A breath of fresh air

MANILA, Philippines—We must have slept soundly the previous night as we were in very high spirits as we left The Manor at Camp John Hay in Baguio City.

This positive and happy mood was most welcome because we were headed to Mount Pulag National Park, about 60 kilometers northeast of Baguio City.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: IPC executives Yamazaki and Kato (standing sixth and seventh from left) join members of the motoring media at Mt. Pulag’s summit.

The Baguio-Ambuclao-Bokod-Kabayan road, which was the route we have taken, was expected not only to be tedious—the narrow gauged road going to Department of Environment and Natural Resources station in Ambangeg in the municipality of Bokod is full of sharp curves as well as steep ascents—but the last 12 kilometers would be very taxing even for all-wheel drive vehicles.

The trip would be a fitting christening for the latest edition D-Max pickup that Isuzu Philippines Corp. recently launched.

DIESEL with Techron from Caltex was the fuel of choice for this adventure.

Beloved

Introduced in 2003, the D-Max has been IPC’s most beloved model.

“It has become a symbol of strength and durability for Isuzu so that every time we launch a new edition, we make it a point to invite the motoring media to some of the most toughest but exciting terrains,” said IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki.

And there is no more exciting than going to Mt. Pulag, Luzon’s highest peak. At 2,922 meters above sea level, only the 2,956-meter Mt. Apo in Davao and 2,938-meter Mt. Dulang-Dulang in Bukidnon, both in Mindanao, are higher.

BREATHTAKING sceneries dominate the trip going to Mt. Pulag.

However horrendous the road network may be around Mt. Pulag National Park, we were still thankful of this condition as this makes Mt. Pulag even more special.

Its ruggedness, not to mention its remoteness, creates that sort of experience any adventurous motorist yearns for—uncertain terrain, breathtaking mountain view, interesting people who are able to continue their cultural traditions, the freshest and cleanest surroundings, all without fast-food restaurants or modern convenience for several kilometers.

Special

“Barely a year after bringing in the D-Max here in the Philippines, IPC went to Mt. Pulag in 2004 to show the market how tough this pickup is. Seven years after, we are here once more to this same place to renew our commitment to the market that we will continue to build vehicles that are not only long-lasting but also dependable and efficient to drive,” said IPC EVP Yuki Kato.

NOTHING beats the feeling of watching the sunrise from the summit.

Indeed, this is the same pickup powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine, the same vehicle that could be safely driven laterally up to 48 degrees, driven to a slope up to 55 degree inclination, offers a high approach angle of 37 degrees, departure angle of 29 degrees, and high ground clearance of 23.5 cm.

For 2011, the D-Max now sports a new sports bumper guard, 6-spoke alloy wheels, chrome body molding, color keyed step board, clear lens rear stop lamps, two-tone leather seats, iPod-ready, touchscreen equipped entertainment unit, head lamp aim adjustment, and for the first time in a pickup, a reverse camera with guiding marks.

The price remained competitive: the most affordable would still be the 4×2 manual LT model (at P860,000) while the top-of-the-line model 4×4 manual Boondock Edition could be had at P1.368 million.

THE NARROW highway going to Mt. Pulag is time and again strewn with debris from a landslide.

Safe

We felt safe and confident that no matter how bad the road may be, the D-Max would still get us where we would like to be.

“Whether in 4×2 or 4×4 version, we want to show that the D-Max is the ultimate adventure vehicle for people who live an active lifestyle,” said Kato.

After registering and listening to proper mountain climbing etiquette at the DENR, our guide even allowed our group to drive way past the Ranger Station saying our all-wheel drive pickups could endure the deep tire tracks as well as loose-over-hardpack trail and in the process, help us skip about five kilometers of walking in the searing sun (it was way past noon when we left the registration office at the DENR office).

ONLY all-wheel drive vehicles can survive the national park’s very rough, dusty and weather-beaten roads.

We appreciated their concern. After all, we came here to enjoy the hike, appreciate the cold weather (temperature went down to 5 degrees Centigrade at the campsite) and catch a glimpse of the breathtaking sunrise while on top of Mt. Pulag’s summit the next morning.

It was, indeed, a memorable climb to the summit and we have enjoyed it more because we have Teva which provided us our trekking shoes, Caltex which powered our pickups with their dependable Diesel with Techron-D and of course our hosts from IPC who believed that with their D-Max, “the possibilities are endless,” the battle cry coined to promote the 2011 edition pickup.