We still like it. It’s a cabover, and a cabover is what we need. With 20,000 miles on it, we’ve discovered it’s faults and it’s strengths.

The Strengths.

The extra space in the cab is great. The triple windshield wipers are a thing of beauty. It hasn’t broken down once, we’ve had no parked regens, the DEF/DPF situation has been flawless… so far. It turns well, parks well, it’s a great local truck. The crew likes the box, it’s setup, and the waltco lift-gate.

All miles the truck is still getting a 9 mpg average which is decent for that size truck, being run the way we run it. It’s not got any real aerodynamic aids and it’s got lugged drive tires. We always run it up at the speed limit rather than at a slower more fuel efficient pace as a result of the types of routes we run, schedules we keep and the fact that there are two-three workers in it at all times. It also runs local a lot which hurts overall fuel mileage relative to a highway truck. So, 9 mpg all miles is pretty good. It doesn’t use much oil, maybe half a quart per 8,000 miles.

The fusebox cover falls off sometimes. The fire-extinguisher placement from the factory was a joke, but Ryder moved it for us. The front mudflaps are a little flaky, but the cage that holds them is good so it’s good enough.

The Weaknesses.

The steering is shaky. Isuzu’s always feel a bit loose, but there’s something about the front end geometry, or the way it’s adjusted, but it requires more “attention” on the highway than most trucks. We’ve had Ryder look at it, and we think it’s just the truck. It’s not as pleasant to drive on the highway as our old International… or the Kenworth… or our GMC T6500 (which is a cabover truck of the same size/spec). It’s a little dodgy. It’s hard to describe, but we’ve all driven trucks that require constant attention to keep it tracking well and centered in the lane. This is one of those trucks. It’s no deal killer of a problem, but it’s definitely the worst thing about it.

Power. It still feels a bit weak, and I’m still convinced it’s about the shift points and not the actual engine power. I also believe this is a significant contributor to the fuel mileage. I know we could get Allison Transmission to modify the shift points, but I’m liking the economy so we’ll leave it where it is.

Cold starts have been good, it’s started everytime, even on nights that had been close to 0. We do plug it in and we use fuel additive, but still. It always goes.

Other Details.

Ryder added a little yellow flapper flag to prevent people from driving the truck without the cab secure, which is a good idea. I definitely got our old truck back from shops with the cab not buckled and got a surprise. It’s got a big windshield, we use TONS of wiper fluid, but the visibility is fantastic.