Land Rover has always been a pioneer and leader in the 4×4 segment, offering vehicles tough enough for military use and for civilians to go almost anywhere on the planet (except over the oceans). In 1970, the company decided to develop a new model which today can be considered the first premium luxury SUV – the Range Rover.
The first Range Rover, a 2-door model, had all the robust qualities of the utilitarian models and was just as capable on any terrain with its 4×4 system. “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it at the time. It seemed worth a try and Land Rover needed a new product,” said Spen King, who is regarded as the Father of the Range Rover. He was the company’s engineering chief in 1970 and his uncles were the Wilks brothers – Spencer and Maurice – who jointly founded Land Rover in 1948.
In the years that followed, it would become a technology leader among what came to be called SUVs or Sport Utility Vehicles. It introduced ABS, Electronic Traction Control and Automatic Electronic Air Suspension to the SUV world and, with the 2012 Range Rover, pioneered aluminium body architecture in large SUVs. In 2015, the Range Rover was the first vehicle to be fitted with Land Rover’s innovative All-Terrain Progress Control which optimises performance on all kinds of surfaces.
Previously a flagship model of the Land Rover range, the Range Rover evolved into a brand of its own and has a range which currently comprises the Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar, as well as the Range Rover.
The Range Rover line-up in the model’s 50th year.
“Over five decades, the Range Rover has evolved into the most desirable luxury SUV in the world. Its peerless combination of sophisticated design, refinement and capability has struck an emotional chord with customers all over the globe,” said Prof. Gerry McGovern, Chief Creative Officer at Land Rover.
To celebrate the Range Rover’s Golden Jubilee, Land Rover created a giant piece of sub-zero art at its cold weather test facility in Arjeplog, close to the Arctic circle in Sweden. The 260-metre wide artwork filled the centre of the steering pad at the test track where all future Land Rover models are put through their paces during development.
Land Rover’s Arjeplog facility uses a frozen lake to provide the perfect conditions for engineers to test and assess the latest models. Arjeplog is also home to the Jaguar Land Rover Ice Academy, where customers experience the thrill of dynamic ice driving, under careful instruction from world-class driving experts.
Renowned snow artist Simon Beck created the 53,092 sq. metre anniversary logo by walking more than 45,000 steps across the powdery surface inside the steering pad, accompanied by a quartet of the latest Range Rover SV models.
Renowned snow artist Simon Beck walked more than 45,000 steps over the snow to create the anniversary logo.
Since 2014 the expert engineers, craftsmen and women at Special Vehicle Operations have been responsible for designing and producing the fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive Range Rover models in model’s 50-year history.
The biggest selling SV model to date and the fastest and most dynamic Range Rover ever produced is the Range Rover Sport SVR. It has a 575 ps engine which can rocket it from standstill to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and top out at 283 km/h.
A new Land Rover Discovery Sport is now in Malaysian showrooms, available in two variants priced from RM379,800 (excluding insurance and roadtax). Customers can choose from the 5-seater or the higher-spec R-Dynamic variant with 5+2 seating which is priced at RM409,800.
New design cues on the bolder front end and a sportier silhouette identify the latest Discovery Sport R-Dynamic. Modernity and refinement are also reflected in the new signature LED lighting systems front and rear. Of course, the traditional Land Rover design features are still present – a prominent clamshell bonnet, rising beltline and tapered roof.
Now with Driveline Disconnect
The driving experience is said to be improved with the new power transfer feature called ‘Driveline Disconnect’. Incorporated in the All-Wheel Drive system, this feature works by disconnecting the drive of the front axle to the rear wheels under steady state cruising, thereby reducing frictional losses and re-engaging AWD in less than 500 milliseconds.
In addition, the Terrain Response 2 system is now a standard feature. Developed with Land Rover’s decades of experience in 4×4 systems, Terrain 2 Response optimises performance, traction and control on a variety of surfaces. A simple twist of a dial selects the appropriate driving mode (Comfort, Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud & Ruts) and adjusts the characteristics of the throttle, brakes, differentials, and transmission. An AUTO mode automatically adjusts torque delivery to suit the terrain.
As with other Land Rover models, the Discovery Sport uses an engine from the Ingenium family, in this case a 2-litre turbocharged unit. Power flows through a ZF 9-speed automatic transmission with a very low first gear for strong low-end acceleration and a tall top gear for reduced engine revs at higher cruising speeds.
Smart technologies
Unlike the early Land Rovers which were engineered to be extremely tough but were technologically simple (which was an advantage off-road), today’s Land Rovers offer advanced smart technologies. Drivers of the Discovery Sport have, for instance, ClearSight Ground View, Land Rover’s world-first technology which is a new feature for the Discovery Sport. It provides drivers with a clear virtual view of the ground ahead so they can navigate over rough ground, park in tight spaces and avoid hitting kerbs.
Connectivity is also advanced with a 10-inch high-definition Touch Pro infotainment system which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system also allows the driver to control the climate system and Terrain Response 2, while an Interactive Driver Display with a large 12-inch high-definition screen displays multiple types of information. The new Discovery Sport also comes with wireless charging which can be used for devices that have the capability.
Also available is a Generation 2 Head-Up Display (HUD), with vehicle speed, gear position and navigation directions projected onto the windscreen ahead of the driver. The high-resolution, full-colour graphics are visible in any lighting conditions and allow the driver to keep his or her eyes ahead.
As safe as passenger cars
With 4X4 SUVs spending almost all their time on highways and able to travel at high speeds, safety is even more important and Land Rover has provided a host of advanced safety technologies. These include High-speed Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist and Driver Condition Monitor as well as the 360° Surround Camera that is equipped with Wade Sensing features. Should an accident occur, there are no less than 7 airbags to help reduce serious injuries.
All new vehicles distributed by Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia have been engineered and tuned for Malaysian conditions and fuel quality. They come with a ‘Land Rover Care’ programme which is based on whichever comes first – a warranty of 5 years or 150,000 kms; scheduled servicing for 5 years or 65,000 kms; and 3 years of Roadside Assistance.
Pick-up trucks have not been entirely unknown in Peugeot’s range, although they have been rare. Mainly seen in Africa markets, Peugeot has had pick-up variants of the 403, 404 and 504 in the past, Now, as part of the brand’s international expansion, it is aiming for a slice of the 2.4-million 1-ton pick-up segment, albeit in Africa and Latin America. Europe and other markets are not in the marketing plan.
Its new entry is the Landtrek and while Peugeot doesn’t mention the background of this new model, it is known to have been jointly developed by the French carmaker and Changan, the latter selling its version as the Kaicene F70 in China since last October. Changan and Peugeot have had a joint-venture company for some time but early this year, it was sold off to the Baoneng Investment Group.
The Peugeot Landtrek was jointly developed with Changan which sells its version as the Kaicene F70 in China (below).
The Landtrek follows the typical pick-up fundamentals and is engineered with high priority given to durability and payload capacity. Before being confirmed for production, prototypes covered 2 million kms of testing on all kinds of terrain and in different weather conditions.
Dimensionally, the Landtrek is of the same size as other pick-ups in the market. It measures 5.33 metres in length for the double cab version and 5.39 metres for the single cab versions, all with a width of 1.92 metres.
The interior design draws some of its elements from 3008 and 508 models, notably the 3008’s 2-spoke steering wheel and the 10-inch HD screen at the top of the dashboard inspired by the 508. The aim has been to provide a passenger car-like cabin (for up to 6 persons) for maximum comfort on any terrain.
The modularity of the rear bench seat is unique in the 1-ton pick-up segment and its backrest can be folded 60/40 or 100%. When folded down, the backrests can support a load of up to 100 kgs. At the front, there is a choice between 2 independent seats with central armrest or a 3-seater Multiflex bench seat. With the latter, there is the possibility of folding down the central backrest to make room for an armrest/work table or to load bulky objects weighing up to 75 kgs.
Besides 6 airbags and Electronic Stability Control, there’s also Hill Descent Control, Anti-Skid control and Trailer Swing Control. The Lane Departure Warning system will alert the driver if the truck wanders off the lane while 1 to 4 cameras can be installed to facilitate manoeuvring by providing a 360° view.
Claimed to have ‘the most accommodating cargo box in the segment’, it can take in 2 Euro-pallets in the Double Cab versions and 3 Euro-pallets in Single Cab versions. The payload can be up to 1.2 tons in some versions and the towing capacity is 3 tons.
The turbodiesel engine, likely to be the more popular of two powertrain options, has a 1.9-litre displacement and produces 150 ps/350 Nm. The petrol option is a turbocharged 2.4-litre unit which generates 210 ps/320 Nm. Both engines can be ordered with a 6-speed Getrag manual gearbox and the petrol version can also be specified with a 6-speed Punch automatic gearbox with sequential operation, Sport or Eco modes.
Like most pick-up trucks, the Landtrek has a transfer case with High and Low ranges to provide maximum capability in the toughest conditions. The rear differential is equipped with the eLocker system with automatic disengagement and provides extra traction when one wheel spins. It can travel across water that is 600 mm deep and clear rough terrain with 235 mm of ground clearance.
The age of flying cars for the masses has yet to start but it must be coming, going by what the new Land Rover Defenders are shown doing in a movie. The 4×4 brand’s products have always been known and admired for their off-road capability on any terrain, wading ability across rivers and extreme durability. Now it appears that they will soon develop some sort of flying capability too!
That they can fly and mimic motocross bikes that swoop 30 metres over ground made them the natural choice for use in ‘No Time To Die’, the James Bond movie that will be in cinemas this April.
It’s not the first time that the Defender has starred in a Bond movie, but it is the first movie for the all-new Defender that was launched last September.
Ten Defenders were acquired for the movie for use in an exciting chase scene, and one of the SUVs has the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) 007 which indicates it was the seventh vehicle to be produced. Customers who have ordered their Defenders will soon be getting them but demand has been very great so Land Rover expects it to exceed supply.
The dramatic scenes are used in Land Rover’s television commercial for the new Defender and demonstrate its various capabilities on tough terrain. The commercial also give an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how those flying scenes were done so you can see it wasn’t CGI. The rehearsal footage includes further extreme tests as the vehicle is driven at top speed through swamps and rivers.
The chase sequence in ‘No Time To Die’ was led by stunt coordinator Lee Morrison, working alongside Oscar-winner Chris Corbould, the special effects and action vehicles supervisor. “We pushed the Defender further than we believed possible to generate the maximum excitement, and to give fans an insight into the uncompromising challenge of producing an incredible chase sequence which you can look forward to seeing in ‘No Time To Die’,” said Morrison.
“We developed a new test standard for Defender, the most challenging we’ve ever had and unique to this vehicle. Physical strength and durability is measured by a number of different tests including a bridge jump test which gave us confidence to deliver what the stunt team needed to create for ‘No Time To Die’, with no modifications to the body structure except the installation of a roll cage,” revealed Nick Collins, Vehicle Line Director for the Defender at the factory.
Putting these vehicles through their paces was Jessica Hawkins, whom Morrison handpicked from the Formula 3 W Series after spotting her potential. He wasted no time in giving her the opportunity to feature in what will be her first ever motion picture.
The Land Rover Defender was a motoring icon in its time and its successor, the New Defender unveiled last September is destined to achieve similar fame in the 21st century. To celebrate the reimagining of the Defender as a motoring icon for this century, the automaker has worked with Zenith to create a special edition watch.
Like the legendary SUV that inspired it, the Defy 21 Land Rover Edition – as this watch is known – is modern, durable and highly desirable. It will be exclusive as only 250 pieces will be available for sale worldwide. Prices will vary depending on the country and exchange rate, but each watch is likely to cost the equivalent of RM60,000 at least.
The Defy 21 Land Rover Edition is the latest result of a 4-year partnership between Land Rover and the Swiss watchmaker. Zenith and Land Rover have previously collaborated to create the El Primero Range Rover, Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar and Defy Classic Evoque watches.
“For the next chapter in our partnership with Zenith, we wanted a timepiece that captured the essence of the new Land Rover Defender: modern, durable and highly desirable. With subtle details that capture the character of new Defender, this for me is the best timepiece we have created with Zenith,” declared Professor Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Creative Officer and guardian of Land Rover’s design DNA.
The Defy 21 Land Rover Edition represents a complete makeover of Zenith’s resolutely 21st century chronograph with a raw and minimalistic look. Crafted in a special micro-blasted titanium case that absorbs light from all angles to better accentuate its faceted surfaces, it is both eye-catching and stealth-like.
Like the El Primero and its numerous versions through the years, the Land Rover Defender now enters a new era with a bold and distinctive character. The Defy 21 Land Rover Edition chronograph also reinterprets the past in a forward-looking way, with an emphasis on durability, precision, comfort and bold design.
The dial appears as one with the case with its muted matte grey colour, offering a very different look to the open-dial standard versions of the Defy 21. Orange and white painted markers add legibility and contrast to the display, as do the specially shaped skeleton hands.
A first for the Defy 21, the power reserve display for the 1/100sec chronograph is executed in the form of a liner window instead of a hand. Through the specially engraved case back, the display offers a view of the El Primero 21 1/100sec movement with a custom oscillating weight, in the form of a miniaturized 5-spoke Land Rover wheel.
Like the different modular packs offering Defender the perfect adaptability to different driving needs, the Defy 21 Land Rover Edition comes with two straps: the ‘Adventure’ strap with an all-terrain textured rubber, and the ‘Country’ featuring a grey rubber strap with a fabric effect and orange stitching.
Unlike its predecessor which was developed long before the electronic age, the new Land Rover Defender is filled with advanced technologies, particularly in the area of connectivity. At CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics show which is on this week, Land Rover is displaying the 4×4 model as the first vehicle with two embedded LTE modems for enhanced connectivity, while the vehicle’s new Pivi Pro infotainment system shares electronic hardware with the latest smartphones.
21st century technology in the New Defender
SOTA technology
The fast and intuitive Pivi Pro system allows customers to make full use of the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology in the New Defender without compromising the system’s ability to stream music and connect to apps. With its own designated LTE modem and eSIM, the SOTA technology can operate in the background without affecting the day-to-day connectivity provided by the separate modem and eSIM in the infotainment module.
The always-on, connected Pivi Pro setup sits at the heart of the cabin. A 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen allows customers to control numerous aspects of the vehicle using the same processing hardware as the latest smartphones. In addition, customers can connect two mobile devices at once using Bluetooth.
“With one LTE modem and eSIM dedicated to the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology and the same set-up looking after music streaming and apps, New Defender has the digital capacity to keep customers connected, updated and entertained at all times anywhere in the world,” said Peter Virk, Director of Connected Car and Future Technology at Jaguar Land Rover. “You could liken the design to a brain, with each half enjoying its own connection for unrivalled and uninterrupted service. Like the brain, one side of the system looks after logical functions, like SOTA, while the other takes care of more creative tasks.”
The LTE connectivity behind the Jaguar Land Rover infotainment system also allows the New Defender to roam across multiple networks in different regions to help optimize connectivity. In addition, the cloud-based architecture provided by CloudCar is designed to make it easy to access and use content and services.
Expanded SOTA capability
Land Rover has also confirmed the first New Defender SUVs will feature more SOTA capability than originally projected. At its Frankfurt Motor Show launch in September 2019, it was announced that 14 individual electronic control modules would be able to receive remote updates. However, the first production vehicles will feature 16 control units capable of receiving SOTA updates.
Software updates for the electronic systems can be done ‘over the air’ from anywhere in the world, making it unnecessary for owners to go to a service centre.
Land Rover engineers estimate that in-dealer software updates will be a thing of the past for Defender customers before the end of 2021 as additional SOTA modules come online, rising from the current 16 to more than 45.
Qualcomm Technologies
Powering the Defender’s Pivi Pro infotainment and Vehicle Domain Controller are two high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platforms, each with an integrated Snapdragon X12 LTE modem. The Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platform delivers unprecedented performance and technology integration designed to support highly advanced telematics, infotainment and digital clusters.
With its power-efficient CPU cores and state-of-the-art GPU performance, integrated machine learning and powerful video processing capabilities, the Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platform will enhance connected in-car experiences, including responsive interfaces, immersive 4K graphics, high-definition media streaming, and immersive audio.
Two X12 LTE modems provide parallel high-bandwidth downlink and uplink connectivity across multiple networks, ultra-fast connectivity and lower latency for secure, reliable communications. Additionally, the X12 LTE modem features an integrated global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and automotive dead reckoning, increasing the vehicle’s capability to accurately keep track of its location and position.
BlackBerry QNX
The New Defender is the first Land Rover vehicle to include a domain controller that consolidates a number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and driver convenience functions built on top of the QNX Hypervisor. Consolidating more systems onto fewer ECUs is integral to the future of automotive electrical design and will be the model for the Land Rover brand’s next-generation vehicle architecture.
Within the New Defender, the Blackberry QNX operating system helps deliver a smartphone-like experience for Pivi Pro infotainment users. The technology also powers the operating system for the latest generation TFT Interactive Driver Display, which can be configured to show vehicle instrumentation, navigation instructions and mapping information or a combination of the two.
BlackBerry QNX technology is embedded in more than 150 million vehicles on the road today and used by top automakers for their ADAS, digital instrument clusters, connectivity modules, hands-free, and infotainment systems.
CloudCar
Jaguar Land Rover is the first global car maker to use CloudCar’s latest cloud-based services platform. Working with the world-leading developer of connected driver experiences brings new levels of customer convenience to the Pivi Pro infotainment fitted to the New Defender. The CloudCar system supports a variety of service and content functionalities and recognizes dial-in numbers and codes, as well as locations, stored within calendar meeting invites. Customers can then navigate to or dial-in to meetings and conference calls with a single touch of the central touchscreen.
Bosch ADAS
Land Rover is on the road to a connected and autonomous future and the New Defender features a variety of technologies developed with Bosch to enhance the driving experience. Alongside the latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which include Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Assist, Bosch has supported the development of the Land Rover brand’s innovative 3D Surround Camera System, which gives drivers a unique view of the vehicle’s immediate perimeter using four wide-angle HD cameras, each providing a 190-degree field-of-view.
Connected using a 3Gbit/s video backbone and fused with 14 ultrasonic sensors, the clever technology gives drivers a choice of vantage points including a top-down plan view and seamless perspective view. It even performs as a virtual scout, allowing customers to pan around the vehicle on screen for the ultimate Command Driving Position on and off-road.
James Bond, undeniably the world’s best-known secret agent, has driven a great variety of cars in the past 57 years since he first appeared in Dr. No. Many were sportscars and thanks to Q branch, some of them had fancy accessories like rocket launchers, ejection seats, machine guns and tyre-shredders. Being an agent of the British government, Bond often drove the latest British models with Aston Martins featuring prominently in the last few adventures.
A display of the cars used in ‘Die Another Day’, the 2002 James Bond movie.
In April 2020, No Time To Die, the 25th official James Bond film (and the fifth one starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007), will premiere and as with the previous films, there will be exciting car action. Seeming to reflect trends in the market, there will be more SUVs and in fact, the New Defender from Land Rover will appear prominently on the big screen. This will be the first movie to feature the New Defender which was launched in September this year.
Other Land Rover models you will see at different points in the movie will be the Range Rover Sport SVR, Land Rover Series III and Range Rover Classic. The British 4×4 manufacturer has had a long-standing partnership with EON Productions on the Bond films which goes back to 1983 when a Range Rover Convertible appeared in Octopussy.
Land Rover’s design team worked closely with Special Effects and Action Vehicles Supervisor Chris Corbould on the specification of the Defenders in the film. Based on the Defender X model in Santorini Black, with darkened skidpans, 20-inch dark finish wheels and professional off-road tyres, they were the first Defenders to be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s new production facility in Slovakia.
Stunt coordinator Lee Morrison (shown below) and stunt driver Jess Hawkins pushed the vehicle to extremes, making maximum use of pioneering off-road tech, 900 mm wading ability and 291 mm ground clearance for No Time To Die’s spectacular car chase action.
“Designing and co-ordinating the action sequences for the Bond franchise requires a non-compromising mindset. We needed an unstoppable vehicle to help us battle against the elements, steep descents and river crossings so we chose the new Defender. I’m beyond impressed that the Defender is not only back but much, much better!” said Morrison.
Long before the appearance of the small SUVs that are so popular today, Ford was selling a 4×4 vehicle that would have been called a compact SUV had the term been in use then. It was known as the Bronco and sold during the 1960s and 1970s as a rival to the Jeep. The model line went through a few generations until the mid-1990s when its engineering was dated compared to the new generation of SUVs coming into the market.
The Bronco name is still fondly remembered by many (in America) and Ford has said that it is working on bringing back the model in 2020. Although there were rumours it would be a rebadged Everest, Ford has said that it will not be done that way and will have a new design using the platform of the current T6 Ranger (previous generations of the Bronco sat on the F-Series chassis).
The Ford Bronco R race prototype with the original first generation model (left).
Celebrating a historic win 50 years ago
While we’re waiting for the new Bronco to be unveiled (possibly in Detroit in January?), the Bronco R race prototype shows some clues as to what it will look like. It debuts in the desert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rod Hall’s historic Baja 1000 win, an overall victory in a 4×4 that’s never been duplicated in 50 years. As a test, the Bronco R will head back to the Baja Peninsula later this month to take on the near 1,600-km gruelling off-road course and challenge the production Bronco’s powertrain and architecture.
Ford’s Bronco R race prototype debuts in the desert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a historic Baja 1000 win, an overall victory in a 4×4 that’s never been duplicated in 50 years.
And as a tease, the Bronco R – developed by Ford Performance in collaboration with builder Geiser Bros Design and Development and Baja 1000 Trophy Truck champion Cameron Steele – drops heritage-inspired design and proportion hints of what enthusiasts can expect to see when the future Bronco makes its world premiere.
Iconic Bronco design
Hidden behind an innocuous security door in a Ford studio basement, a small team led by Paul Wraith, Bronco chief designer, worked since July to make the race prototype unmistakably Bronco at first sight. The team worked in secret to create a one-off build that hints at the all-new Bronco to come, while paying homage to the first-generation styling and proportions.
The team focused on creating a race-ready look with an overall heritage-inspired design language. With its compressed body height and long-travel suspension, the Bronco R features an ultra-wide stance, while a variety of aero components reinforce its performance intent.
The prototype’s lightweight composite body includes a clamshell bonnet and roof, as well as clean body panels that are reminiscent of the first-generation Bronco. A cut-roof design allows rear seat passengers to use a second-row hatch for access.
The first generation of the Bronco.
Race-focussed exterior
The exterior incorporates 15 LED lightbars, including a grille sequence framing the new BRONCO brand lettering boldly. To underscore that this is a one-of-a-kind racing prototype, the ‘R’ is given a sharp graphic treatment. Washers inscribed with the Bronco name are visible at various points around the exterior and secure the composite skin to the roll cage beneath it.
A unique race-focused interior features lightweight off-road racing shells from Recaro for all three seating positions. Simple surfaces of the instrument panel nod to the first-generation, and the integration of a MoTeC data acquisition system enables real-time monitoring and measurement of the prototype’s performance attributes.
The Bronco R race prototype is designed with the production model’s body-on-frame architecture to test its capability and durability. It is modified from the Ranger’s chassis which will be the base for the production model. Beefed up for Baja, it has independent front suspension with 355 mm of travel and a production-based 5-link rear suspension with almost 500 mm of travel, plus custom Fox shocks, 17-inch beadlock-capable aluminim wheels and 37-inch BFGoodrich tyres.
The production Bronco will use the same platform as the current global Ranger pick-up available from Sime Darby Auto ConneXion.
“Like the original Bronco, we kept Bronco R’s design authentic and simple, with a roll cage on a production-style frame, and a 5-piece lightweight body on top,” said Brian Novak, Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor. “For the endurance needs of Baja’s 1,600 gruelling kms, we built in a limited number of race-focused parts. But even the twin turbos of the EcoBoost engine are representative of what the production Bronco will offer.”
The new Bronco is unlikely to be sold in Malaysia but if you are interested in the Ranger, which has the same rugged platform, visit a Sime Darby Auto ConneXion showroom for a test-drive.
For the last 13 consecutive years, Isuzu Malaysia has been providing the Borneo Safari (which began in 1991) with vehicles for the media and officials to use. The vehicles have been D-MAX models and not used just to ferry people to the starting and finishing locations but have actually followed the participants deep into the jungle.
And each year, along with those that survived one of the toughest and most extreme events in the region, the D-MAX would also arrive at the finish line. This fact has helped build the solid reputation of the pick-up truck as one of the toughest and most capable off-road vehicles in the annual off-road challenge.
New Blue Power 1.9-litre powerplant
Until this year, the vehicles supplied had big turbodiesel engines, typical for most pick-up trucks. However, with the introduction of the advanced new Blue Power 1.9-litre engine in the latest D-MAX launched this year in Malaysia, the D-MAX entered was something entirely new, powerplant-wise. And, in fact, the vehicle that was sent to Sabah was so new it had only clocked 200 kms after leaving the Isuzu Malaysia assembly plant in Pekan, Pahang.
However, confident in its durability and capabilities, Isuzu Malaysia encouraged the media who used it to drive it as hard as necessary during the gruelling 7-day event. It impressed so much that the organiser gave a Special Award recognizing its remarkable off-roading capabilities.
Two of the other vehicles with more ‘hardcore’ modifications made to tackle the 7-day event.The D-MAX 1.9 was virtually standard except for necessary protective additions and in fact, it was not even fully run-in at the start of the event.
Virtually standard with 200 kms on the clock
Nicknamed the ‘Blue Monster’, the vehicle was virtually stock standard except for a few additions to make it more suited to the terrain including a body lift to fit the mud terrain tyres, long travel shock absorbers, snorkel, winch and heavy-duty guards to protect the vehicle from the extreme elements encountered along the way.
The ‘Blue Monster’ joined ‘Red Monster’, ‘White Monster’ and ‘Black Monster’ as part of Isuzu Malaysia’s commitment as the event’s Diamond Sponsor.
“Off-road enthusiasts understand that strong and balanced power delivery is vital when tackling extremes in the jungle. With its impressive power delivery perfectly matched to its new 6-speed gearbox, the new 1.9-litre Blue Power D-MAX simply showed its pedigree and dispelled any notion about the capability of its diminutive engine displacement,” said the Chief Operating Officer of Isuzu Malaysia, Masayuki Suzuki.
Only recently launched in Malaysia, the new Isuzu D-Max 1.9 with the BluePower turbodiesel engine is going to face a very tough test – the Borneo Safari, one of Asia’s most extreme off-road events. This is not the first time for the D-MAX as models with the 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre engines have been conquering the Borneo Safari for a decade. But this is the first time that the new BluePower engine with a 1.9-litre displacement is being used.
“This year, we bring the challenge to the new 1.9-litre engine to prove just how capable it is over the unforgiving terrain despite its small engine displacement,” said the Chief Operating Officer of Isuzu Malaysia, Masayuki Suzuki.
Isuzu’s revolutionary new 1.9-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine (RZ4E-TC) is the smallest engine in its class. With new technology, the amazing thing is that ‘less equals more’ where output is concerned. A comparison between the BluePower engine and the 2.5-litre engine will show that the smaller engine produces 150 ps/350 Nm, whereas the bigger one generates with 136 ps/320 Nm.
With its innovative design and engineering, the new model is expected to perform better in the difficult off-road conditions as it has in on-road situations where it has impressed thus far. Apart from the extreme mud terrain tyres, uprated suspension to accommodate the larger wheels, heavy- duty body protection, a winch and an air snorkel, the ‘Blue Monster’ – as the D-MAX taking part is nicknamed – remains virtually stock standard and resembles models available to customers from Isuzu showrooms.
The Blue Monster was handed over to the organizing team of the Borneo Safari in Kota Kinabalu as part of Isuzu Malaysia’s commitment as the event’s Diamond Sponsor to provide media vehicles for the event.
Isuzu Malaysia has been a major supporter of the Borneo Safari for 13 years.
This year’s Borneo Safari is the 29th edition in its history and the 13th year that it has received support from Isuzu Malaysia. The event is scheduled to begin in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on October 27 and will take a more southerly loop, skirting Beaufort, Tenom, Keningau and Tambunan before heading back to the city on November 3.
Visit www.isuzu.net.my to know more about the latest Isuzu D-MAX.
