Isuzu NPR vs Lotus Emeya

What's the difference?

The dual-cab ute market and light truck market are potentially two very different landscapes.

While the dual-cab continues to storm the sales charts in Australia, there’s also a growing awareness among hardcore users of these vehicles, that a light truck might often be a better solution.

Better payloads and higher Gross Combination Mass ratings in an age of increasing legal and insurance concerns over overloaded vehicles, were once the light truck’s strong suit. But these days, vehicles like the full-sized US-made pick-ups and even the muscled-up Ford Ranger Super Duty have bridged or even exceeded that gap.

At which point, the light-truck’s benefits become the ease with which it can take on heavier jobs and the sheer size of the cargo and cabin area, not to mention those truck-specific qualities born of generations of refining a concept.

In Australia, it’s Isuzu that absolutely brains the opposition in sales terms. And part of the reason for that has been a realisation that not all would-be buyers want the hassle of the traditional truck-buying process of purchasing a bare chassis and then equipping it so suit their needs.

Which is where Isuzu’s RTW (ready To Work) concept comes in. You simply choose the truck you want, choose a tray, van or service body and then let Isuzu deal with it and phone you when it’s ready to collect.

It's so simple, it’s a wonder not everybody is doing it.

The other news is that Isuzu has finally updated its popular N Series fleet after about 16 years. A new cabin, extensive chassis changes, uprated engines, and all-new transmission, improved suspension and a new focus on safety are all headlines. But 16 years is a long time between drinks, so do the improvements make enough of a difference to keep the concept relevant in a changing market?

The third film in a trilogy is often the hardest to get right - Return of the Jedi is not as acclaimed as The Empire Strikes Back.The Godfather III is nowhere near as revered as its predecessors.

Which I mention because we’ve come to the end of our Lotus trilogy, as regular readers may have noticed in recent weeks we have tested the Emira and Eletre.

This time we’re driving the Emeya, the third and final member of the brand’s new line-up (at least for now) that manages to combine elements of both its stablemates.

The Emeya is Lotus’ direct rival to the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan, an electric sports sedan that takes elements of the Emira’s dynamics and pairs it with the Eletre’s powertrain and style.

So let’s find out how this final installment of the Lotus trilogy has a happy ending or not…