One of the best things about having a 4WD like the Isuzu D-MAX is its ability to handle tough terrain, but it’s not enough to have a vehicle that can do that because as the driver, you also need to be capable.
Isuzu organises I-Venture Club outings to give owners the confidence that their ambitions will match their abilities, by walking them through the finer points of four wheel driving.
Gordon Country is just over two hours south west of Brisbane, on the Great Dividing Range. The campground is criss-crossed by a range of four-wheel drive tracks, so it’s a great location to practice water and mud crossings, as well as hill climbs and descents.
That’s all under the watchful eye of experienced four-wheel driver trainer Dave Darmody. He says, “the D-MAX is just such a reliable, simple, easy to work on workhorse.”
Dave’s essential tip for off-roading is correct tyre pressure. As he says, “this interface between the ground and the car is the most important real estate in the world, so getting the contact point right, getting that contact patch to suit today’s terrain is the number one thing to do to improve your chances of success.”
With driving Gordon Country in a D-MAX in mind, Dave recommends letting pressure down to 22psi if you’re on standard tyres.
When it comes to crossing water, Dave emphasises the need to walk it before you drive it.
In tough terrain with uncomfortable bends or obstacles on the track, he says walking is again of benefit. “With a little bit of track forensics you can see where there’s been other wheels or other tyres.”
A morning of instruction on an I-Venture Club day at Gordon Country is followed by a pretty sensational lunch, and then an afternoon exploring the property’s high country with a lookout as the final destination.
Dave says, “the point is that these folks now have opened up a whole new world, so they’ve bought not just a car, they’ve bought a key to a new lifestyle. The key to exploring or adopting this new lifestyle is confidence, and then you open up so much more of Australia.”
If you’re in the market for a four-wheel drive, the Isuzu D-MAX is reliable, dependable, and as an added bonus it looks pretty awesome.
Isuzu holds regular I-Venture Club outings in locations across Australia. For details about upcoming days, and how to be involved in them, head to the website.
