Medium-duty truck markets rise and fall at different rates, noted Brian Tabel, executive director of marketing at Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. “Final mile, home delivery and grocery are some of the segments where we’ve seen some of the biggest gains,” he related. “Lease/rental is another segment that we continue to see growth in year over year and landscaping is expanding at a record pace.”
To serve the growing landscape market, Isuzu has teamed up with body manufacturers. Recently, it collaborated with Supreme Industries to deliver customized Class 6 FTR chassis and bodies to Ewing
Irrigation and Landscape Supply, the largest family-owned supplier of landscape and water management products in the nation.
For Ewing, Supreme customized the 25,950-lb. GVWR trucks with an additional crossmember to support a 21-ft. heavy-duty platform with 3/16-in. steel-over-rough-oak floors. The stake-side flatbeds also have D-ring payload securement devices and lift gates with foot controls.
To meet the needs of operations in a variety of markets, Isuzu has rolled out a line of 2018 and 2019 model year Class 3 to 6 low-cab-forward trucks in three-seat and seven-person Crew Cab models. GVWRs range from 12,000 to 25,950 lbs. and chassis can accommodate bodies up to 30 ft. with a standard cab and 16 ft. with a Crew Cab.
The company’s Class 3 NPR Diesel and Class 4 NPR-HD and NPR-XD models are available in wheelbases from 109 to 176 in. to accommodate body lengths up to 20 ft. An Isuzu 3.0-liter, four-cylinder 150-HP diesel engine with 282 lb./ft. of torque that is mated to an Aisin A460 double overdrive six-speed automatic transmission powers the NPR. The Isuzu 5.2-liter, 215 HP and 452 lb./ft. and the Aisin A465 six-speed automatic are standard on the Class 4 units.
The Class 5 Isuzu NQR and NRR models use the same powertrain as the manufacturer’s Class 4 trucks on wheelbases from 109 to 200 in. and can be specified with bodies up to 24 ft. For its Class 6 FTR, fleets can order wheelbases from 152 to 248 in. and body lengths up to 30 ft. The same 215-HP, 5.2-liter is used in this model in a version that produces 520 lb./ft. of torque, and it comes with an Allison 2000 Series automatic transmission.
Isuzu is also still a strong proponent of gasoline-powered trucks; it just recently produced its 50,000th N-Series gasoline-powered low cab forward model in North America.
Isuzu N-Series gas-powered trucks feature a Vortec six-liter V8 engine that produces 297 HP at 4,300 RPM and generates 372 lb./ft. of torque. The powerplant is mated to a six-speed double overdrive and automatic transmission. The company’s full range of gasoline-powered models are capable of handling body lengths up to 20 ft., and includes the Class 3 NPR and the Class 4 NPR-HD single cab with 109-, 132.5-, 150- and 176-in. wheelbases and Crew Cab versions with 150- and 176-in. wheelbases. Isuzu also offers a version of its gasoline engine that is capable of being converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). In addition, its alternative fuel offerings for the future were recently on display when the company presented an all-electric version of its N-Series truck, modified byNordresa, a Canadian manufacturer of electrified powertrains for commercial vehicles. Isuzu is also working with other North American developers of electric vehicle systems.
“Commercial truck customer needs vary by market,” said Shaun Skinner, president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada. “Last year, we unveiled our Class 6 FTR truck, which is already making inroads in the marketplace, and now we’re expanding the lineup with the Class 5 NRR Crew Cab model. At the same time, there is no doubt that all-electric trucks are part of the future of commercial vehicles so they are part of our future as well. Across the board, we’re committed to providing trucks in a wide range of configurations to meet our customers’ needs.”
