BLIMEY, IT’S CLIMIES

Isuzu owners test their 4WDs’ mettle on Tasmania‘s tough coastal track

Tasmania’s legendary white sand flares across the rutted track as the convoy of four-wheel drive utes and SUVs stops to consider the latest challenge on the equally legendary Climies Track on the state’s west coast.

The wind powering the ultrafine grains of quartz hasn’t touched land since it crossed Argentina some 10,000km away and the ferocity with which it hits the west coast lives up to the Roaring Forties moniker.

That wind is also laden with water — the west coast averages more than 1.5m of rain a year — and the track morphs constantly under the effects of the two natural forces.

Right now, that terrain is impassable, at least for vehicles without a serious lift kit. We’re 2km into the 20km trail, perched atop a descent with ruts that would swallow a small hatch.

It’s already taken us two hours to make it this far — yours truly adding 30 minutes to that time after slipping off the recovery boards set down as a road around a water hole — but the challenges are part of the attraction.

The drivers in the 14-car convoy share two passions: off-road driving and Isuzu ownership.

I’m piloting a standard vehicle rolling on 18-inch rims but most of the vehicles are rolling on 16s and 17s with all-terrain tyres.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better out here, with the larger tyres running no less than about

25psi before they are prone to popping off the sidewall at the most inopportune times.

The smaller jobs can be dropped to 18psi, which gives the rubber a better footprint on the sand and mud we’re traversing.

The three-day adventure has been planned by Isuzu’s I-Venture Club, with the route intended to highlight the natural scenery and capability of the machines.

It’s unofficially the last hurrah for this generation of the D-Max ute and MU-X wagon.

Isuzu’s Mark Harman is coy about discussing future product, even though the new version has been launched in Thailand and is expected in Australia in about July.

“I-Venture is about teaching people what they and their Isuzus can do,” Harman says.

“These vehicles have been built for adventure, which is why we are here in Tasmania to teach owners how to get the most out of their Isuzus.”

To help achieve that, Isuzu developed the I-Venture Club in 2014 and chief instructor David Wilson has since tutored more than 3500 customers in the art of rock-hopping, mudrunning and dune-driving.

Wilson has been coaxing 4WD owners to go beyond their comfort zone since 1993 and the affable South Australian is living the dream as he scrambles in search of a navigable path.

Some of the customer cars have been modified with more than $30,000 of accessories, from heavy duty suspension kits to tray drawers, rock rails, winches, reinforced underbody panels and bullbars.

High-lift jacks, recovery boards and shovels adorn the roof racks and trays. Their condition attests to the fact they’ve been put to use, rather than being another bit of bling.

The group’s camaraderie, another feature of the I-Venture treks, is evident in shared stories of previous trips — this is one couple’s ninth such trek — and in invitations to tackle more Tassie trails once the program is over.

Most owners are considering upgrading to the new model, not least because it is expected to come with a rear differential lock (missing on the current generation), improved wading depth (800mm), 240mm of ground clearance, more cabin comforts and the latest safety software needed to earn a five-star ANCAP rating.

The next vehicle is new from the ground up except for the engine, with the 3.0-litre fourcylinder diesel engine tweaked to produce 140kW and 450Nm, an extra 10kW/20Nm.

Expect an official announcement from Isuzu Australia in the near future.

View www.isuzuute.com.au/experience/ i-venture-club