Johannesburg – The Isuzu D Max Extended Cab showed its practical side during a December holiday gardening project, offering a real world test of how a bakkie and a half can serve homeowners taking on do it yourself landscaping tasks.
Head of Motoring at The Citizen Jaco Van Der Merwe shared the experience after spending time with the Obsidian Grey Isuzu D Max Extended Cab LSE 4×4, which arrived for a three month stint during the festive season.
“We drive many bakkies in all shapes and sizes, but rarely do some real world work with them. So when a gardening project was drafted over the December holidays, our long term Isuzu D Max Extended Cab was heaven sent,” he wrote.
The vehicle was used to transport three retired tractor tyres intended to be turned into vegetable and herb planters. The tyres were collected from a farming area in the Magaliesburg countryside and moved to a suburban home, a task Van Der Merwe said suited the extended cab layout.
Slotting between a single cab and a double cab, the extended cab offers interior space behind the seats and a larger load bin than a double cab. While rear cabin space was limited to grocery bags due to legal passenger restrictions, the longer load area proved useful.
The three tractor tyres measured 1 805mm by 1 530mm and were 490mm deep, making them easy to load and transport. Once back home, they were rolled off and positioned before the sidewalls were cut away using an electric jigsaw.
“These big boys back to Randburg, rolling them off the back and into position before cutting away the sidewall with an electric jigsaw was the easy part,” Van Der Merwe noted.
The next task involved collecting soil, putting the D Max’s 3.0 litre turbodiesel engine producing 140kW and 450Nm to work. The bakkie headed to a nursery to collect a cubic metre of gardening mix, calculated to be just enough to fill the tyres.
At the nursery, a Bobcat loaded the soil into the load bin, with the rear suspension dropping slightly under the weight. Van Der Merwe said the six speed automatic gearbox handled the load with ease, reinforcing the purpose of a working bakkie.
After unloading the soil at home and completing several wheelbarrow trips, it became clear that the load was more than sufficient. A second volume calculation revealed the Isuzu D Max Extended Cab load bin holds about 1.3 cubic metres, leaving extra soil to refresh the rest of the garden.
Cleaning up was straightforward, with the standard rubberised load bin allowing the soil to be shoveled out without concern for damage, followed by an easy hose down.
After a wash, the Isuzu returned to its polished appearance, combining workhorse capability with the premium finish expected of the brand’s top specification extended cab.
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