Jaco Van Der Merwe

By Jaco Van Der Merwe

Head of Motoring


This Isuzu bakkie has X-factor – Motoring Newsmaker No 9

The X-Rider offers an attractive alternative to SA's top selling bakkies, the Hilux and Ranger.


Two-thousand-and-twenty-one was an interesting year for the South African motoring landscape.

Some things changed, like an acceleration towards greener cars, while others stayed the same like Toyota topping the monthly sales charts.

In this series of 2021 Motoring Newsmakers, The Citizen looks back at the top 20 most popular online stories of the year. The series is dominated by South Africa’s most popular body style, bakkies, while the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 was by far the most viewed single model on our website. Other local favourites in the form of hot hatches, fuel efficient hatchbacks, big, mean SUVs, compact SUVs, Mercedes-AMGs and BMW M cars also drew their fair share of attention.

South Africa is bakkie country and sales in this segment is dominated by the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max. These manufacturers know that South African buyers like attractive bakkie styling and Isuzu’s party trick in this regard comes in the form of the Isuzu X-Rider.

Online Motoring Reporter Charl Bosch sampled the Isuzu D-Max 300 3.0TD X-Rider double cab which is priced at R590 300 and offers a good=looking alternative to the Hilux and Ranger. To read what Charl had to say about the Isuzu, click on the link below.

2021 MOTORING NEWSMAKER NO 9: X (Rider) factor and three-litre power hits Isuzu D-Max’s high

To see the rest of our 2021 Motoring Newsmakers, click on the links below.

No 10: Mercedes-AMG E63 S sledge hammer of a sedan

No 11: Land Cruiser: Which is better, petrol or diesel?

No 12: Kia cans bakkie plans

No 13: Mercedes A35 Sedan the thinking man’s AMG

No 14: Toyota Corolla Cross outsells Polo pair

No 15: BMW X5 M Competition pips Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S

No 16: The Golf GTI for nerds

No 17: Never be late in a Merc GLS 580

No 18: Toyota HiAce 54 years young

No 19: New Ford Ranger revealed

No 20: Toyota Land Cruiser gets stuck the mud

Read more on these topics

2021 Motoring Newsmaker Isuzu Motoring News

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