Treading not so softly in Thailand with Isuzu

For a few nervous seconds behind the wheel of a right-hand drive Isuzu D-MAX (a version I’d never driven before in my life), there is nothing but blue sky out of the windshield. Crawling up a muddy, 50-degree slope, there’s barely enough time to appreciate the "Super Commonrail" engine’s tractable power before the view tilts, and now we’re seemingly pointed straight down the other side of the hill, towards a wall of earth. "Sek" (or was it "Lek"?), our driving instructor, tells me soothingly, "Do not brake". Sek does not appear to be more than 20 years old, and though I normally don’t listen to people a lot younger than me telling me how to drive, I have to trust him. After all, he’d shown me just a few minutes before how to tackle the "Deep Shit!" section.

So I don’t step on the brake pedal, trusting engine combustion to do the job for us as I wait for a sickening crunch that never happens because, well… we’re in Isuzu 4x4 Land in Pattaya, and of course our truck can handle all of the obstacles here. A driving clinic for Isuzu customers, 4x4 Land is an off-roader’s playground, offering a mix of highly technical sections ranging from slippery, negative-camber slopes to v-type ditches.

It was the second day of our visit to Thailand, ostensibly to cover the 27th Bangkok International Motor Show, but as guests of Tri Petch Isuzu Sales Co., Ltd., also a chance to understand why the company holds the distinction of being the number 2 carmaker in the country despite only offering commercial vehicles. Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand arguably has the booming-est car market. In 1996, the total sales volume was 589,100. After rebounding from the 1997 financial crisis, the market posted steady growth through the years, hitting 626,000 by 2003. It makes the Philippine car market look like loose change, actually.

Now it’s 2006, Tri Petch is number 1 in the commercial vehicle market with 36.8%, and the D-MAX rules the pickup truck segment with 37.6%, followed by the Toyota Hilux (33.4%) and the Mitsubishi Triton/Strada (8.4%). A briefing given to us by Isuzu Operations (Thailand) Senior Vice President Panatda Chennavasin explained the strategy behind their impressive performance, particularly with the D-MAX. Namely, product quality, fuel economy, high resale value, and after sales support. Despite the D-MAX’s relative age in the face of newer competition such as the Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton/Strada, a relentless marketing campaign of fuel economy runs, TV game show participation, and customer immersion programs had enabled its breadwinning model to stay on top of the sales charts. Indeed, in only a little over three years, the D-MAX had already reached cumulative sales of 500,000 units. And, said Ms. Panatda, this was achieved without resorting to a price war as its competitors were wont to do.

But would this performance be sustainable over several more years? Unveiled during the Bangkok Motor Show were two models making a bid for some of Isuzu’s enviable market share: the all-new Ford Ranger and the Mazda BT-50. Mechanically, the two trucks share the same chassis and similar-looking greenhouses. Although each uses proprietary turbodiesel engines, what’s more interesting is that both utilize 2nd generation common-rail injection technology, bringing them up to par with the D-MAX’s "Super Commonrail" system (the same type under the hood of the locally available Alterra).

Judging by the assembled regional media’s rather tepid reaction to the two trucks’ unveiling though, the styling of either truck is utilitarian rather than attractive. According to Ms. Panatda though, styling isn’t as important to a Thai’s truck buying decision as much as it does to a Filipino, so maybe Ford and Mazda will give Tri Petch Isuzu a harder time staying at the top this year.

Also present at the Motor Show were several automobiles that Filipino car lovers will be interested in: the Toyota Yaris (the Echo reborn), the Chevrolet Colorado (a rebadged D-MAX with a Silverado snout), and the Chevrolet Aveo sedan. For its part, Isuzu had no all-new models to unveil. Rather, it was content to demonstrate its primacy with a pair of Limited-edition D-MAXes sporting exclusive wheels and trim, and an announcement of special campaigns for its customers ranging from incentives to raffles to photo-sessions with the local stars.

Of course, Isuzu Philippines may already have an ace up its sleeve sometime this year with the Thailand-model D-MAX, which already utilizes the 3rd generation 4JJ1-TC super commonrail turbodiesel. Personally, I think the future of diesel engines is with common rail injection, so it’s a good bet this engine will eventually replace the locally available D-MAX’s direct-injection motor.

Of course, all of this is information I have yet to know while still in 4x4 Land (much less care about at the moment even if I did) because all 20 hectares of the place are dedicated to making me understand exactly what the D-MAX can and can’t do. And to make sure that I won’t be the first Filipino writer to roll a D-MAX on its roof, I have to concentrate on the terrain and what the tires are telling me through the steering wheel. Up we go over another slope, through a section with logs embedded in the mud, and into a rather nasty rock garden. I manage to thread the truck through the last part without banging either axle on a boulder, and Lek (or was it really Sek?) tells me I am doing a good job. What follows is my favorite: a set of alternating, mud-filled craters. Lek smiles and says "Just keep the wheel steady, keep three wheels on the ground all the time." I follow obediently, and the truck smoothly flows through the craters like a dog taking a pee, first bringing one rear tire up and then switching to the next without complaint. "Good, good," says Lek. "Just like Manila," I tell him.

One of the last obstacles is a ditch that’s grille-deep in muddy water. If I panic, we will get embarrassingly stuck in that yuck. "Is this Deep Shit part?" I ask Lek. "No! No! Not Deep Shit. Only Deep Ditch. Just relax." Lek is looking slightly agitated now. The truck plows through as if the ditch weren’t there. The engine just loafs along at around 1,000 rpm, the chassis hardly perturbed with what I am subjecting it to. Maybe the truck is bored with my driving style.

Finally, we proceed to an off-camber slope, with Lek on the side towards the ground. The diagonal horizon through the windshield would almost be interesting to ponder, except that Lek is nervously twitching my steering wheel as he senses the slippery tires beginning to slip off the slope. At last, we return to horizontal ground in one piece, slightly nauseous but quite happy with what we’ve just learned about off-road driving. Post-drive snacks consist of "Isuzu D-Max"-branded instant noodles (really good thom yum flavor, too) and pudding before a proper lunch at Laemchabang Golf Country Club. The branding is relentless, and all it takes is a 10 minute drive through Bangkok to appreciate just how many Isuzus there really are on the road. It’s all a testament to an aggressive marketing strategy, and one can only surmise just how much of it Isuzu Philippines will emulate. When might there be a "4x4 Land" in the Philippines? When might there be "Isuzu D-Max" instant batchoy noodles? We’ll just have to wait and see.