“We are celebrating the 35th anniversary of Isuzu trucks in the North American market this year, and what better way to mark the occasion than to expand our lineup,” says Shaun C. Skinner, president, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada. “We’re thrilled to bring the convenience and low cost of ownership of our N-Series gasoline truck to Class 5 and a whole new group of customers.”
Two Class 5 models are planned: the NQR Gas, with a target GVWR of 17,950 lb., and the NRR Gas, with a target GVWR of 19,500 lb. Both will be powered by a General Motors 6.0-liter Vortec V8 supplied by PSI and will be mated to an Allison 1000 RDS transmission with PTO gear. Production is expected to begin in mid-2020.
In addition to the Class 5 gasoline trucks, Isuzu announced a number of refinements to its returning lineup of diesel- and gas-powered trucks, including new driver-assistance and audio options for all models.
Beginning in May 2019, all Isuzu N-Series and F-Series trucks will be available with a suite of Mobileye advanced driver-assistance features. Isuzu says the package includes forward collision warning, pedestrian collision warning, lane departure warning and headway monitoring warning.
Also starting in May 2019, all Isuzu N-Series and F-Series trucks will offer new audio and backup camera options. The Alpine iLX-207 audio upgrade features a seven-inch VGA touchscreen display and Bluetooth hands-free capability. The system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and, with an additional tuner, SiriusXM satellite radio, the company says.
The upgraded audio system can be augmented with the Alpine HCE-C1100 backup camera. The display offers incredible image quality in varying levels of light, eliminating “washout” common when going from areas of heavy shade into areas with bright sunlight, Isuzu says. Parking is more precise via the camera’s 131-degree horizontal viewing angle and 103-degree vertical viewing angle.
