Joining the I-Venture Club

Isuzu D-MAX and MU-X

We’re at the start line of Billy Goat Ridge, one of the more challenging off-road tracks in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges and a mecca for 4WD enthusiasts.

A thrill ride on four wheels, the super-steep climb poses plenty of challenges including rutted, rocky ledges ready to rip off exposed vehicle bits, a slippery, powdery shale surface that exposes under-gripped tyres, and sharp drop-offs to penalise errant wheel placement.

The only issue is we’re driving mostly showroom-stock Isuzu D-MAX ute and MU-X SUV vehicles, not the jacked-up, battle-scarred 4WD wagons normally seen out this way. And many of us are relative rookies when it comes to serious off-roading, unless you count fire trails with the odd corrugation and wash-out.

Nonetheless, with the encouragement of our experienced instructors we edge forward in convoy, barely nudging a brisk walking pace in low range/first ‘crawler’ gear. While keeping enough space between the vehicle in front in case it loses grip and tumbles down the precipice.

I’m driving a mid-spec MU-X wagon, with standard Dunlop Grand Trek AT25 highway tyres dropped down to 18psi to aid traction and prevent punctures. It does the job, and with the aid of the gutsy 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, long-travel all-coil suspension, 230mm road clearance and underbody steel bash plates, we survive some ‘bash and crash’ moments and make it to the top unscathed.

Later, back at camp I peer underneath for signs of damage, only to discover a few pock marks on the muffler.

“Just goes to show if you take the air out, get your grip back and point it in the right spots, anything is possible,” is how our upbeat tour leader David Wilson sums it up.

OUTSIDE COMFORT ZONES
Welcome to the Isuzu I-Venture Club, a manufacturer-led initiative which allows Isuzu owners to experience the off-road capabilities of their 4WD in a relatively safe, controlled and in many cases, picturesque group environment.

Customer loyalty ‘experiences’, such as track days for Porsche and BMW owners, are not uncommon in the car world. But Isuzu has taken the lead in the 4WD recreational category, now running one-day courses and off-road trips in most states, over all sorts of terrain including beach driving on Queensland’s Moreton Island.

Fully catered and with ‘glamping’ accommodation provided, they’re run like a typical tag-a-long tour, with drivers responsible for their own vehicles but with plenty of advice, encouragement and assistance, when required along the way.

And by all accounts, it’s been a raging success since its introduction in Australia about two years ago.

Isuzu says around 600 owners have so far joined the ‘Club’ with some events like the four-day Flinders Ranges trip in late-October that motoring.com.au attended, heavily over-subscribed.

Limited to 10 customer vehicles, the Flinders event attracted a mix of older couples and family duos, many city slickers with limited off-road experience. Like the father who admitted ‘zero’ mechanical know-how, and let his 13-year-old son get behind the wheel for the first time on one of the farm stays visited.

For another, 60-something owner, his MU-X is only the second car he’s owned, while others use theirs to tow caravans and horse floats. However, many had already completed a one-day I-Venture training course, and came prepared with at least some aftermarket accessories fitted like bullbars, snorkels, and off-road tyres.

RAISING THE BAR
Gathering in a large Adelaide carpark, any vehicles not already fitted with UHF radios are hooked up with portable units before the first of many pep talks/technical briefings conducted by the experienced Adventure 4WD crew. As well as helping keep everyone on track, the in-car radio allows local David Wilson, who leads all I-Venture trips, to provide a constant chatter about the history and legends of the Flinders regions we travel through.

The first bitumen section to Wilpena Pound follows the RM Williams Way, through the Clare wine region, stopping off at the Jamestown Bakery, then past Orroroo and on to Hawker for lunch. Our first taste of gravel is a relatively easy but rollercoaster ride through cypress pine forests out back of Arkapena Station, climbing high to one of many spectacular lookouts before heading down to the Wilpena Pound Resort, our base for the first two nights.

On the second day we head back onto the bitumen towards Blinman, before turning on to the long dirt access road to Arkaroola, sucking up plenty of dust along the way. A Chambers Gorge detour about 100km along includes a short bushwalk into the Adnyamathanha Gallery, a natural rock amphitheatre covered with 40,000 year old indigenous artwork.

The MU-X offers decent grip and a compliant and well controlled ride over the graded dirt road, but I get a taste of how a few modifications can tighten things up further when I drive an ARB-modified MU-X on the way back. The upgraded Old Man Emu suspension allows faster speeds through the dips and wash outs, without bottoming out, while the bigger mud terrain tyres provide greater stability around fast sweepers.

The afternoon is spent in the tiny town of Blinman, including a fascinating tour of the old underground copper mine, before a return to Wilpena via the stunning Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges and their enticing swimming holes.

On the third day we drive down to the Bendleby Ranges in southern Flinders Ranges, dropping our bags at the homestead before scaling the heady peaks of Yacka Ridge via red quartzite rocky trails and descending from 800m to the Minburra Plains. It’s here that Wilson and his crew really earn their money, standing trackside and barking instructions over the radio to coax hesitant drivers through the trickier sections. Like Billy Goat, the nerve-wracking Ridge Top climb is worth it for the stunning views.

But while highly capable off–road the more extreme tracks do expose some of the shortfalls of the MU-X, like the lack of hill-descent control, as engine braking in first gear low range is insufficient on some of the steeper, more slippery descents. The auto transmission also has an annoying habit of over-riding the driver’s selection in manual mode when crawling along, and a rear differential lock (standard on some of its rivals) would have made progress easier at times on the Billy Goat track.

SMILES ALL ROUND
We spend our last night enjoying another campfire BBQ while listening to live music. There are also a few well-earned refreshments including a bottle of champagne brought out by one excited participant celebrating ticking the Billy Goat track off his bucket list.

Still on a high, we stop off for woodfire pizza at the Stone Bridge winery in Clare on the final day, where one male participant describes the trip as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity, while a woman excitedly recites a poem she’s just written about the trip to the group…

And that’s what the I-Venture Club is all about. Sure, it helps ‘brand loyalty’ and sells a few more vehicles, but it’s also a fun learning experience. While challenging in parts, the route’s not designed to break vehicles, with two tyre punctures and a bent rear trailing arm among any minor damage en-route. The cost of $2450 per two-person vehicle appears reasonable, considering 4WD track fees and ‘glamping’ options including swish Safari tents and restored cottage accommodation are included.

More importantly, with some serious bush bashing under their belt, I-Venture graduates can confidently head off into the off-road wilderness, knowing that in many situations they have the right vehicle for the job.