years was the former GM-H test facility , Isuzu set out to prove that its ‘car-licence’ compliant N series trucks are still a logical ad viable alternative for heavy duty utes , like the Super Duty, as well as Toyota’s revised HiLux range and also the herd of big US sourced pickups, like the RAM, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra and Ford F150.
While Isuzu has really lifted its game with the N series thanks to improved ride, handling and cabin noise changes as well as a bunch of driver and safety aids, they still don’t ultimately offer the levels of comfort and ride benefits of a ‘conventional’ ute.
Ford certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons with the launch of the Super Duty Ranger offering GVM and towing weights similar to Isuzu’s light truck offerings, but the utes do have their limitations. This was apparent in the fact that both the Ranger and the Toyota HiLux had to tow trailers to achieve the same cargo capability as the Isuzu truck.
What the cab-over small Isuzus do offer that can’t be includes better manoeuvrability, particularly sans trailers, more actual cargo space and great axle weights.
Despite having a favourable GVM, for instance the Ranger Super Duty and also the HiLux could not take a tonne of water in an IBC because it would have exceeded their rear axle weight limits, forcing an operator to use a trailer.
The conventional utes will clearly suit some operators who want a dual purpose “light truck” that offers better ride and a more favourable interior environment as a part time family vehicle, the light truck option from Isuzu will suit operators such as builders, local councils and the like which need plenty of cargo space and weight advantages while still being 
able to be driven on a car licence.
Pricing can vary greatly in trucks depending on specifications and other variations, however Isuzu believes that a similarly specced N Series could be up to 30 per cent less expensive than a Ranger Super Duty.
As we said the ute option will suit some just as the truck option will suit others. However Isuzu is both realistic and pragmatic about the number of “ute substitutes” they could sell, stating that around a 1000 more sales than it currently sells each year would be both achievable and reasonable, in a ute market that now makes up the largest slice of the Australian automotive market. Currently about 250,000 utes are sold in this country each calendar year, or a little under 20 per cent of the total vehicle market.
Isuzu currently sell about 5000 car licence compliant N Series in Australia each year so it hopes that the updated models will expand those numbers up to around 6000 each year.
The NPR TradePack is seen as the sweet spot in the market delivering a truck that is ready to work with a bull bar, tray body and pipe/ladder racks and tow bar, tool cabinet and wash station, all for the one drive away price. Most of those features, save for the tow package. are additions to the Super Duty’s on road pricing but are all standard in the driveaway price with the Isuzu TradePack.
Isuzu are also pushing the advantage its truck based product has in safety particularly when it comes to not overloading the vehicle along with the better manoeuvrability and nimble ness which would be an advantage in tight work conditions on work sites and other situations.
During the exercises at Lang Lang Isuzu gave the truck press the chance to do comparative testing on a manoeuvre course between witches hats and plastic bollards. The exercise showed that the N Series was an easy drive and able to complete the course without hitting any cones even in some tight turning situations, while both the Super Duty and the HiLux with trailers behind proved a much more difficult and exacting drive. The turning circle of the equivalent N Series Isuzu was also much more impressive with the ability to turn the light truck around in about nine metres, while the Super Duty has a 13.6 metre turning circle, an advantage that could prove very valuable in some work situation and narrow streets in new housing estates.
At the heart of the proposition that Isuzu is putting forward is that its N Series ready to work range is a concept that has resonated with Australian operators for a long time, in fact more than two decades.
Isuzu reckons that rather than purchasing a cab-chassis and then navigating the time-consuming and costly process of fitting an aftermarket body, 
its Ready-to-Work models are for sale fully equipped and engineered, with trade bodies already installed.
So for businesses, Isuzu says, and it is plainly obvious that this means a faster delivery time, for buyers who are used to going into a dealer buying a vehicle and having it delivered ready to go within a relatively short time.
The hold ups and delays with the at times overtaxed local truck body building industry has caused more than a few headaches and anxiety for first time truck buyers in the past and has probably been the bane of existence for buyers looking to move up from a ute to a light truck in particular.
What Isuzu, and a couple of its opposition Japan brands Hino and Fuso also do with their work ready options ( Ready to Go with Hino and Built Ready with Fuso) is to offer trucks already equipped with purpose designed and built trade bodies.
For a start it simplifies purchasing decisions and gives the operator virtually immediate job-site productivity.
The kicker that Isuzu and the other Japanese truck makers gives it that they have many of the light duty variants able to be driven on a car licence, which of course means greater capability without the complexity of heavy-vehicle licensing.
Craig White, the head of sales for Isuzu Australia reckons said the companies light duty Ready-to-Work range strike the perfect balance between convenience and capability.
“Across Australia we’re seeing more operators reassess what they need from their work vehicles,” White said.
“A dual-cab ute certainly has its place, but once businesses begin to grow, payload limitations and storage space can quickly become challenges.
“The N Series Ready-to-Work range bridges that gap perfectly,” White added.
“You’re getting the payload and worksite practicality of a truck, but in a compact and highly manoeuvrable platform that’s easy to drive and incredibly efficient to operate,” he said.
In reality medium to larger companies will demand this, however a lot of tradies still like the duality of a duel-cab ute, which is a work truck during the week and a personal/family runaround on weekends. For many of these ‘tradies’ the blurred line between overloading and just getting the job done is something that often doesn’t have to meet a company credo and few would be worried about it.
But for those wanting to be totally 100 per cent squeaky clean, this has to be a consideration. It’s all good ‘till it isn’t and when the excreta hits the fan with the insurance company in a potential overloading accident situation, the casual attitude is probably going to cost dearly.
Isuzu’s n Series spans several key models including the NKR in both Short and narrow cab with either a car licence friendly 4,500 kg GVM or the 6,500 kg version.
There is also the NLR narrow cab with 4,500 kg GVM, the NMR narrow cab, with either a 4500 kg or 6,500 kg GVM, the NNR, which is available in wide cab, single or crew cab configuration all with 4,500 kg GVM, the NPR wide cab with either 4,500 kg or 6,500 kg GVM and the NQR in wide, single or crew cabs all with 8,800 kg GVMs.
Isuzu contends that the spread makes them ideally suited to a wide variety of trade, service and delivery applications.
Isuzu reckons that the N Series truly shines with its ability to carry more and do more and that compared to a traditional ute, operators will gain significantly greater payload capacity, larger and more versatile load areas, purpose-built storage solutions and also improved weight distribution and durability
Unlike light trucks of the past the ‘nippers’ of the truck market and in this instance the newly renovated range these days offers a comprehensive suite of advanced safety technologies, just like the utes Isuzu is pitting itself against.
Isuzu’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) uses a second-generation stereo camera system, which incorporates a range of active and passive safety features
These features include lane departure warning, a distance warning system, traffic movement warning, intersection warning system, autonomous emergency braking, and something called ‘Miss Acceleration Mitigation”, which we hasten to add is not a beauty contest at the Tokyo Motor Show, but a genuine electronic safety attribute.
Full-speed adaptive cruise control, which include speed and traffic sign recognition is standard for models with either the DCT or AMT transmissions which makes for an impressive package on a light-truck.
Isuzu reckons that driver comfort has also been significantly enhanced, with the new, cabin design, and does offer improved ergonomics and greater connectivity, all things we can vouch for after the various drives we’ve had in the updated Isuzu range.
As far as the ready to work models the traypack is available across vsrious models including the NLR and NNRs, delivering a durable and practical tray body designed for general trade and materials transport.
These models are powered by the Isuzu 4JZ1-TCS’ four-cylinder engine 110 kW at 2,800 rpm and 375 Nm of torque between 1,280 and 2,800 rpm.
With this Isuzu promises a heavy-duty tray deck construction with lightweight zinc-plated tail-light protectors, a robust aluminium tray design and plenty of space for tools, materials and equipment.
Isuzu points out and it is true that for operators transitioning from a ute, its Traypack does demonstrates the advantages of a truck-based work platform, offering significantly more tray and overhead space as well as payload and towing capacity.
Isuzu’s Tradepack offering has been designed specifically with tradespeople in mind, and 
builds upon the Traypack by including a range of integrated for real-world work requirements.
Tradepack variants are available with either the 4JZ1-TCH or the 4HK1-TCC engine, which are both four-cylinder units, producing 129 kW at 2,860 rpm with 430 Nm of torque between 1,450 and 2,860 rpm, or 140 kW at 2,600 rpm respectively.
The Tradepack is available on the NPR platform and offers good tray dimensions which Isuzu says is designed to accommodate standard pallet sizes and a wide range of materials.
It is equipped with heavy-duty aluminium ladder racks with a combined 250 kg rating, genuine Isuzu bull bar a 3,500 kg rated towbar, with a 4,500 kg upgrade available, an underbody mounted lockable storage box and an integrated 25-litre water tank with soap dispenser
Isuzu reckons that these standard features effectively transforms the Tradepack into a mobile workshop, enabling tradespeople to carry tools, materials and equipment efficiently and securely.
Isuzu’s Servicepack options also provide a truly specialised solution for operators requiring secure tool storage and mobile servicing capability.
Servicepack is available on the NMR and NPR variants, and features a hybrid steel and aluminium service body which the company says is designed to maximise storage while maintaining durability.
These variants are powered by the Isuzu 4JZ1-TCH, this four-cylinder with 129 kW at 2,860 rpm and 430 Nm of torque between 1,450 and 2,860 rpm.
The NMR Servicepack is a 4×2 while the all-wheel drive NMS variants use the 4JZ1-TCS engine, which produces 110 kW at 2,800 rpm and 375 Nm of torque between 1,280 and 2,800 rpm.
Isuzu tells us the Servicepack body offers a range of solutions with approximately 2,800 litres of lockable storage space, a hybrid steel and aluminium constructio, integrated, LED-lit service cabinets, a heavy-duty powder-coated finish and a payload capability suited to field service applications
Meanwhile the Servicepack X introduces a canopy-style body configuration featuring up to 3,400 litres of lockable storage, a central locking system across the cabinets, LED internal lighting and a powder-coat finish.
Towing capability iof the Servicepack range, features braked towbar ratings ranging from 4,000 kg to 4,500 kg depending on model specification.
For freight, courier and last-mile delivery applications, Isuzu offers its Vanpack variant, providing a highly practical enclosed body solution mounted on the NNR platform.
Isuzu says the Vanpack has proven particularly popular in final-mile logistics, food services and removalist operations and is powered by the Isuzu 4JZ1-TCS powerplant, delivering 110 kW at 2,800 rpm and 375 Nm of torque between 1,280 and 2,800 rpm.
The Vanpack engine is mated to the new Isuzu nine-Speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission or DCT.
The Vanpack body design offers a smooth steel cargo floor, LED interior lighting, rear barn doors with a camlock system, internal tie-down rails, protective aluminium kick-panels as well as ear grab handles and step access.
It has the ability to be configured for tailgate loaders and other delivery equipment, which makes it a strong option for operators requiring a durable and secure transport body.
“You walk into a dealership, choose the model that suits your business and drive away with a professionally built work vehicle ready to start earning its keep,” said Craig White.
“When you combine that convenience with the capability of the N Series platform, it becomes a very compelling alternative to the traditional ute,” he added.
