You And Isuzu

Rear Suspension Change Headlines Revamped Iua 2018 D-max And Mu-x Line-up.

- Tristan Tancredi

THE customer is always right.”

It was this attitude that lead to the development of Isuzu’s MY18 D-Max and MU-X, with the Japanese company listening intently to customer feedback – namely from its I-Venture Trips – and making the necessary changes accordingly.

The big-ticket item revealed at the recent MY18 launch – and later tested at a waterlogged Mt Cotton Training Centre in Queensland – was the update to the D-Max’s rear suspension, often criticised by owners and the public for being rough and jittery on corrugated tracks. To this end – and in an Australian market first – IUA has taken the steps to correct this shortfall by replacing the five-leaf rear suspension with a three-leaf suspension setup (all High-Ride Crew Cabs excluding LS-M and SX Cab/Chassis variants).

Dropping from a five- to three-leaf spring softens the ride, making the D-Max more comfortable on not just long-distance outback roads, but on freeways and suburban backstreets. The setup utilises high-strength yet light materials, as well as a progressive spring rate. Larger rubber silencers are now also positioned between each leaf spring.