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Isuzu Trucks Light-Duty Update

Australian truck buyers can now enjoy the famous reliability of Isuzu’s light-duty product hand-in-hand with the next generation of trucking safety.

Isuzu Trucks has released safest Isuzu truck ever developed for the Australian market. The next level of truck safety comes in the form of a significant update to the best-selling N Series light-duty range.

On sale now, the latest incarnation of Isuzu’s perennially popular 4×2 N Series trucks offers operators not only the brand’s famous promise of reliability, but the next generation of truck safety with the introduction of Isuzu Intelligent Safety.

Combined with improved cabin appointments, unbeatable breadth-of-range and the class-leading engine and driveline componentry customers have cherished for over 35 years, Isuzu’s new N Series range is designed to keep Isuzu truck drivers, as well as other road users, safe and secure on Australian roads.

NEXT-GENERATION SAFETY
Complementing the existing safety suite found in all Isuzu N Series 4×2 trucks, the brand has introduced a new Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).

Isuzu’s clever new ADAS has been carefully designed to observe changing traffic conditions and assist drivers in maintaining a safe distance from other road users, pedestrians, cyclists, and objects. It’s designed to help avoid collisions with a combination of warning alerts and automations that activate when an imminent crash or potentially dangerous change in driving environment is detected.

Isuzu’s ADAS features include:
• Advanced Emergency Braking system (AEB) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Lane Departure Warning system (LDW)
• Traffic Movement Warning (TMW)
• Distance Warning System (DWS)
• Auto Lighting System (ALS).

EAGLE EYES
Behind Isuzu’s new ADAS is the highly effective Hitachi Stereo 3D camera, proven to be incredibly accurate in object detection as well as speed and depth perception regardless of day or night operation.

Unlike other trucks which offer a single camera attached to the windscreen, usually at the top, and a radar sensor mounted lower on the cabin face or bumper, Isuzu has mounted the dual-lens Hitachi camera inside the cabin in a central dashboard position that does not obstruct driver view and is not attached to the windscreen. This gives the camera a superior field of vision to detect lower-height objects while in motion (small children for example)—a critical advantage for those working in established and built-up areas.

NEW INDUSTRY BENCHMARK
No strangers to the Australian truck market, emergency braking and lane departure warning systems have become an accepted and well-received addition to safety suites.

Isuzu’s Advanced Emergency Braking system with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) works by way of the dual optical-sensor camera which monitors the environment in front of the truck. It can detect and determine the distance of three-dimensional objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and other objects.

If the FCW system determines a collision is likely, and depending on the circumstances and severity of the situation, it will respond with either audible and visual alerts, or autonomous activation of the vehicle’s brakes.

Under normal operating conditions the system is designed to avoid a collision with a speed difference up to 50kph, and can reduce the risk of a collision impact for higher speed differential s, even at night.

Similar to systems found in many modern passenger cars, Isuzu’s Lane Departure Warning works via sensors that detect and monitor the vehicle’s trajectory in relation to lane markings on roads or the road edge itself, providing audible and visual alarms for the driver if the vehicle begins to wander out of the lane marking or over the road edge.

SAFETY IN SPADES
Going further down the road to improved safety, Isuzu has introduced a unique feature, the Distance Warning System (DWS), designed to ensure the truck operator is travelling at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.

Allowing drivers to pre-set a desired minimum distance (depending on application or environment), the DWS will alert drivers with a subtle visual warning on the dash when an unsafe distance is detected. The system has been intuitively programmed to only activate when speeds exceed 30kph, which is particularly useful for highway driving and prevents spurious warnings in situations such as traffic jams.

Operators who do face those unavoidable traffic conditions, or who are operating in metro settings, will also appreciate the Traffic Movement Warning (TMW) system, another feature unique to Isuzu’s N Series ADAS.

The TMW system monitors stationary vehicles ahead and will alert the driver with a clear but subtle warning sound when forward traffic movement is detected more than five metres from a truck’s stopped position.

Rounding-out the Isuzu Intelligent Safety suite in the new N Series 4×2 range is an Auto Lighting System (ALS).

The ALS functions automatically when selected by the driver, adjusting headlight and taillight brightness to meet changing outside lighting conditions, providing drivers with optimum lighting for safe driving and road use.

URBAN SAFETY BOOST
Isuzu Australia Limited National Sales Manager, Les Spaltman, noted new N Series trucks were built to support operators across a gamut of applications, but that urban operators would find particular benefit in Isuzu’s ADAS.

“Linked to the dual-camera placed for optimal visibility of low-height objects, our ADAS is designed to be an extra set of eyes on the road, helping the driver monitor everything from other road users, pedestrians and cyclists, through to changing traffic conditions,” Mr Spaltman said.

FORWARD THINKING
Complementary to these sweeping safety enhancements comes a host of additional updates to the new N Series, including an interior revamp in seat-cover material and cabin appointments, and a new exterior lamp assembly with prominent foglamps. Behind the dashboard is a new CAN converter circuit and connector, making it a simple exercise to fit a fleet-management or telematics system.

All new N Series trucks receive at least 500kg increases in towing capacity. Matching this increase, Isuzu dealerships offer genuine towbars as an optional accessory, available at extra cost.

Other additions (model dependent) include a customisable speed limiter (set at the dealership), new cab-tilt warning device, and long-awaited suspension seats in selected narrow-cab models. Customers can also expect to see new product hitting Isuzu’s Ready-to-Work range, with Tipper and Tradepack line-ups expanded, plus additional models slated for 2022 release.

“With confidence, we can say these are the safest, most advanced, diesel-powered light-duty Japanese trucks in the Australian market,” said Mr Spaltman.

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