Highway to Holidays with ​
​Isuzu Trucks

After winning an Isuzu NNR 45-150 Crew Cab in late 2022, Sutherland Shire Environmental Scientist, Tegan Yasserie, and her family were anticipating a thrilling festive season putting the truck to use, journeying through two states in comfort to meet up with family and friends. ​ 

The NNR 45-150 Crew Cab was raffled off during 2022 by Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) in partnership with the Gotcha4Life Foundation - to help raise awareness on mental fitness and supporting communities across Australia. ​ 

Due to their versatility, manoeuvrability fit-for-purpose nature, Isuzu’s ever-popular N Series trucks are predominantly applied in and around metro areas, across a range of different trades and last mile delivery applications. More recently though, they are increasingly finding a home with savvy operators looking for a tough, go-anywhere recreational towing vehicle. 

Be they out the front of a caravan or serving as the very platform for a custom camper build, multiple variants within Isuzu’s N Series range are perfectly engineered for this unique task. ​ ​ ​ 

Raffle winner Tegan Yasserie and her family are a wonderful example of the multiple purposes a light-duty N Series can have. ​ 

Her prize, the NNR 45-150 Crew Cab raffle truck, came decked-out with all sorts of goodies including solar panels, a weatherproof Samsung TV, Bushman fridges, and all housed within a top quality, custom-built service body from Service Bodies Australia (SBA). ​ 

“Winning the truck was such a fantastic surprise and we immediately knew we could put it to good use,” Ms Yasserie mused. ​ 

“We started on our road trip heading up north just after Christmas last year. Surprisingly to some, packing the truck to leave was the real highlight. Everything has its spot in our Isuzu truck! 

COMPARTMENTS FOR DAYS 

“We weren't playing Tetris to try and get everything into the car or on a trailer like in the past. It was unbelievably easy to get ready especially with all the extra storage.” 

Rather than having ice bricks and eskies stuffed with food for the road, Tegan and her family were able to pack groceries, meals and snacks into the fridges and trays that are built into the body of their NNR Crew Cab. ​ 

“On the side where the fridges are we had all our food packed in the drawers. The fridges were fully stocked with cold drinks, sandwich meats, margarine and butter, all the snacks and condiments you need on the road and for a BBQ, and milk for coffee to-go from our espresso machine,” said Tegan. 

“Out the other side of the truck we packed up everything just to set and forget. 

“That was where we packed our linen, and towels, and camping cutlery, and utensils, and plates, and we had a drawer full of camping torches, radios, batteries, and the little items you need on a camping trip. We also easily fitted our fold-up camp beds in the storage on that side as well. 

“The set up of the NNR Crew Cab meant there was room in in the back of the tray for our tents, canopy and fishing lines. It is a super convenient setup.”

ALL THE COMFORT 

The family did a Sydney to Mackay road trip over two days. ​ 

“We travelled from Sydney to Mackay in two days in split into roughly two 14-hour trips. All the kids had plenty of space and heaps of leg room. My two older sons are quite tall, so they very much appreciated the space compared to our family Kluger.” 

With so much room for the kids to spread out; 15-year-old twins Kai and Nathaniel, 10-year-old Jesse, and six-year-old Willow found the trip less stressful with no overcrowding or cramping in the backseat. 

The family were eager to reach Cape Hillsborough, a campground north of Mackay, and Tegan’s old childhood stomping ground. 

“When we pulled up in our Isuzu truck, the whole family even our extended family were there to greet us,” laughed Tegan. 

According to Tegan her family could not believe their eyes when the NNR Crew Cab pulled up in the driveway. 

THIS IS A TRUCK… 

“My Dad had told them that we'd won a truck and they're thinking maybe like a ute or a pickup truck, but then when we pulled into the backyard in an actual Isuzu truck, they're like, ‘Wow, they weren't joking. That’s an actual truck!’” recalled Tegan. 

“Early the next morning we went to Cape Hillsborough, and getting ready with the NNR’s setup was magic because all we had to take out of the truck was the tents and the gazebo. Everything else could stay in where it was and compared to our usual camping trips where it's a full unload of the trailer, and setting up the kitchen, and setting up the tents. The storage in the NNR made all the difference.” 

The family had a lot of appreciation for their unique camping vehicle, with other campers coming over to explore the truck and comment on the truck, body build and overall set-up. 

“We weren’t going to move the truck around after arriving at Cape Hillsborough, but then we found out about a good fishing spot up the road, so we just packed the truck down quickly and took the truck fishing with us.” 

It turned out to be a wise choice as the pack down took less than 20 minutes and it provided shelter and comfort on a steamy summer day. 

“The little fishing spot was on a dirt road, so we set the truck up, put the canopy up with some chairs underneath for my little daughter and my dad - while the rest of us went fishing. It was perfect - we were glad we took the truck.” 

SAFETY SUPPORT 

When it came to dividing the driving, Tegan took to urban and inner-city legs of the journey while her husband Jason took the open highways. Playing to their strengths and driving preferences made the trip a breeze. 

Isuzu light-duty trucks can be driven on a standard car license so neither Tegan nor her husband had to upgrade to a heavy vehicle licence. 

“The cruise control was fantastic on the highway, and the visibility from the cab was better than in a car. Even the kids in the backseat had an amazing view of everything on the road.” 

The Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) meant that the driver had alerts for road conditions making the trip safer. 

“We did have some ADAS alerts come on when something big came past at a high speed and there'd be a proximity alert to stay in your lane as they came past too, which was cool.” 

PART OF THE FAMILY 

“My kids love our Isuzu Truck,” said Tegan. 

“The two younger ones find any chance they get and they con my husband into driving it. So, they get dropped off at school in the truck. They get taken to gymnastics in the truck. They get taken to Oztag in the truck. 

“The whole family is starting to enjoy it. Jason's parents live in the city, and he’ll take dinner in for his Mum…in the truck,” Tegan laughed. 

The NRR Crew Cab is evolving to become an integral part of the social lives of Tegan and her family. 

“My husband plays OzTag in the Sutherland Shire competition, and I manage the team. So, for the end-of-year last game we set it up in the car park, got the barbecue out, cooked sausages for the boys, had drinks in the fridge, and really put the Isuzu truck to use.” 

With a longer trip in the works to travel through South Australia and up to Uluru in the second half of the year, Tegan and her family are keen to make more memories with their NNR Crew Cab. 

Isuzu Trucks and the Gotcha4Life Foundation set out to see the NNR Crew Cab put to use in community engagement and building social and emotional wellbeing and strength, as seen in the Mateship Miles Roadshow in 2022. The NNR Crew Cab has become a focal point in Tegan's weekends and social life, and the truck lives up to the uses that Isuzu and the Gotcha4Life Foundation imagined for it. ​ 

Now it is up to Tegan and her family to push their imaginations to the limit to see what their NNR Crew Cab will do next.