ISUZU Giga Bigger on Power and Comfort
ISUZU's heavy-duty Giga is a powerful workhorse
When you spend all day rolling 45kg gas cylinders on and off the back of a truck and your only reprieve is the driver’s seat, the cabin refinements of your vehicle can mean the difference between a good trip and one relegated to the ‘don’t ask’ pile.
Tim Donegan, a 20-year trucking veteran and part owner of Kyneton-based Donegan Transport has experienced his share of hard days on the road, but says the increasing comfort of modern vehicles is making a big difference to the lives of truckies around Australia.
Tim says Donegan Transport’s recent acquisition of an Isuzu Giga CXY 455 Premium is a perfect case-in-point.
“Being the first heavy duty Isuzu we’ve purchased, we certainly haven’t been disappointed with the Giga,” Tim said.
“Our drivers are doing manual labour all day, loading and unloading the trucks, so the Giga’s automated manual transmission (AMT) has made it easier on them when they get back behind the wheel.
“The Giga also comes with a bed, so it’s no problem if you get caught somewhere overnight. And it has a good turning circle so it’s easier for our drivers to get in and out of yards and tight spaces when they need to.
“Basically, comfort is a major consideration when you’re in a truck all day, and that’s what the Giga delivers in spades.”
Donegan Transport’s new Giga CXY 455 Premium hauls a large capacity load of around 260 gas bottles in its 7.5 metre custom-made tray.
Donegan Transport operates a fleet of 11 trucks out of Kyneton and Maryborough, with the newly-acquired Giga CXY 455 Premium just one of five Isuzus at work in this family business.
Tim Donegan says Isuzus make up about half the Donegan Transport fleet because they live up to their reputation for reliability, quality and after-sales care.
“With Isuzu it all adds up at the end of the day. Even the older models are still going strong and they have the horsepower to do the job so we don’t have to work them hard,” Tim said.
The Giga CXY 455 Premium is powered by a 338kW, 15-litre engine producing 2,255 Nm of torque at 1,300 RPM.
Cabin features include driver airbag, ECE-R29 cab strength compliance and an ISRI 6860 air suspended driver’s seat with integrated seatbelt.
The Giga’s touchscreen audio-visual system gives operators integrated sat-nav, memory card slot for music and/or mapping, MP3 input, Bluetooth and optional external cameras.
And a separate Multi-Information Display shows fuel consumption, speed warnings, engine hours, service intervals and more.
