Giti Tyres Big Test - GIGA what? And why? 

It's not the most modern truck out there. It's not the smartest…nor the most high-tech. And no – it's not the most powerful truck on our roads. Nowhere near it.

However….it IS the best-selling heavy-duty truck in New Zealand. And it's also No. 1 in the overall truck market (all trucks over 4.5 tonnes GVM). And has been for 20 straight years.

How come? Many, many reasons, no doubt – but who better to ask than someone who bought one of the 346 heavy-duty Isuzus sold in NZ last year.

So, what was it about the Isuzu GIGA CYH530D that hooked Wairarapa logtruck operator Brooke Brausch when he had to replace an old, written-off Kenworth K104?

Brooke's happy to try to enlighten, as we walk around the new 8x4 in his yard near Masterton: "Three things – price, comfort….and that it's also driver-friendly."

Pirelli Trevor Test

It's a great day down in the Wairarapa, catching up with Brooke Brausch and his new Isuzu CYH530D log truck.

The Brausch name is well known on the New Zealand road transport scene, with Brooke's old man Glen operating a refrigerated fleet out of Auckland. 

There've been storms in the past few days, flooding parts of Wellington and making access to some Wairarapa logging skid sites marginal – but we're good to go, with a great location out on the coast just north of Riversdale.

I take over when the rig is fully loaded, to run back into Masterton on a great country road, with plenty of tight corners and climbs to make sure the gearbox gets a good workout.

Climbing up into cab, there are three good, wide and deep steps with grabhandles front and back of the door opening. I find the rear handle a bit too high to reach from the ground so I can only grab it once up on the first step.