SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


We drive the 2016 Isuzu KB250 LE; Everyman’s 4x4 double cab

What you need most

Posted: 25 January 2016

The numbers
Price: R457 400
Engine: Isuzu 4JK1-TCX, 2499 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, commonrail, direct injection turbodiesel
Power: 100 kW at 3600 rpm
Torque: 320 Nm between 1800 and 2800 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: About 17.0 seconds
Maximum speed: About 175 km/h
Car magazine fuel index: 9.5 l / 100 km
Tank: 80 litres
Tare / GVM / GCM: 1941 / 3000 / 5000 kg
Payload: 1000 kg
Ground clearance: 224 mm
Approach / departure / breakover angles: 30.0 / 22.7 / 22.4 degrees
Wading depth: 600 mm
Warranty: 5 years / 120 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years / 90 000 km; at annual or 15 000 km intervals

In its own way the Isuzu KB250 LE, 4x4, double-cab is unique. Once you have decided you want a double-cab, and it must have all-wheel drive, and the 2.5-litre engine is quite big enough, you are left with no other choice. The next trim level down, Fleetside, is available only in 4x2, while the next level up, LX, requires that you pay R102 400 more for a 3.0-litre version.

While it’s quite true that LX offers more kit, and more power is always nice, there’s the feeling that one’s honest and basic Isuzu could become a bit excessive, not to mention costly. Before shelling out money on stuff you neither really want, nor need, let’s look at what the LE offers.

Height adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel with satellite controls; carpeted floors; electrically powered windows and mirrors; ABS brakes with EBD, BAS and ESC; two airbags; ISOFix anchors; automatic door locking; filtered air conditioning with controls you don’t need a degree to operate; a defogger for the back window; Bluetooth for phone and audio streaming; a competent six-speaker RDS radio with CD, MP3 and input plugs; a couple of 12-volt sockets; underbody protection shields; selectable 2-high, 4-high, 4-low and diff lock and alloy wheels with real-world tyres, will probably tick all your boxes.

What you won’t get includes side- and curtain airbags; pushbutton starting; projector-type headlamps; LED running lights and tail lamps; electrically adjustable seats; folding and heated external mirrors; automatic climate control; touch-screen music and satnav centre; a sunspecs box; reversing alarm and camera, and some extra chrome trim. While the added airbags are a valid consideration, one could probably live comfortably without the rest and have lots of money over for fuel.

We have driven our share of Isuzu 4x4s over the years and have never been disappointed. This time was no different. The KB tackled our usual mix of rocks, loose shale, gravel and washaways without hesitation. GM fleet managers have usually provided 3.0-litre LX versions in the past, so it was interesting to experience a little less power (- 30 kW) and fewer toys. For daily use in a working environment neither would, quite honestly, really be missed.

Obviously, being pickups rather than purpose-built off-road vehicles, there are points to bear in mind. Specialist SUVs offer greater ground clearances, relatively shorter wheelbases resulting in sharper breakover angles and shorter overhangs, so they work better in extreme conditions. Further, KBs offer 600 mm of wading capability while some brag with as much as 800, but others make do with only 500 mm of paddling prowess. It’s a question of what you need most.

Getting back to practicalities this KB’s tailgate drops down to just over 800 mm, which isn’t the lowest or most convenient available, but it’s a trade-off from its high-riding setup. The bin measures a useful 1483 mm x 1534 x 465, with about 1090 mm between the lowest curves of its wheel arches. That means a 1200 mm Euro-, or DIN, pallet won’t fit. On the other hand, how often have you needed to fetch a pallet load of anything from anywhere anyway? Four lashing rings are provided inside the bin, but none outside. A high-level brake lamp is mounted on top of the cab.

As we mentioned in our December 2014 review of a KB300 version with the new body, interior accommodations are more generous than on earlier models. The six-foot back seat driver rated (out of ten) headroom at eight, knee space a full ten and foot room under the fully lowered driver’s chair an interference-fit seven.

Two head restraints, three full belts and a pair of child chair anchors look after safety while a pair of seatback pockets, and small bottle bins, take care of storage. There is neither arm rest nor cup holders but there are small storage compartments beneath the 40:60-split seat cushions. Jack and spanners occupy the bigger one on the right, but the warning triangle is still behind the backrest.

From the driver’s viewpoint, the seat adjusts to accommodate most frames although the steering wheel could do with extensibility. The parking brake is comfortably placed for RHD, the gear lever is at easy reach and works smoothly, while pedals and footrest are easy to get at.

The view outward is better than on some other vehicles, making it easy to see the white lines in parking bays for example. Further, the turning circle (13.5 metres between walls) is less cumbersome than others we experience from time to time. The chronically untidy should find more than enough storage space within the cabin.

While the Isuzu KB250 LE, 4x4, double-cab is no rocket ship or electronic wonderland, it does satisfy the call for a good, honest and hard-working pickup that has everything one actually needs.

Test unit from GMSA press fleet

Please note that the bin bar and tonneau cover shown in these pictures are optional extras

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.