The Isuzu KB bakkie range is dead, long live the new D-Max series! (it’s basically the same…)
What you need to know: Although yours truly isn’t the biggest bakkie fan, someone thought it funny to bring us a whole string of Isuzu pick-ups to test. Starting with KB250 double cabs over “X Rider” 4×2 and 4×4 models, this D-Max denotes the new-and-improved product onslaught from the Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer.
Golden geese, gift horses and hands that feed – surely you are familiar with these sayings? That’s as diplomatic as I can be about our latest long-term test vehicle, a bright red Isuzu KB X-Rider double cab bakkie which most of us at NamWheels drove over the festive season 2017 / 2018.
Read moreLong-term test: 2017 Isuzu KB 250 D-Teq double cab X-Rider
Hearing the word “bakkie” or “utility vehicle” immediately brings certain stereotypical thoughts to mind. Bakkies have always been seen as the business workhorse, mainly being used for carrying or towing large weights. Yet, within recent years, that stereotype may have been put to rest as more and more manufacturers are trying their hand at changing this perception.
Read moreTested: Ford Ranger 3.2 XLT FX4 (Limited Edition) 6-spd AT
Right, so you live in Suburbia, have a couple of kids and lead an active lifestyle. Where before a “Kombi”, some station wagon or 4×4 double-cab may have done the trick, your next automotive purchase must tick all those boxes. Stand around any respectable Namibian braai and most attendees would strongly advise Toyota’s recurrent Fortuner, but we at NamWheels would like to suggest the new Chevrolet Trailblazer…
The more cars I review, the more obsessed I become with their purpose. What were they built for? Are they any good at it? This inevitably leads to a few more questions. Who buys such a car? And are they using it as intended? This, as I’ve explained before, makes me appreciate cars like the Toyota Land-Cruiser 79.
When last have you been to the dentist or spent some time with your mother-in-law? I’ll avoid answering both questions but can report that this past weekend, I did something I tend to avoid like the plague: drive a double-cab. Which one? A bi-turbo Volkswagen Amarok 4×2.
The list of things I’m scared of has just grown; again. Right behind Tequila, cameras in bushes, spiders that are bigger than my shoe and the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX comes the 2010 Subaru WRX.
When the cat’s away, the mice will play. No sooner had our senior journalist boarded an Airbus bound for Germany and I took charge of the office. I rearranged all thumbtacks, drank all the coffee, put my feet on the desk and got myself invited to the launch of the new Volkswagen Amarok.
Certain cars raise the eyelids and saliva levels of petrol heads and guarantee their owners, even temporary ones, a crowd of inquisitive onlookers. The escalating-pitch one-word “And?” is a favourite question you’ll have to endure when you hold the key to a Chevrolet Lumina SS.
Should a dinner conversation ever turn to the subject of safe family cars it won’t take very long until the name Volvo creeps into focus. This manufacturer has a proud heritage of quality cars that combined safety with performance.