An Isuzu Australia executive has suggested that there’s plenty of untapped performance potential in the Japanese brand’s 3,0-litre turbodiesel engine, describing the unit as “under-stressed”.
In South Africa, the four-cylinder oil-burner makes 130 kW and 380 N.m, while the same Isuzu engine in the market Down Under earlier this year received some extra torque, taking the peak figure to 430 N.m.
While those numbers aren’t quite as impressive as the 3,2-litre Ford Ranger’s 147 kW and 470 N.m nor the V6-powered Volkswagen Amarok’s 165 kW and 550 N.m, Isuzu Australia’s PR and sponsorship manager, Mark Harman, hinted that more oomph could be on the way.
“Our package right now is very capable – if anything it’s under-strung. It’s under-stressed,” Harman told CarAdvice.
“Its outputs are lower than the others, and it’s a very de-stressed engine. Its compression ratio is quite low, and so is the turbo boost pressure.
“Is there more in the engine? You could jump on a forum and you could see what they’re pushing, and it’s incredible numbers,” Harman said.
“I’d say there’s more for this engine in development, which is why we have taken the 3.0-litre diesel for 2017 onwards – as opposed to the 2,5 and a 1,9 that was teased to us by Isuzu Motors.”
