Reader's Rides

READERS’ RIDES

Been going your own way? Tell us about it—and win.

CATHERINE BATTENALLY LIVES: ST LEONARDS, VIC DRIVES: 2022 D-MAX 4X4 X-TERRAIN

“I loved my X-TERRAIN as soon as I saw it! We go jet skiing and trail riding a lot, and we needed something that we could just throw all the gear into—no sand, no fuss— and get going. So I test drove it and ordered it and then I thought… oh no, what if Matt, my husband, doesn’t like it!? Haha! So he went weeks without driving it and I was getting tense, and then I finally got him to drive it… and he didn’t want to let me back behind the wheel!

We’ve been along the Great Ocean Road and we go up to Nyah, near Swan Hill. We take the motorbikes and it’s just so peaceful beside the river. I never actually thought I’d have an orange car—I was thinking white—but I loved it so much that it just had to be the Volcanic Amber!”

LEO BLANCO LIVES: BRIBIE ISLAND, QLD DRIVES: 2021 MU-X 4X4 LS-T

“I worked as a doctor in a very rural hospital in South Africa and I was given a 4WD Isuzu in 2002. I know their reliability—it was 65km each way on a very bad gravel road to get into town and it never let us down. Fast-forward to today and we mostly use our MU-X around Bribie Island, usually on trips to the beach where you can have a bit more space to yourself. We also tow the van quite often to Double Island Point.

We love to be in the fresh air, down by the ocean, and during Christmas and Easter we’ll often have a few friends joining us in convoy— sometimes up to 10 families in total. We almost all own D-MAXs or MU-Xs as well. It’s like a small club! I think we have six Isuzus all put together.”

PAUL & HEATHER KELLY LIVE: KURUNJANG, VIC / DRIVE: 2021 D-MAX 4X4 X-TERRAIN

“This is our third D-MAX! We’ve had a 2012 model (which my son now has with 300,000 trouble-free kilometres on it) and a 2017 model which my other son now has… with 150,000 trouble-free kilometres on the clock! And apart from the scheduled services, we haven’t spent a cent on either of them. They’re both white because I drove them as work utes for years. For my next car, I wanted a bit of luxury and didn’t want a plain colour, so naturally, I got the X-TERRAIN in Volcanic Amber. This photo was taken up the top of Mount Hotham and I was worried about the climb—I thought we’d be holding everyone up—but you wouldn’t even have known the van was on the back. We’ve just become full-time grey nomads, heading up the east coast, and now we’re Outback bound. We can’t wait.”

DALE CLEGG LIVES: WARIALDA, NSW / DRIVES: 2014 D-MAX 4X4 LS-M

“It was about eight years back when I thought it time to consider the purchase of a replacement motor vehicle. After much research, and looking at the many four-door 4x4 utes on the market, I decided on a five-speed manual D-MAX LS-M crew cab. My D-MAX now has 230,000kms recorded—with a service every 10,000km. During that time, I’m delighted to report that I’ve had no failure of the vehicle at all! The mechanic during its most recent rego check said the only thing wrong with the car was that there was nothing wrong with it. I’ve had many friends who’ve ridden in my D-MAX who can’t believe how smoothly the engine runs when on a longer drive, and the fuel economy is just excellent for its class. Needless to say, I’m a very happy D-MAX owner.”

TANIA COWARD LIVES: MILDURA, VIC / DRIVES: 2021 MU-X 4X2 LS-T

“It’s just wonderful being able to get out and about again, especially after being in lockdown for so long! We like to head down to Warrnambool to watch the speedway— it’s my hubbie’s hobby, he’s an avid watcher, but it’s about a seven-hour drive. We’re looking forward to going down again in January and back over to Adelaide as well.

We love our MU-X! When you’re out on the road travelling, as soon as you pull up in a van park, people come over and they ask you about your car, which is how I found out about how good the MU-X was in the first place.

I told my husband, ‘Right, I know what we’re getting!’ I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to buy it outright, having come into some inheritance. My lovely dad used to drive buses, actually—always Isuzus—so he’d be very proud!”