Isuzu FSD700AMT

By: Dave Cox

Date: 06.07.2009

We take the 240hp 4x2 FSD700AMT for a test drive

Isuzu FSD700AMT

View full specifications

The sense of space inside the cab is great and the dash layout is practical and functional.
The 240hp motor matched with the automated gearbox is a pleasure to drive.
Unless you use the right key with the right chip, there is no way anyone can steal this truck.
Hill Start Aid slow/fast clutch engagement control means on steep slopes the clutch engages slowly so you can pull away on the hill without rolling backwards.
The four-airbag suspension gives a superb ride and can be electronically controlled from a remote in the cab.

The doors of the Isuzu Gen 6 FSD700AMT open a wide 90degrees, and make access to the cab extremely easy. The A-pillar is in a more upright position rather than it slanting back and cutting into the door opening area. The grab handles are long and generous and are positioned well, so you will have no difficulty getting into the cab of this truck.

Once inside and seated on the very comfy ISRI 6860 air suspension seat with plenty of different adjustments, I note that this is one of the top-of-the-line seats and has an adjustment through the shoulder blade area so you can get it nice and snug fitting to your back.

The seatbelts are mounted in the seat instead of the cab pillar, which makes for comfortable riding over uneven road surfaces.

The sense of space inside the cab is great and the dash layout is practical and functional, and large plastic areas make it very easy to keep clean and tidy. Isuzu has also put cup holders in the dash so even the hardest of hardcore truckies have somewhere to put their lattes.

It comes standard with driver’s side airbag and keyless entry, which is also ignition chipped, so unless you use the right key with the right chip there is no way anyone can steal this truck.

The mirrors on these new GEN 6 Isuzu trucks are brilliant, with a large flat glass in the top two-thirds and a convex glass in the bottom portion. I do wonder why the mirror adjustment switches are on the centre console behind the park brake so you have to look over your left shoulder to use them?

There is a neat little switch on the dash that you would only use when stopped on the steepest hills in one of our major cities and some clever car driver has stopped two-inches from your back bumper. It is called HSA (Hill Start Aid) slow/fast clutch engagement control. With this switch turned on, the clutch engages slowly so you can pull away on the hill without rolling backwards.

Isuzu still has the nifty seat in the middle, which, when folded down, has a large storage space in the back of it. There are also storage spaces in the dash that could hold an R/T or C/B.

The six-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) is magic. The gear lever is mounted nicely in the centre console and the change from sequential manual gear changing to the fully automated change is as simple as pulling the lever from one side through the transmission gate to the other side – very easy and user friendly.

I decided to take it for a spin through Hamilton to see how well suited it is to the rigours of stop/start city traffic lights, but before I move off there is a clever safety device that won’t let me select a gear unless my foot is on the brake. This is great because I am sure we have all witnessed the lazy driver who can’t be bothered climbing into the cab and starts the truck standing outside, not knowing if it is in gear or not.

First I left it in the manual sequential range so I could have a bit of fun changing up and down as I approached the first set of roundabouts into Hamilton. The changes are smooth and seamless. This, like all good automated boxes, will not let you select a gear if it is out of its rev range. As I approached heavier traffic congestion I flicked it into the auto mode, and once again the ease of driving this little beauty is evident. Auto mode leaves the driver free to concentrate on the hazards and dangers that can be encountered in every-day traffic.

Another major attraction of this truck is the four-airbag suspension, which gives a superb ride and can be electronically controlled from a remote in the cab and will always return to its default height once the truck is travelling at more than 20k.

And like all environmentally conscious manufacturers, Isuzu has its Diesel Particulate Diffuser (DPD) fitted to the exhaust system. Isuzu claims that DPD allows you to hold a piece of white paper over the end of the exhaust and it will not show any emissions on it.

Finally, it is nice to see it shod on 265/70 19.5 tyres, giving it a nice low ride height that in turn equals a low centre of gravity, thus helping with the overall stability.

So in summing up – a well thought-out little truck that drives extremely well. 9/10.

Who this truck is suited to: