Ford has had a notable presence in the World Rally Championship (WRC) over the years, dominating during some periods as well. Although the company has not won many championships, it has the second most number of events wins in the WRC after Citroen. Since the 21st century began, Ford has won two championships with the Ford Focus and Fiesta as well as many individual rounds.
M-Sport Ford, run by former rally driver Malcolm Wilson, has represented Ford in the WRC most years and in the opening round for the 2022 championship, the brand new Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 car. It has been developed by M-Sport Ford at its UK base for the new era of rallying where hybrid powertrains are being introduced.
M‑Sport Ford is entering 3 cars for this year’s championship which will be the 25th year of the hugely successful partnership between Ford and M-Sport. “One of the most captivating aspects of WRC down the years has been the clear link between the ultra-high performance rally cars and their road-going equivalents,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance. “That’s why it’s so important that this new era of WRC reflects our industry’s shift to electrification. At Ford, we’re fully committed to an electrified future, and campaigning the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 car in the toughest conditions is going to help us develop even more exciting electrified powertrains for our customers.”
Powered using similar principles to the Puma EcoBoost Hybrid road car on which it is based, the new Puma Hybrid Rally1 is Ford’s first electrified competition car. It has a next-generation hybrid powertrain that captures energy during braking and coasting, and stores it in a 3.9 kWh battery pack. The energy is then used to supplement the performance of the turbocharged 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with repeated boosts of up to 3 seconds from a 100 kW electric motor.
The car can also use its electrified powertrain to travel through towns, cities, service parks and chosen sections between stages using pure-electric power. So it’s a rather different image from the noisier rallycars of the past. The battery pack can be recharged using an external power source at the dedicated service points between stages, with a recharge taking approximately 25 minutes.
Another new requirement by the FIA (for Rally1 competitors) is that fossil-free fuel must be used from this year’s season. This is in line with the FIA’s goal of achieving sustainability and the fuel must have a blend of synthetic and bio-degradable elements.
While the petrol engine produces 380 ps/420 Nm, maximum output from the hybrid system is up to 500 ps with 500 Nm of torque, all going through a 5ive-speed sequential manual transmission and 50/50 torque split 4-wheel drive. With a minimum body weight of 1,260 kgs, the car’s 0 to 100 km/h time is said to be 3.2 seconds.
When the subject of electric vehicles comes up, a common topic is range. This is important to buyers since, unlike cars which run on petrol or diesel, you cannot just drive into a station and refuel. With a fully electric vehicle or battery electric vehicle (BEV), you need a charging station to ‘refuel’ with electricity. So how far the car can go on a fully charged battery pack matters and this range is increasing as battery technology advances.
Depending on the country and region, the network of charging stations varies in coverage. In Europe, Japan and North America, it is quite extensive so BEV owners can drive long distances and be assured that they will get ‘fuel’ along the way.
In Malaysia, it is still small and it is only now that Shell, collaborating with Porsche Asia-Pacific, is setting up charging points at stations along the North-South Expressway. This will enable BEV owners to travel from Singapore all the way to the north and eventually, in Thailand as well.
For Americans, driving long distances on electric power is getting common and the nationwide Electrify America CCS DC fast charging network is extensive enough. This encouraged Wayne Gerdes, a multi-Guinness World Records title-holder for efficiency and range in other vehicles, to set a new record for the shortest charging time to cross the continental USA in a BEV, specifically a Porsche Taycan. The record that existed was 7 hours, 10 minutes, and 1 second.
Gerdes completed the crossing from Los Angeles in California to New York City covering 4,563.5 kms in the red Taycan with a cumulative charge time of just 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 48 seconds. “Comparing charging performance from of variety of EVs I have driven to date, the Taycan sets the bar,” said Gerdes. “The first time I charged on a 350KW charger, 6% to 82% was done in just 22 minutes.”
To qualify for the Guinness World Records title, Gerdes was required to meet a daunting set of requirements, including meticulously noting every stop – with independent witnesses for each charge. Every kilometre covered was filmed, GPS tracked and accounted for before being certified by a panel of adjudicators ahead of the record being accepted. The car selected was a standard 2021 Taycan equipped with the Performance Battery Plus as well as nice-to-have luxury items for the coast-to-coast drive, such as the Premium Package, Adaptive Cruise Control and Porsche Electric Sport Sound.
With autonomous cars on the horizon and the involvement of humans in actually driving becoming unnecessary, dramatic driving manoeuvres like cars sliding sideways or doing handbrake turns may become a ‘lost art’. In fact, such manoeuvres would not be done as the supercomputer ‘driver’ would deem them dangerous and its job would be to avoid such things.
This doesn’t mean that the computer isn’t capable of such dramatic actions and the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) in America has demonstrated in a world first. As shown in the video, a sportscar drifts on a closed track and while there is someone inside, he is not actually controlling its movements. Combining a deep knowledge of both vehicle dynamics and control design, TRI’s Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) approach extends the vehicle’s operational domain to the very limits of its performance.
Not a frivolous exercise
While the demonstration is impressive, it was not just a frivolous exercise and the idea behind it programming controlled, autonomous drifting is to ‘teach’ the computer how to avoid accidents by navigating around sudden obstacles or on very slippery road conditions.
“At TRI, our goal is to use advanced technologies that augment and amplify humans, not replace them,” said Avinash Balachandran, Senior Manager of TRI’s Human Centric Driving Research. “Through this project, we are expanding the region in which a car is controllable, with the goal of giving regular drivers the instinctual reflexes of a professional race car driver to be able to handle the most challenging emergencies and keep people safer on the road.”
‘Skills’ comparable to expert drivers
One year ago, TRI and the Dynamic Design Lab at Stanford University set out to design a new level of active safety to help avoid crashes and prevent injuries and fatalities. With the support of automotive performance specialist GReddy and drift legend Ken Gushi, this latest achievement is another step in that journey. By building skills comparable to an expert driver, this technology can amplify and augment a regular driver’s ability to respond to dangerous and extreme situations, helping keep people safe on the road.
“When faced with wet or slippery roads, professional drivers may choose to ‘drift’ the car through a turn, but most of us are not professional drivers,” said Jonathan Goh, a TRI Research Scientist. “That’s why TRI is programming vehicles that can identify obstacles and autonomously drift around obstacles on a closed track.”
This achievement brings TRI researchers closer to understanding the full spectrum of vehicle performance. The software advances announced today calculate a whole new trajectory every twentieth of a second to balance the car gracefully as it goes around the track.
NMPC explained
Combining the vehicle dynamics and control design insights from drifting-specific approaches with the generalized framework of NMPC yields a control scheme that extends the vehicle’s operational domain beyond the point of tyre saturation. This allows the vehicle to drive beyond the notions of traditional open loop stability to where the vehicle is skidding but still controllable due to closed loop driving control.
The NMPC controller can smoothly transition from dynamic, non-equilibrium drifting to grip driving, while accounting for multiple objectives including road bounds. This approach was tested on a Toyota Supra that has been specially customized for autonomous driving research. It is equipped with computer-controlled steering, throttle, clutch displacement, sequential transmission, and individual wheel braking. Vehicle state information is obtained from a dual-antenna RTK-GNSS-aided INS system at a rate of 250Hz, and the NMPC controller runs on an x86 computer.
For the purposes of data collection with expert drivers in a controlled environment, the suspension, engine, transmission, chassis and safety systems (eg roll cage, fire suppression) were modified to be similar to that used in Formula Drift competitions.
There are a lot of expectations levelled on the pick-up truck segment.
Decades ago, a pick-up truck only had to be tough and reliable.
It just had to be able to carry as well as tow heavy things, not break down, and that’s about it.
Manufacturers had little to worry about in terms of design and creature comforts.
They focused on bomb-proof reliability and go-anywhere technology such as an advanced four-wheel-drive system.
Now though, pick-up truck manufacturers have a lot to do.
They not only have to make sure their product is tough and reliable, but it also has to be comfortable with advanced creature comforts and safety technology to match that of a regular sedan.
Good looks matter now more than ever before as well. Not to mention top notch after sales service.
A good warranty matters more in this segment than any other segment as well. Simply because the truck needs to be able to do what the manufacturer says it will do – like be able to tow three tons without breaking down.
And if it did break down – the manufacturer needs to fix it, and quick.
Which takes me to the one pick-up truck that seemingly has it all – the all-new Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain.
Isuzu’s have always been tough and reliable. Basic machines with a singular purpose of carrying out the toughest jobs in some of the toughest terrains.
It is a reputation that has been built on decades of use and abuse in some of toughest conditions around the world.
But good looks, comfort and brimming with creature comforts and technology is not something that is usually associated with an Isuzu.
Now though, the D-Max X-Terrain is different. Very different.
It’s good looks can challenge that of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak.
It’s toughness and reliability could perhaps put a Toyota Hilux to shame.
The Mitsubishi Triton doesn’t even come close to it in all aspects. And neither does the Nissan Navara.
Take the interior for starters.
The seats are among the most comfortable in its segment, and extend support to the shoulders, which isn’t something you get very often in a pick-up truck.
The tanned brown leather doesn’t only look great but is super comfortable especially during long distance drives.
The driver’s seat is electronically adjustable in 8-different ways with impressive thigh support. Thigh support is important for those long cross-border drives.
And what I really appreciate about the sitting position of the X-Terrain is the steering wheel that is adjustable for reach and height (tilt & telescopic). Which means you are never left uncomfortable when driving.
The Isuzu is the only truck to offer such adjustability as well.
The quality of everything is top notch, even the buttons feel like they came from a BMW 3-Series or a Mercedes C-Class.
Then there is the entertainment system that is accessible via a 9-inch touchscreen that dominates the dashboard.
The software that gives you access to navigation and other controls such as air-conditioning is easy to use.
But it also offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.
This combined with an impressive sound system that features speakers mounted on the roof (!) of the car, gives the interior a luxurious look and feel.
Occupants of the rear seats will appreciate the rear air-conditioning vents and the single USB slot to charge electronics.
The interior is generally well thought out and doesn’t seem to be lacking anything. Simply said, almost perfect for a pick-up truck and there’s lots that other pick-up truck manufacturers can learn from the X-Terrain. Especially as far as creature comforts and ergonomics go.
Then there is the powertrain.
Isuzu’s have generally offered rather basic powertrains. There has always been a robust engine at the centre that is a good mix of power, reliability and fuel economy.
And that engine has been mated to a rather traditional gearbox.
That has not changed, and I understand why.
Why fix something that works fine?
The engine is a 3.0-litre turbocharged unit that is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.
Rather conventional you might say, but it is a tried and tested powertrain that has been in the market for a while already.
It is proven to be reliable which is the most important thing in a pick-up.
And it is also quite economical. You get a range of a little over 750 kilometres when the 76-litre diesel tank is full.
In fact, on a trip to Penang, I saw a range of 850 kilometres. So consumption depends on usage and your driving style.
In terms of power, the X-Terrain isn’t exactly the most powerful in its class.
It puts out 190PS and 450Nm of torque, which may not seem like much against the likes of the Ranger Wildtrak, but it is still plenty for day to day usage.
This powertrain also gives the X-Terrain the ability to tow anything that weighs up to three and a half tons. And is able to carry anything that weighs under a ton in the rear bed.
Other pick-up trucks too have similar capabilities, proving that you don’t need mega power to get the work done.
In terms of drive, the X-Terrain feels more refined while power delivery is not an issue. It will comfortably cruise at about 140-150km/h with no dramas.
The suspension set up is quite regular – independent double wishbones with coil springs and gas shocks up front. And the usual leaf springs at the rear.
This gives the X-Terrain a typical pick-up truck live drive and feel, so there are no surprises there.
But the one segment that has the X-Terrain glittering over its competitors is the amount of safety technology that the D-Max has over its competitors.
Namely ADAS, which is short for Advanced Driver Assist System.
ADAS is a suite that encompasses all the safety technology that the D-Max X-Terrain has to offer. This includes.
1. Forward Collision Warning – This detects a potential collision in front and alerts the driver.
2. Autonomous Emergency Braking – Detects a collision and brakes automatically if the driver doesn’t respond.
3. Turn Assist – Monitors oncoming traffic when turning and brakes automatically to avoid accidents.
4. Automatic Pedal Misapplication Mitigation – This system helps to brake the car when the accelerator pedal has been accidentally pressed by the driver.
5. Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go function – Adjusts the cars cruising speed based on traffic conditions, and also helps to accelerate again when the car comes to a complete stop.
6. Lane Departure Warning – Detects and warns the driver when the car accidentally drifts towards another lane.
7. Automatic High Beam – Dims the high beam automatically to avoid dazzling other drivers.
8. Blind Spot Monitor – Alerts the driver when a vehicle is in the car’s blind spot.
9. Rear Cross Traffic Alert – Monitors the rear of the car and alerts the driver when there’s a vehicle approaching when reversing.
10. Manual Speed Limiter – Limits the speed of the car at the press of a button.
11. Multi Collision Brake – In the event of an accident, the car’s brakes are applied to prevent subsequent impact from cars behind.
Not only that, but the D-Max is the only pick-up truck in its segment that has a five-Star ASEAN NCAP crash rating. And it is also the only pick-up truck that offers seven airbags when all other trucks have just six, or less.
These are not the only safety features the X-Terrain has to offer. In fact, the safety tech is so vast that the official brochure has three full pages dedicated to safety technology alone.
The Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain seemingly has it all. But what perfects an already impressive package is the fact that it come with a seven year unlimited mileage warranty.
For reference sake, the Toyota Hilux only offers a five-year or 150,000km warranty, so if you do 160,000km in two years, that warranty is out the window.
The Ford Ranger Wildtrak offered a five year warranty until recently. It now comes with a five-year or 160,000km warranty.
The Mitsubishi Triton on the other hand offers a five-year or 200,000km warranty.
The Nissan Navara too offers a five-year or 150,000km warranty.
In that aspect, Isuzu has truly put its money where its mouth is (or grille) and offered the best warranty. Because there is no better testament to a product than the manufacturer itself having trust in it and offering the best warranty in the market.
At just RM142,000, the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain is undoubtedly the best value for money pick-up truck in the market right now.
It is no wonder then that the truck has been the recipient of multiple awards the world over naming the X-Terrain as the best pick-up truck in the market.
Car-related accidents can happen at any time of the day but as lighting levels decrease – like at night – the possibility of an accident is higher. This is especially so with pedestrians, cyclists and even animals that may be walking along the side of a road which is not well lit. For this reason, the carmakers have constantly improved on lighting the road ahead, using advanced technologies as they have become available.
From candle lamps over 100 years ago to bulbs and then to LED headlamps, illuminating the road ahead has become better through the decades, contributing to reduced accidents at night. Intelligent lighting technology enables the brightness to be maximized when there are no vehicles approaching but automatically lower the beams (or even selectively adjust their shape) so as not to dazzle other drivers.
Expensive technology trickling down
A more advanced technology that is slowly used in cars is night vision. You’ve probably seen night vision technology in action in movies as soldiers use them, giving them the capability to see at night and spot the enemy. Reconnaissance aircraft also have night vision cameras to capture imagery at night. The same type of technology has been used in a few car models at the higher end but because of the cost, it has been slow to trickle down.
Now, with the latest Grandland SUV by Opel, night vision appears to be coming to midrange models which is good news for motorists. No, drivers will not have to wear googles like the solders do as the system uses a camera to scan the road ahead with infrared beams. If living objects are detected, the driver will see on the instrument panel an image ahead that identifies the position of people or animals.
Detecting heat with infrared camera
Like the adaptive IntelliLux LED Pixel Light installed in the SUV, the camera-based Night Vision system can help Grandland drivers spot people and animals crucial moments earlier. The infrared camera, which detects heat, is concealed in the Opel Vizor (the name given to the company’s frontal design) which also integrates the advanced LED headlamps with 84 elements per unit.
The IntelliLux LED Pixel Light provides a seamless adaptation of the light beam according to the driving situation and surroundings. The matrix function precisely cuts out oncoming traffic in milliseconds, while the other areas remain fully illuminated with main beam.
With the Night Vision system, there is improved coverage on darker roads, especially along the sides where people, cyclists and animals might be. Shadows my not make them so visible so the Night Vision is valuable to detect them and it can scan up to 100 metres ahead. The camera analyses temperatures and the difference from the surroundings will trigger an alert.
When people, who have wamr bodies, are detected by the camera, their precise position is shown on a display in the instrument panel.
As soon as the camera detects the pedestrian, cyclist or animal at the side of the road, it shows their position in the 12-inch Driver Info Centre that is within the digital Pure Panel cockpit. The person or animal ahead of the vehicle is highlighted in colour, clearly distinguished from the surroundings. Being alerted earlier and knowing exactly where the person or animal is could make a crucial difference to avoid an accident. The driver might adjust his speed or move further away from the side or even take evasive action if necessary.
Useful anywhere there are dark roads
While the main aim of developing the system was to increase safety during the winter months when lighting conditions are lower, the Night Vision system would also be valuable anywhere else. In Malaysia, there are many roads in rural areas that are not well lit, and such a system would help the driver to spot others on the road more easily.
As with many other safety systems, the cost of a Night Vision system will eventually become low enough that it could be offered even in entry-level models. We’ve seen this happening with active safety systems like ABS, airbags, electronic stability control and automatic emergency braking which began in more expensive models years earlier.
