Story Wayne Munro Photos Gerald Shacklock BIG TEST - Isuzu

Big Test
City slicker
Story Wayne Munro Photos Gerald Shacklock
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In one way, says Bullet Freight MD Owen
Ferguson, buying four new Isuzu F Series
metro trucks is an extension of the same
profile-grabbing exercise that sees the
company regularly advertising on tv
Above: The Bullet Freight
Isuzu F Series in its
natural habitat – in the
rapidly expanding Albany
industrial area
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Back at the cavernous Bullet
Freight logistics centre in the
middle of the day, the Isuzu has
the freight recently picked up
in Albany quickly unloaded
ON THIS busy Albany street it doesn’t take long for the
traffic to build up as the truck driver backs and forths his way through
getting his truck and trailer backed into a factory driveway.
The street’s lined with parked cars, leaving not quite enough room
in which to swing the Isuzu FVY1400 6x4 truck and get the trailer
pointed in the right direction – prompting a bit of trailer chasing, a
bit of correcting, a bit of pulling forward for another go. It doesn’t
help that the driver’s new to the truck and the sensitive little two-axle
trailer behind it. New also to delivering to this particular address.
In fact, the man behind the wheel for this tricky manoeuvring is
New Zealand Truck & Driver tester Trevor Woolston – getting a taste of
the challenges of metro freight work in the country’s biggest city.
Well that…and testing this one of a vast array of new models (69 of
‘em) in Isuzu’s GEN6 (yep, sixth generation) family of F Series mediumduty
and N Series light trucks.
Backing into tight driveways and contending with impatient
Auckland motorists is very much part of the daily deal for Anthony
Marks, the regular driver of this Bullet Freight Systems truck and trailer
unit. He comes to this particular factory twice a day, five times a week.
His advice on the cars is simple: Don’t let it get to you. He doesn’t
– not even when annoyed motorists are moved to get out of their
cars to verbally abuse him: “I just think over the top of it. I’ve had it
happen a couple of times – people coming up to me and swearing
and everything…complaining that I was taking too long.
“I just say ‘I can’t do anything about it. I can’t manoeuvre this thing
like a car or a van.’”
He has tried to explain that “I’ve got a lot more things to worry
about than you guys have: It’s easy for you to turn around and look
– I can’t see anything.”
So, did they take that on board, you ask? Anthony’s answer is
succinct: “Nah.”
It doesn’t help Woolston’s effort to quickly clear the road and let
these potentially abusive motorists get on their way that the pressure
in the Hendrickson HAS400 air suspension on the Isuzu’s Meritor
RT40-145G rear axles sees it hike a wheel without much provocation
– bumping over the kerb, for instance. It prompts another delay for the
waiting motorists, as Woolston has to resort to the diff lock.
On the other hand, he does find an advantage in this new truck
that takes some of the stress out of this situation: As part of the move
to driver-friendly features for its city trucks, with their susceptibility to
regularly getting involved in stop/start traffic, Bullet managing director
Owen Ferguson decided on going for the automatic transmission
version of the FVY1400.
And so at least the back-and-forthing between reverse and first
couldn’t be easier when it comes to the actual gearshifting – simply a
matter of pushing the R (reverse) button, pushing the D (drive) button,
the R, the D, the R, the D…..well, you get the idea. Hell, what’s not to
like about autos!
Well, funnily enough, the transmission was the one thing about
this new truck that driver Anthony didn’t like initially: “I’m not
really a fan of automatics – I like my manuals.” He drove an
18-speed Roadranger and an eight-speed manual in his previous
two trucks (a linehaul Mitsi and a metro Hino, respectively) and
confesses now: “I’m just missing the clutch.”
He reckoned that the worst bit of all about the auto was in exactly
this situation: “The hardest thing was getting used to reversing the
trailer without having a clutch and a gearstick. This trailer can be quite
tricky to back. If you don’t control it, it’ll go anywhere.”
But now, he says, he’s learnt how to make the most of the six-speed
Allison 3500 Series: “Now that I’ve got used to it, it’s good. Easilycontrollable.”
The automatic does make life easier – particularly in the
city’s heavy traffic, he says.
That’s important, considering that the nature of Bullet’s metro work
means that trucks like the Isuzu typically have to make end-of-theworking-day
pickups from regular customers…
And then beat their way back to the company’s Greenmount
logistics centre through the city’s notoriously-bad rush-hour traffic
– for the freight to be sorted, to either be sent off around the
country that night on the linehaul units, or await delivery around
Auckland the next morning.
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Above: Performance from the new EGR six-cylinder engine seems fine for the truck’s metro duties
Opposite page, top: As with the operation of the F Series, its dashboard display and controls are simple and straightforward
Opposite page, bottom left: Diesel particulate diffuser is part of Isuzu’s exhaust emissions control system
Opposite page, bottom right: Cab feels quite roomy, has comfy Isri air seat for driver
Says Ferguson: “I’m convinced, particularly in today’s economic
climate, that you’ve got to have some point of difference out there. And
there’s a lot of trucks rolling around the Auckland streets at the moment
that are looking pretty tired and faded and jaded. Having good gear
out there sets you apart from that”
The homebound rush-hour run is a test, says Anthony: “Yeah, it is
the worst part of the job – but you’ve just got to go with it. There’s
nothing you can do.”
Accidents that trigger traffic jams and diversions have on occasions
made the 35-kilometre trip from Albany back to Bullet’s depot a two
hours-plus proposition, rather than the usual 45 minutes.
So this is the lot of this new Isuzu and another three identical
trucks added to the Bullet fleet in the past few months – delivering
metro freight…and delivering a number of benefits to the company, as
MD Owen Ferguson details.
The Isuzus – added to the fleet via longterm lease deals with TR
Group – are good for the company’s high-profile image, good for the
bottom line….and good for the drivers.
So much so that the original commitment to one truck extended to
take in the other three: “The first one came in and the feedback was
good – from the marketplace and from the drivers. It was so driverfriendly,”
says Owen Ferguson.
“One of the key things we got back from all of the drivers is that
the Isuzus are just so quiet.” So tick off driver comfort – and an
ongoing employment benefit: “If you’ve got good gear you’ll attract
good drivers – and retain good drivers,” says Ferguson.
Adding the Isuzus to the operation started out as an exercise to
update what had become an ageing metro fleet, mostly comprising
secondhand Japanese imports: They were trucks that had given the
freight forwarder “a capability of a tail-lift and decent space at a
decent price.” Painted up in Bullet Freight’s eyecatching purple, orange
and white livery, the imports had served the company well – but
increasing maintenance costs dictated a renewal programme.
“In talking with TR we felt that we could get some technically
highly-specced bits of equipment to replace some of the older units
that we had on the fleet, put ‘em on fully-maintained five-year leases
– taking potential frights away – and get the benefit of good fuel
economy and also the benefit of having good-looking gear out in
the marketplace.” Trucks also able to tow the two-axle and three-axle
trailers built by Opinion for Bullet’s metro runs (and the odd out-oftown
fill-in job).
Ferguson took TR’s recommendation of Isuzu being the right trucks
– price-wise, fuel economy-wise…and because their engines comply
with the Euro 4 exhaust emissions standard, which is a bit more
stringent than the parallel Japanese or North American standards.
“Everybody’s got to be environmentally conscious,” says Ferguson,
adding: “We don’t run specific statistics on the local fleet (we could
if we wished to) – but I’m sure we’d be getting greatly-enhanced fuel
economy compared to the older trucks we’d been running.”
Just as importantly for Bullet – a rarity among transport operators in
that it regularly advertises its freight-forwarding services on tv – “it’s
good-looking gear.”
Says Ferguson: “I’m convinced, particularly in today’s economic
climate, that you’ve got to have some point of difference out there.
And there’s a lot of trucks rolling around the Auckland streets at the
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moment that are looking pretty tired and faded and jaded. Having
good gear out there sets you apart from that.”
Bullet Freight CEO Dean Ruscoe instituted the tv commercials a
couple of years ago: “We’re great believers that you can’t have a share
of the market until you first have a share of the mind. So we needed
to make sure that we have a very high profile – that’s why we’ve spent
reasonably large sums of money with tv.”
The 11-year-old Bullet operates what Ruscoe terms “a premium,
high-speed” nationwide freight-forwarding service – one that
specialises in taking care of high-value bulk freight.
The Bullet Freight tv ad pushes the message to potential customers:
“We don’t just make big promises….we deliver on them.”
The Ruscoe-inspired promotional effort has been good for the
company, confirms Owen Ferguson: “Yeah, it was a wise decision
to embark on that programme – and these trucks are really just
part of that.”
Ruscoe expands on that when he describes the Isuzus as “brilliant:
A good, strong, quantifiable brand. It’s important that we have a brand
with pedigree – so our customers can see we have reliable trucks on
the road. We’re a very brand-conscious company.”
From Ruscoe’s point of view (“I’m responsible for getting the work
in – Owen gets it out,” he sums up), the Isuzus back up their image
appeal with reliability, backup, driver-friendliness and manoeuvrability:
“They’re a good size, easy to manoeuvre, good to get in and out of
different places.
It also parallels the Scanias that comprise most of the Bullet longdistance
linehaul fleet: “It’s an excellent product and the drivers love
it. The better quality gear attracts good quality drivers.”
The Isuzus are part of a 14-truck Auckland metro fleet – each
designated their own areas of the city, each with their own individual
customers: Their job is essentially to service Bullet’s linehaul
operations – spending their mornings delivering freight that’s arrived
in from around the country overnight to their customers….
And the rest of the day picking up from their customers and
bringing it back to Bullet Freight’s logistics centre.
Our test truck’s entirely devoted to the rapidly-growing Albany
industrial area – with driver Anthony dealing with about 25 customers
there…probably about eight of them on any given day.
The Opinion two-axle curtainsider trailer, for instance, is loaded
with empty pallets and will be – as usual – parked up for the day at a
lawnmower manufacturer’s dispatch area. It gets loaded with mowers
during the day – ready for Anthony to pick it up again late afternoon
(or earlier, if it’s full).
Dropping that is our first job for the day – Woolston enduring the
impatience of the delayed motorists during his backing exercise before
handing the wheel back to Anthony for the rest of the dropoffs.
The 32-year-old has become a bit of a specialist on the Albany
area – having followed-up running his own courier van for Post Haste
Couriers and (along with a spell driving a NZ Couriers Mitsi Shogun on
an Auckland-Wellington linehaul run) doing the North Harbour area for
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Above left: Control of the Allison transmission could scarcely be any easier – just a matter of pushing a button
Above right: Anthony Marks didn’t like the auto at first, now says he wouldn’t like to have this truck taken off him
NZ Couriers in a Hino 6x4, about the same size as this.
He says he “really enjoyed” the linehaul – and would prefer it to
around-town work: “It’s fighting the traffic that gets you.”
Then again, he adds: “I enjoy this because I’m always face to face
with the customers. It’s way more people-oriented than linehaul.” That
extends to his regulars phoning him direct for pickups and deliveries.
Our run, which started at the Bullet base just after 9am (ie just
as the rush-hour usually ends), sees us at 10.15am – now as a truck
only – dealing with the second manoeuvring challenge of the day:
Anthony does a lap of a crowded carpark in a small industrial estate,
negotiating parked cars to get to a signwriting business, which he’s
got a roll of vinyl for.
Getting in here, he says, is no big deal – particularly in this
truck: “I like its manoeuvrability and turning circle – I prefer it to
the Hino I was driving.”
Besides, there are a lot worse places than this that he has to
get in and out of: “You do get a lot of tight little driveways. I do
some deliveries to private houses – delivering things like treadmills,
stereos.” They’re generally even less truck-friendly.
We head off to the next dropoff – a pallet load for a marine
repair business: No sooner has Anthony got the Structurflex
curtains pulled back than they’re ready to go with a forklift. We’re
gone within five minutes.
Back behind the wheel, Anthony reckons: “Everything is really well
done in this truck. Out of all the trucks I’ve driven this would be the
best one.”
It has, for instance, “really good vision. The mirrors are really good.
The Hinos had small mirrors and you couldn’t get much of a view.”
The Bullet Freight Isuzu he had immediately before this F Series had
“a bit more power” – but he’s quick to insist that this has “got enough
power – it does the job it has to do.”
The 7.8-litre six-cylinder 6HK1-TCS engine develops 300-horsepower/
221kW and meets the Euro 4 emissions standard – firstly via
optimised combustion, achieved with a high-capacity cooled exhaust
gas recirculation (EGR) system, variable-geometry turbocharging and
electronic common-rail fuel injection.
Then it uses what it terms a diesel particulate diffuser (DPD) – a
regenerating aftertreatment device that uses a ceramic filter to collect
and burn particulate matter.
The engine delivers its peak power at 2400rpm, with 200kW-plus
from a worthwhile 2100 to 2550 revs. The 981Nm of peak torque is
achieved at 1450rpm, with 900Nm or better from 1250 to 2200.
With those engine outputs, its 24-tonne GVM and 36t. GCM this
FVY1400 is (along with the FVZ 1400) the most biggest and most
powerful of the 19-model F Series range.
In the extensive lineup offered by NZ’s best-selling truckmaker,
it slots in just below the new FX models – which, in turn, fill a gap
between the FVs and the heavy-duty Gigas. The new FXR and FXD, in
fact, are rated with a lower GVM (16.5t.) than our test truck – and with
the same 36t. GCM. But both use a more powerful (243kW/326hp)
9.8-litre engine – the same powerplant used in the FXZ, which has the
same 24t. GVM as our test truck, but is rated with a 42.5t. GCM.
Our next stop is only a few minutes’ drive away – this one with
more challenging access: To get to the stereo and home theatre
distributor’s warehouse at the rear of the building, Anthony has to
back in off the road, through a crowded carpark…..
Then negotiate a 90 left, a 90 right, reverse along the side of the
building, then do another 90 right. He comes here twice a day so is
used to it and again reckons it’s no biggie – not like the places he’s
been where “people do sometimes come out and say they’re amazed
at what I can do in this.” He was similarly impressed with another
truckie here, after watching him back a semi-trailer in.
Here he needs to use the Zepro tail-lift to unload the
consignment. But still we’re here for no more than maybe 15
minutes tops…and we’re off again. All of this rapid-fire delivery
work means, of course, that access in and out of a truck is very
important – as is driver comfort.
On the first count, the Isuzu is impressive – with doors that open
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Even with its rooftop aerofoil
the F Series is a very angular,
square-edged beast
There’s still space for a narrow centre console beside the driver’s seat,
carrying the park brake release, electric mirror controls, the RT and the
Allison’s simple control panel, with its small digital display (indicating
what gear you’re in and what gear you could change to), plus Mode,
R, N and D buttons…and another two (one up arrow and one down) for
push-buttoning your way up or down the six-speed auto
right out to 90 degrees. Two grated alloy steps into the truck (the left
side one broken after a hit by a car) provide secure footholds, while a
grabhandle by the seat and a grabrail on front edge of door complete
the package.
By Anthony’s judgment, this is “good” – better than the Hino he
had, which had a forward handle placed too high…and didn’t have a
hand-hold on the left.
Once in, the seat gets a big rap from our 6ft 1inch driver – for
wrapping itself around him: It’s an Isri 6860, with pneumatic lumbar
support, which he reckons means “you’re tight into it – you’re comfy
and you’re not throwing yourself around a lot. It’s very easy to get
comfortable in it.
“I’m not even getting a sore back. With the Hino and the Mitsi I did.
The best thing I like is the seat,” he says, definitively.
Getting out of the truck at the end of the day is important to this
man who loves his touch rugby – playing and refereeing.
The cab that’s his “home” eight hours a day or more feels
surprisingly wide (in fact it’s 2.4m) – as it manages to fit in the Isri
seat, a comfy enough passenger seat AND a third seat. That’s probably
most useful when folded forward, exposing a storage tray that’s handy
for a logbook, paperwork and the like.
Even then, there’s still space for a narrow centre console beside the
driver’s seat, carrying the park brake release, electric mirror controls,
the RT and the Allison’s simple control panel, with its small digital
display (indicating what gear you’re in and what gear you could
change to), plus Mode, R, N and D buttons…and another two (one up
arrow and one down) for push-buttoning your way up or down the
six-speed auto.
Storage-wise there’s a raised area in behind the seats that might
loosely be termed a “sleeper bed.” Crammed it would be, comfy it
would not be. But for putting a gear bag or two on....it’s perfect.
There’s a little bit of other storage space – a glovebox on the
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The F Series driver’s lot is
regularly backing into driveways,
with parked cars to make life
difficult. To-ing and fro-ing to get
the trailer pointed the right way is
made easier by the Allison auto
passenger side, a couple of cupboards above the windscreen and door
pockets inside, an alloy gear locker outside, in front of the driver’s
side rear axles.
Even a tall guy like Anthony or a big guy like Trevor (Woolston)
can get comfy behind the wheel, thanks to the seat and the easilyadjusted
steering wheel and column.
Function-wise, the dash is very plain and simple – a digital clock at
the top of the display, a speedo and a tacho (with a 1000-2000rpm
green zone). Surrounding them are smaller gauges for brake air
pressure, fuel and water temperature.
Driver-friendly features include electric windows, central locking, a
stereo/CD player, aircon and two drink-holders that pull out from the
dash. In the friendly AND safe category is a driver’s airbag.
There’s nothing fancy about the interior – just comfy….and practical.
Like the light grey vinyl hard surfaces and the darker grey trim. And
a big central ceiling light as well as the usual smaller courtesy lights
above the doors that go on when the doors open.
Outside there are two decent-sized oblong rear vision mirrors, with
smaller optical mirrors inset. There’s also a stoneguard, a sunvisor and
a roof aerofoil.
There’s no hiding that this is a very angular, square-edged truck
– probably not very aerodynamic. But for the work it does that’s not
critical. On the passenger side behind the steer axle there’s a 200-litre
steel fuel tank.
The Isuzu badges, by the way, have been sacrificed for the Bullet
Freight branding – so the only mention of the Isuzu word is on the TCL
Isuzu number plate holder.
One of the major points about this interior though is how quiet it
is when you’re on the move. As Owen Ferguson says, that’s been THE
feedback from all of the drivers on the new Isuzus.
Soon after 11am our last delivery (to a building supplies company)
is done and, as per usual, Anthony now gets a break. Typically, within
an hour, the pickup orders will start to roll in from his local customers.
And so it happens: Just before midday he gets the call to head to a
local packaging company that’s another of Bullet’s main customers, to
pick up the best part of a truckload of palleted packaging.
And, around 12.30pm, we start the return journey to the Bullet
Freight depot, the reasonably busy motorway prompting a bit of
discussion about the perils of Auckland traffic.
“Yeah they do cut in on you – a lot. I leave myself a gap, but they
still cut in front. It’s inevitable.”
And so yes, in clocking up 14,500-odd kilometres in four months,
almost inevitably the ABS system has had real-life testing – and wasn’t
found wanting: “About two weeks ago a guy just cut in front of me
– from nowhere. I had to slam the brakes on otherwise I would have
ended up in the back of him. It was excellent.” There was no lockup
and no accident.
Another notable feature of this truck is the smooth-shifting nature of
the Allison automatic. It may not be super-swift, but you couldn’t call it
sluggish either – and it is super-smooth.
Under normal acceleration and loading it shifts at 1600 to 1700rpm,
but pushing the Power button prompts it to have the engine rev
harder – upshifting later and downshifting earlier. On our run up the
Harbour Bridge, for instance, it keeps the revs up around 2200, even
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The morning’s run comprises five
deliveries and one pickup – all in
relatively tight confines, one of them
necessitating the use of the Zepro
tail-lift
How well it does its job is indicated by the way its operators judge it:
Owen Ferguson says that “we’ll see how the economy’s tracking….but
in the next financial year and maybe a little bit earlier we’ll be certainly
looking at maybe another couple of them”
2400rpm. The redline on the tacho is, by the way, set at 2800.
The Allison takes itself down a gear to fifth as we come down the
city side of the bridge. It does have an air-controlled exhaust brake
that Anthony generally doesn’t bother using, except maybe when the
trailer’s on and the combination’s at its heaviest.
On the climb away from Victoria Park, Anthony takes it out of Power
mode in the interests of comparison – and the Allison is more relaxed,
running the engine 300-400rpm lower.
Anthony reckons that the nature of the loads means that the truck
probably only ever has to haul a maximum 24-tonnes all-up. That’s
with the trailer behind. And most of the time, he says, it’s probably
more like 18 or 19-tonnes.
As Owen Ferguson mentions, the company doesn’t closely monitor
the fuel economy of its metro fleet, so that remains an unknown in
our test truck.
If the gearchanging in the FVY is smooth (and it is), the ride is
too: It comes courtesy of Hendrickson HAS400 air suspension on the
Meritor RT40-145G tandem axle set. On the Meritor FG941 front axle
there are taperleaf springs, shocks and a stabiliser bar.
We’re back at the Bullet Freight logistics centre not long after 1pm.
The whole process will now repeat – Anthony loading up with anything
else in the warehouse for Albany (although often there’s nothing)….
then returning to the Shore, to begin a round of pickups, including
hitching up the now-loaded trailer.
So this is a typical day in the life of a real city truck: It’s
only been out of Auckland once in its life, on a special delivery
up to Warkworth.
How well it does its job is indicated by the way its operators
judge it: Owen Ferguson says that “we’ll see how the economy’s
tracking….but in the next financial year and maybe a little bit earlier
we’ll be certainly looking at maybe another couple of them.
“I’m totally happy (with the Isuzus). There haven’t been any
problems or any issues….well, with the exception of little things on the
first one – like the misplacement of the controls for the tail-lift, on the
suicide side instead of the left-hand side, you know. It was very, very
quickly rectified.”
And the driver? Anthony concedes that this isn’t a pretty-looking
truck – but it is effective: “It gets my job done. And yeah, I’m
happy with it. I enjoy this truck – if they took it off me I don’t know
what I’d do.”
In fact, he adds with a laugh, he’s actually told the boss: “I love this
truck – and if it goes….I’d go with it!” T & D
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Specifications
ISUZU FVY
1400A 6x4
Engine: Isuzu 6HK1-TCS
The
Trevor
test
THIS is a simple truck to drive: You can
just hop in and feel at home behind the wheel.
That’s a good thing, of course, with any truck: It
means you can easily, if need be, put an unfamiliar
driver into it…
And, for the regular wheelman, simplicity
equates to ease of use: And not having to worry
about what the truck’s doing is a very good thing
when you’re negotiating Auckland’s often-hectic,
often stressful traffic.
It’s not too bad when I take my test-drive – but
even when it’s at its worst, I reckon that the driverfriendliness
of this FVY and, in particular, its
Allison automatic, will take away a lot of the pain.
Given that the Isuzu EGR engine under the
floor is only putting out 300-horsepower and the
automatic naturally soaks up some of the engine’s
performance through the torque converter, it’s no
surprise that the acceleration isn’t eye-watering.
Like the retardation from the single-stage
exhaust brake, the engine performance is steady.
But in both instances, that’s fine – fine for what
you need to do in this strictly-around-town
application. Specially since the nature of this
truck’s work means that it will generally be fairly
lightly-loaded.
I sure wouldn’t like to be doing any intercity
work in it, but it’s nice to drive in the
metro setting.
It helps the driveability of the truck that the
Allison’s shifts are very smooth. I’m actually quite
amazed at just how smooth.
I particularly appreciate the auto box, of course,
when it comes to backing the truck and trailer into
a factory, to drop off the trailer: The parked cars
along the road opposite the driveway don’t leave a
lot of room for manoeuvring and two-axle trailers
are usually pigs to back anyway. Plus I haven’t got
a feel for the drawbar at all.
So it does take me quite a few back and forths
to get it in there – discovering in the process how
good the Allison is in this situation: You just
go straight from forward to reverse – simply by
pushing the D button, then the R button. So at
least that part’s easy.
This exercise does show up a problem with
the setup of the rear air suspension – the truck
picking up a rear wheel as I bump over the kerb
and forcing me to put the diff lock in. The air
suspension is way too rigid – needs adjusting to
allow more travel. It’d drive me crazy in aroundtown
work.
Overall though I find this a nice truck for the
job: Cab access is pretty good, with good steps and
hand-holds and the door opens extremely wide
– so wide that it’s a real reach from the driver’s seat
to grab it and close it.
Once inside, the driving position is okay
– although, even with the seat as far back as
it’ll go, I could do with a bit more rearward
movement. Fortunately the steering wheel has
good adjustment – up and down and forward and
back – so I can get comfortable enough.
With just two pedals to worry about, there is
plenty of footroom and the Isri seat is comfortable,
with good side and lumbar support.
Generally the vision from the driver’s seat is
pretty good – but the mirrors do create blind
spots that could catch out an unfamiliar driver.
Right at the start of my drive – pulling out of the
Bullet Freight driveway – I find that the left one
completely obscures a truck!
As with the truck’s operation, its dash
layout and controls are all very simple and
straightforward. No frills….but effective.
Add to this two other important attributes
– a quiet cab and a smooth ride – and you’ve got
a pretty effective medium-duty contender. The
FVY ticks a lot of the right boxes – making it a
good example of the reasons why so many Kiwi
transport operators buy enough Isuzus to make it
easily our biggest-selling make. T & D
Capacity: 7.8 litres
Maximum power: 221kW
(300hp) @ 2400rpm
Maximum torque: 981Nm
(724 lb ft) @ 1450pm
Fuel capacity: 200 litres
Transmission: Allison 3500
Series six-speed automatic
Ratios:
1st – 4.59
2nd – 2.25
3rd – 1.54
4th – 1.00
5th – 0.75
6th – 0.65
Front axle: Meritor FG941,
rated at 6600kg
Rear axles: Meritor RT40-
145G, combined rating of
18,100kg
Auxiliary brakes: Isuzu aircontrolled
exhaust brake
Front suspension: Taperleaf
springs, stabiliser bar, shock
absorbers
Rear suspension: Hendrickson
HAS400 air suspension
GVW: 24,000kg
GCM: 36,000kg
Truck & Driver | 33
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