On The Road
From the neutral position, moving the lever left and forward selects reverse, while a nudge to the left engages auto mode, before returning to the drive position. From here, nudging the stick forwards or back engages manual mode, where it stays until nudged into right again.
In auto, the letter A is displayed on the in-dash LCD panel, and in manual, the currently selected gear is shown. Isuzu designers please note: it would be nice if the selected auto gear was displayed as well. To the right of the quadrant are two more switches. The front one is marked ECON, which toggles between economy and power modes, while the one behind it is labelled 1st START. With ECON mode selected up-shifts are made much earlier, typically at 2,200rpm instead of 2,900rpm, with later downshifts to match.
The effect this has on performance is to make it significantly slower, so we settled on using the default performance mode to reach cruising speed before dropping it into ECON, only switching back out around town or when the going got tougher.
The transmission defaults to starting off in the second of its five ratios, which is fine in most situations. Occasionally, however, a first-gear start is called for, and there are two ways to achieve this: you can nudge back into first manually, or you can force a first gear start with the 1st START button.
Either way, the NQR managed to get under way on the 25% test hill quite happily, but it totally refused to pull away up the 33%. To be fair this was at an ambient temperature of 34oC, and on a few other occasions the clutch protection system’s warning buzzer sounded if the clutch was kept depressed for too long.
In front of the gear quadrant is a small cover housing a pair of limp-home over-ride buttons which are there in case of a transmission failure. We found very little need for manual mode, other than to hold on to a gear when circumstances dictated.
With 148hp (110kW) and 404Nm (298 lbft) on call acceleration feels brisk, but the automated gear changes are a little leisurely. As it is, the NQR is 7.6 seconds behind the similarly dimensioned Mitsubishi Canter on the 0 to 50mph sprint. Maybe if Isuzu followed the current trend in automated boxes by dispensing with the synchromesh and using smarter electronic speed matching, the shifts could be speeded up. The change from second to third was sometimes accompanied by a rather disconcerting judder.
No four-pot engine with 1.3 litres per cylinder engine is going to set especially high standards of smoothness, but the Isuzu motor does a pretty good job in this respect. Noise levels are generally good, especially given the movable engine cover, but there was some annoying resonance from the underneath as we accelerated through 2,000rpm.
Ride is firm and free from roll; only the worst bumps cause it to loose composure. The handling is fine in the dry, although there’s enough of a hint of understeer to suggest that care might be needed on lower grip surfaces. Steering is via a fully adjustable column; the system does its job efficiently with no noticeable vices. The relative narrow track only reveals itself when negotiating motorway ruts.
We didn’t carry out a full brake test as the load wasn’t totally secure during the track routine, although it was securely fixed before venturing onto the road. In general use, however, the all-hydraulic ABS system gave no cause for concern. The transmission brake was able to handle our steepest test hills, although, as with all systems of its type, there was a fair degree of backlash to be taken up. The exhaust brake, operated by the left column stalk, was quiet and reasonably efficient, helped by the ease of downshifting to increase engine speed.
Cab Comfort
Despite its recent up-date, the cab is probably the most disappointing part of the NQR story. Although it’s fairly spacious, it generally fails to make the best use of that space. There’s a shallow full-width shelf above the windscreen, a glovebox – which is effectively filled by the handbook and fusebox – two tiny door pockets and some small bins behind the gear quadrant. Apart from a spare DIN radio housing, that’s your lot. The dash has a largely wasted flat top, incorporating a removable panel for access to the relays. Double pop-out cupholders reside beneath the Clarion RDS radio/single-disc CD player.
Cab access is easy through the wide opening doors; the downside is that they are hard to reach if belted in. Cross-cab access is equally handy, unless you’ve had to leave your overnight bag on the floor because there’s nowhere else for it.
Interior trim is predominantly grey, with two-tone grey checked seat material of a suitably durable looking nature. The driver’s seat is mechanically suspended by what appears to be a medieval torture device behind the backrest – all springs and levers – but it works well enough. With a dual passenger seat, the central backrest seat folds down to create a small table top but annoying, its recess is smaller than A4. The outer seats have non-adjustable three-point set belts, while there is just a lap belt on the central seat.
The instrument panel is dominated by a traditional Lucas Kienzle analogue tachograph with a small semi-circular rev-counter, red-lined at 3,600rpm. Fuel and temperature gauges are mounted to its right. Switches to the left of the panel control hazard lights and ASR traction control over-ride, while those to the right are for rear fog light, body interior light, engine cold start pre-heat and hand throttle. Another switch provides fine control of the clutch take-up point. The remaining functions are operated by a pair of column stalks, with the indicators on the right (ie wrong) side. Four fresh air vents with four-speed fan and a bi-directional roof vent keep the cab reasonably well ventilated in the absence of air-con.
Good all-round visibility is helped by side window cut-outs. Mirrors are simple but effective, but the arm on the left could be set slightly further out to give a better view down the body side. Electric windows have one-touch operation downwards for the driver’s side and you get key operated central locking.
