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Rod Chapman28 Mar 2015
REVIEW

Isuzu Ute I-Venture Club

Looking for adventure but don't know where to start? Isuzu's I-Venture club is broadening offroad horizons for D-MAX and MU-X owners

Isuzu Ute I-Venture Club
Australia is a wonderland for lovers of the great outdoors but, to access many of its hidden gems, a 4WD is essential. For many the purchase of a 4WD is really just the starting point, while the reality can be fraught with trepidation. What other equipment do you need? What driving techniques are involved? And, the big one – what if I get stuck?

To address those concerns, and to teach customers how to get the most out of their new vehicle, Isuzu Ute has come up with a clever solution: the I-Venture Club.

The I-Venture Club essentially takes new D-MAX ute and MU-X SUV buyers and gets them off the beaten track, teaching them about the capability of their Isuzu and how to go about heading off-road.

Isuzu Ute's Assistant General Manager, Marketing & PR, Dave Harding, says dealer feedback had revealed many new customers were buying an Isuzu first and then wondering about how to go 4WDing.

"So we thought, let's come up with something where we can get these people together and give them an experience in a safe environment – somewhere where they can learn the basics so they can then go out and do it themselves," he says.

Trips are initially being limited to a maximum of 12 customer vehicles, but Isuzu says there's plenty of scope for the program to grow in due course.

Island getaway
trucksales.com.au recently experienced the I-Venture Club's Moreton Island experience, which saw journalists board the MICAT ferry from Brisbane bound for one of Australia's great beach-fringed nirvanas.

To deliver the I-Venture experience, Isuzu Ute has teamed up with experienced off-roader David Wilson of Adventure 4WD, while a collaboration with Queensland tourism operator Moreton Island Adventures (MIA) has brought this particular escape to reality.

Wilson will be assisting I-Venture trips around the country, while MIA of course supports just the Moreton Island trips.

I-Venture trips will be rolled out all over Australia, with a range of adventures allowing owners to use their vehicles as they were intended, and all at a subsidised price. For example, this Moreton Island day trip is priced at just $250. That covers two people sharing their own vehicle, along with ferry crossings, lunch, the tour itself, the use of a two-way radio, off-road tuition and local insights from MIA staff.

Given the standard pricing for the ferry alone, the sum represents superb value for money.

A longer overnight stay – utilising 'glamping' accommodation – will set a couple back $1000. Never heard of glamping? Think posh tents (pictured) with a full-size bed and ensuite… Dates will be announced for overnight experiences in the near future.

Other destinations include Lancelin Dunes in WA, the Melbourne 4x4 Training and Proving Ground in (Werribee) Victoria, and River Island in NSW, while future 'special interest' events will see Isuzu owners indulge their passion for pursuits including fishing, dirt-bike riding, surfing and more.

While Isuzu Ute has got the ball rolling with a national itinerary of factory-backed events, it says it hopes its dealer network will also take the concept and run with it, and start hosting their own I-Venture outings for their specific customers.

Easy does it
The format for the day is simple. After a meet and greet, the 90-minute outbound ferry crossing gives David a chance to outline the day, impart some 4WD basics and give an overview of the off-road capability of the D-MAX and MU-X models.

They may not have locking differentials or jacked up suspension, but the D-MAX and the MU-X are both highly capable off-roaders, with electronically actuated dual-speed transfer cases, extensive steel underbody protection, reasonable ground clearance, and decent approach, departure and ramp-over angles.

Add in the gutsy 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (130kW and 380Nm) and a suitably potent towing capacity (3500kg for the D-MAX, 3000kg for the MU-X), and for a family looking to get away from it all they both represent a capable and comfortable option.

This particular trip also gave Isuzu the chance to show off its latest limited-edition D-MAX, the X-Runner. Based on the top-spec LS-Terrain and loaded with extras, just 360 examples of this auto-only model will be made available. Priced at $51,990 drive-away and available in either blue or white, Isuzu says the X-Runner won't take long to sell out.

After outlining the differences between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive operation, the role of the transfer case and differentials, and the vital importance of tyre pressures, it's back down to the vehicles to drop their tyres to around 18psi – David's ideal pressure for sand driving.

It's not rocket science but it's all essential info for safe and enjoyable 4WDing, while David's relaxed and easy-going style is sure to be a hit with tentative first-timers.

The MICAT ferry takes a no-nonsense approach to disembarkation – it simply runs right up on the beach and dumps its forward ramp, allowing us to drive straight off onto the beach.

As such, there's no easing into it – but with our tyre pressures on the money the deep sand proves no issue for our Isuzu fleet. The lower pressure gives each tyre a longer (not a wider) contact patch, thereby unlocking significantly more traction.

Stark beauty
We follow a clockwise route around the northern coastline of Moreton, with endless vistas, azure waters and a giant sky highlighting the region's beauty. Off to the west, and but a speck on the horizon, the skyscrapers of the Gold Coast are barely visible – and we wouldn't be on the other side of Moreton Bay for quids…

As the day unfolds it's clear the I-Venture Club strikes a great balance between off-road instruction, driving enjoyment, and local information. The MIA staff couldn't be more helpful and, via the supplied two-way radios, they offer up a wealth of info on the island, its history, its geography and its flora and fauna, as we roll through the countryside in air-conditioned comfort.

David's hints and tips are backed-up with plenty of time behind the wheel, giving participants the chance to put his techniques into practise. Reading the existing tyre tracks, knowing when to resort to low range and how to tackle some of the island's modest descents are all covered, as are the basics of a snatch-strap recovery of a bogged vehicle.

The actual techniques are remarkably simple once you know how, and Wilson provides crucial info won over more than 20 years of off-road driving. The day also gives participants the chance to learn at an unhurried pace, with the safety of expert backup, and in the company of like-minded others.

The island itself really is an unspoiled area of stark natural beauty. Far less visited than nearby North Stradbroke Island, the view from the historic Cape Moreton lighthouse is stunning, while beyond the silica-white beaches the interior offers up lagoons and a surprisingly diverse array of vegetation. Forests of scribbly barks and she-oaks are also dotted with yuccas, ferns, and low salt bush, while Grant, from MIA, tells us it's also home to the world's tallest vegetated sand-dune – and who are we to argue?

Winning formula
We can't help but think that Isuzu Ute will kick a major goal with its I-Venture Club. With such a strong lifestyle slant to the company's products, an attractively priced getaway with others looking to learn and enjoy their vehicle as Isuzu intended makes complete sense. Wilson's enthusiasm is infectious and, for the Moreton Island trip at least, the MIA staff couldn't be more hospitable – and the beauty of Moreton Island speaks for itself.

Thanks to the I-Venture Club, Isuzu buyers can realise the dream of 4WD ownership with confidence, while building the skills that will soon see them tackling adventures all their own.

Open only to owners of Isuzu's D-MAX and MU-X, the I-Venture Club already has dates and locations for numerous events around Australia. For more information, visit www.iventureclub.com.au

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Written byRod Chapman
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