I-VENTURE DRIVE DAY LANCELIN
When does excitement twist into panic? The thrill into a spill? And the sweet taste of a new adventure turn suddenly sour?
How about when your brand new fourbie grinds to a halt belly deep in the sand or slides sickeningly down the beach towards the water?
Watching the tv family gleefully plunge into the river and shake the water to the whistling wind as they climb fearlessly up and down steep hills to the magical pristine campsite, it all seems so easy.
But if you’ve never actually driven off the blacktop taking $50K plus of hard earned dollars into the unknown is more than a little scary.
It used to be that once the marketing department had done their job of enticing you to part with your money; it was just the service department who wanted to see you – and get you to spend a few more dollars.
But 4WD manufacturers are starting to realise that increasing a customer’s positive experience with their new fourbie can go a long way to building brand loyalty and new client recommendations.
The Isuzu I-Venture team has been put together to provide fun and informative driving experiences for Isuzu D-Max ute or MU-X wagon owners. While the drive days are tailored for complete novice 4Wdrivers, even experienced folk will pick up more than a few tips and tricks because the training is specific to the Isuzu product and how to get the very best performance from these particular vehicles.
A typical drive day starts with a good breakfast and some serious business as the lead trainer provides some clear and concise offroading principles and an introduction to how a 4WD system works. Participants receive a good grounding in things like tyre construction and the ever-important selection of the correct tyre pressures. Plus there are very specific tips and techniques for Isuzu vehicles to enable owners to start developing an understanding of how to set up their vehicle to tackle various types of terrain.
Before the fidgets have time to set in, it’s time to hit the driver’s seat and start putting theory into practice. In WA, this was on a favourite fourbie playground – the powdery white of the Lancelin sand dunes.
The trainer, David Wilson, and his Isuzu support team start things slowly on mild slopes and firmer sand before guiding, encouraging and cajoling the drivers to tackle the big slopes at ever more daunting angles.
As confidence soars (and smiles widen), Wilson mixes it up by finding a boggy, sloping beach to teach drivers about momentum, angles and track selection. And if no-one obliges by inadvertently going belly deep he convinces someone to “do the wrong thing” to demonstrate how easy it is get to stuck … and how getting back on track is totally achievable.
With a big thumbs up from all the drivers, it was obvious that Isuzu are winning happy customers with their I-Venture initiative.
If you own an Isuzu, check out iventure.club.com.au for their next adventures in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Around $300 will get you a day pass with a dedicated and experienced 4WD trainer for 1 vehicle / 2 passengers including breakfast and lunch.
