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Driving the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross the way it was meant to, in the regions it was meant for!

- AKSHAY JADHAV

As an outdoorsy person, the Himalayas have been like a second home for me, especially the Ladakh region. And each time I've gone overlanding up there, I've come back feeling "This trip was more enchanting than the previous one!" The last time I was there was in my own Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, which is kitted out with a tonne of accessories and equipment that make it a proper overlander. After all, that's the whole point of owning a pick-up truck, no? This time, things were quite different though. Abhay, who was headed to the mountains himself, asked me if I'd like to join him in an Isuzu. I first thought he wanted me to drive up in my own D-Max V-Cross, but reading my thoughts, he was quick to clarify that was not the case. He wanted me to take a stock D-Max V-Cross and join him on his roadtrip.

I was a little confused but I was equally quick to sense an opportunity. You see, I'd started ordering parts for my own D-Max before I even took delivery of the vehicle back in 2021 and it has never been stock. So here was an opportunity for me, owner of the D-Max myself, to go overlanding in the stock pick-up! For the matter, I've always liked pickup trucks over SUVs - they're cool and boast road presence better than pretty much any SUV out there, besides being wildly more practical. And I was now keen on seeing if a stock D-Max offers the same confidence and sense of adventure on what is its home turf as my personal D-Max, which runs 32-inch off-road tyres, off-road bumpers, a snorkel, two-inch suspension lift and a lot more!