Isuzu readies rollout of new Class 5 gas truck, adding driver-friendly features to N-Series and F-Series

Isuzu-Bridge

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis Thursday announced plans for two new Class 5 gasoline engine models next year.

The NQR Gas, with a target GVWR of 17,950 lbs., and the NRR Gas, with a target GVWR of 19,500 lbs., will each be powered by General Motors’ 6-liter Vortec V8 and will be mated to an Allison 1000 RDS transmission with PTO gear.

Shaun C. Skinner, president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada, says announcing the rollout is part of the company’s 35th anniversary celebration of Isuzu trucks in the North American market this year.

Production is expected to begin in mid-2020.

N-Series, F-Series getting driver aid features 

Beginning in May, Isuzu will add Mobileye advanced driver-assistance features to its N-Series and F-Series trucks, including Forward Collision Warning, Pedestrian Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, and Headway Monitoring Warning.

Forward Collision Warning, active at any speed, alerts the driver of an imminent rear-end collision up to 2.7 seconds in advance.

Pedestrian Collision Warning notifies the driver of a pedestrian or cyclist in the danger zone, and alerts the driver of an imminent collision. Operational during daylight hours only, the feature is active at speeds under 31 miles per hour.

Lane Departure Warning monitors lane markings and alerts drivers with visual and audible warnings when a lane deviation occurs without proper signal activation. The system employs both a left- and right-lane warning icon and is active over 34 miles per hour.

Headway Monitoring Warning helps drivers maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead, providing visual and audible alerts if the distance becomes unsafe. Active at speeds above 19 miles per hour, the system displays the amount of time, in seconds, to the vehicle ahead. When the time becomes 2.5 seconds or less, and is no longer considered safe, an alert is provided.

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 ($1,264 MSRP) 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.

For an additional $200, the upgraded audio system can be augmented with the Alpine HCE-C1100 backup camera. Using High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, the display offers improved image quality in varying levels of light, eliminating washout common when going from areas of heavy shade into areas with bright sunlight.

Parking is more precise thanks to the camera’s 131- degree horizontal viewing angle and 103-degree vertical viewing angle.