Item: Isuzu D-Max
Rating: 3

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You will have read about the decline of the UK pick-up truck market and lately about new benefit-in-kind tax rules set to hasten its demise further.

Well, it isn’t declining in all quarters. The self-proclaimed 'pick-up professionals' at Isuzu had their most successful year with the Isuzu D-Max in 2024, selling more than 6600 - more even than they managed during the 'lifestyle pick-up' boom of 2015.

No version of the D-Max weighs enough to be subject to the reduced speed limits (50mph on single carriageways, 60mph on dual carriageways) that can apply to pick-ups in the UK.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

The Japanese company now expects to be less exposed to the April 2025 exit of people who have been running a pick-up as a way of paying less BIK tax.

Most people who run a D-Max, Isuzu claims, do so because they genuinely need its capabilities: to carry 1200kg of bulky stuff around with them, to tow heavy trailers, to access remote places well off the road network.

The D-Max also sells on its well-established reliability, we’re told, and is backed up by a five-year/125,00-mile warranty and as many years of roadside breakdown assistance.

This isn’t the flashiest-looking flatbed on the market, nor the most powerful or desirable, but, they say, it’s the one that won’t let you down.

The Isuzu D-Max range at a glance

Being Isuzu's sole passenger vehicle offering in the UK, the D-Max range is fairly extensive.

The entry-level Utility model comes with a choice or two- and four-wheel drive and can be had as a single-, extended- or double-cab vehicle, from as little as £33,000 including VAT (which many pick-up buyers either don't pay or can can claim back).

Stepping up to the DL20 costs around £5000 more and grants you four-wheel drive as standard, with a locking rear differential and low-range transfer gearing, as well as 18in alloy wheels.

The DL40 doesn't add any off-road equipment but gets additional luxuries such as LED headlights, push-button ignition and a reversing camera.

The V-Cross, meanwhile, which is the primary subject of this review and the model Isuzu uses to target lifestyle pickup buyers, gets a 9.0in infotainment screen, dual-zone climate control and adjustable lumbar support for the driver.

You can additionally specify a camping kit complete with a two-man tent, sink, barbecue, awning and foldaway chairs.

At the top of the range sits the Arctic Trucks AT35 edition and the Mudmaster V-Cross, the latter of which is new to the fleet and comes with a winch, a light-bar mounted to the roof, a snorkel and all-terrain tyres mounted to 20in alloys.

All D-Maxes are powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine with 162bhp and 266lb ft. As standard, you get a six-speed manual gearbox but you can specify a six-speed Aisin automatic, said to shift 25% faster than its predecessor. The sales split between the automatic and manual stands at roughly 50:50.

Verdict

Isuzu D Max review 2025 001 front tracking

Model tested:

Rating: 6

Isuzu D-Max

New styling and equipment features are fripperies, really, on Isuzu’s slightly crude but tough and dependable workhorse.

Good

Feels as sturdy as it looks

Backed by great warranty

Cheaper than rivals

Bad

Unrefined, gruff diesel engine

Slightly crude, fidgety ride

Lacks torque relative to key rivals

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Looks purposeful and contemporary, if a bit brutish

Doesn't sacrifice function for form

Has a 3.5-tonne towing capacity

Cons

Looks slightly less distinctive than rivals

Engine offers less torque than key rivals'

Four years ago, the D-Max got a fairly major technical overhaul as it entered a new generation, including a lighter yet stiffer ladder frame, an improved front-axle design and a longer wheelbase. And now the Mk3 model has been given a second dose of cosmetic, electronic and equipment tweaks.

At the front, there’s a new bonnet, radiator grille and bumper design; at the rear, there are more upmarket-looking tail-lights.

Inside, the D-Max’s multimedia technology has been upgraded throughout the line-up, giving owners wireless smartphone mirroring on every model and part-digital instruments on the range-topper.

Only the cheapest single-cab D-Max comes without a switchable, mechanical four-wheel drive system with transfer gearing and a locking rear differential. All are still powered by Isuzu’s 162bhp 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine.

The engine's air intakes accommodate an 800mm wading depth, with tougher underbody protection and additional electronic aids such as hill descent control and the 'shift on the fly' four-wheel drive system fitted as standard on almost all derivatives.

INTERIOR

Pros

Competitive with rivals on four-seater space

Improved infotainment and stereo

Materials and buttons feel hard-wearing...

Cons

...but plastics are scratchy and shiny

Attempts to add richness and quality fall a bit flat

New digital gauges aren't as readable as traditional ones

The double-cab D-Max is about as roomy, for passengers in both front and rear, as any one-tonne pick-up's. The front seats are a little hard and lacking in some adjustment ranges but comfortable enough. Adults can travel in either row and won't feel short-changed for space.

The top-tier V-Cross version’s cloth-and-leather seats and wider mix of materials are shinier and cheaper-looking than some in the pickup class, but they needn’t offend anyone.

The automatic-transmission version, meanwhile, swaps the chunkier, simpler heater-control knobs of the manual for a console of smaller, neater-looking climate-control buttons, which are no doubt supposed to look more sophisticated but don’t really suit the car and are fiddlier to use.

The D-Max's infotainment systems have been upgraded across the range, with cheaper models getting a larger 8.0in system and DL40 and V-Cross models an improved 9.0in setup. Both offer wireless smartphone mirroring, and upper-tier models also have wireless device charging.

The system looks quite graphically crude and still lags behind rivals' for responsiveness, but its top-level navigability is decent, allowing you to turn off bothersome ADAS quickly and easily.

Storage space is generally quite good, with two gloveboxes and cupholders as large as the door bins. There's also a handy space mounted on the cabin roof for sunglasses, or indeed fishing permits.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Impressive towing capacity

Automatic makes the driving experience easier and smoother

It's not so heavy that reduced UK speed limits apply to it

Cons

Engine is gruff and unrefined

Flat spots in the lower and upper reaches are frustrating

Starting the D-Max for the first time, you're met with that familiar mechanical clatter associated with agricultural four-pot diesel engines. There's no getting away from the fact that this is not a refined lump.

It produces 162bhp and 266lb ft of torque, which is less than most pick-ups in the class can call on, and you feel as much on the road. The engine’s relatively modest torque just doesn’t move the D-Max’s bulk along as willingly as, say, a Toyota Hilux's torqiuer diesel - which obliges you to work the engine harder than you might and leaves you more exposed to its coarseness.

At a motorway cruise and in higher gears, the engine settles a little and becomes less intrusive but, despite measures taken by Isuzu to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, it's as rough as the terrain it wants to drive on under load and clunky in stop/start traffic.

Another gripe we have is that the start/stop system isn’t very well integrated, shutting the engine down with too much force and vibration and then taking a while to kick in again when you want to set off.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Feels stable at all speeds and on all terrains

Strong and progressive brakes

Reasonable on-road grip and body control

Cons

Busy, fidgety, firm low-speed ride

Imprecise steering

Just as the D-Max's diesel engine lends it a certain roughness of dynamic character, there's likewise some fiddling, stiff-legged crudeness to the D-Max’s on-road ride - more than the best-mannered pick-ups now suffer from. It handles precisely enough, though, and is by no means wayward or unpleasant to drive.

There's a reassuring level of stability whether it be on the motorway or in town. The D-Max doesn't wander under power or heavy braking and the rear axle doesn't bounce or feel too stiff over ruts and imperfections. The brakes themselves feel strong enough and progressive, despite there only being drums on the rear axle.

The steering, meanwhile, has a vagueness that doesn't work so much in its favour on-road as off, which stems from the flex of its ladder-frame chassis and the influence of its high-sidewall hybrid offroad tyres. So you find yourself having to guess a little at how much lock to put on to go round a given corner or roundabout. But after a while, it's easy to get used to.

The low-speed ride can get quite busy, particularly on poorer road surfaces, which means the higher level of relative comfort on offer in the Ford Ranger will be more appealing.

Also worth a mention is its turning circle which, at 12.5m, is tigher than some rivals. For reference, the Ranger’s turning circle is 12.7m, while the Volkswagen Amarok’s is 12.9m.

In off-road driving, the D-Max’s standard-fit mud-and-snow tyres give it plenty of grip and capability and a new Rough Terrain mode for the electronic traction control helps it through really slippery and steep sections.

At times, just as on the road, the engine feels a little short on grunt, but not often.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Cheaper to buy than its rivals

Competitive fuel economy

Cons

While capable and decently equipped, the basic model certainly feels basic

One of the most obvious selling points for the D-Max is its starting price, which undercuts most of its direct rivals', and that includes higher trim levels, such as the V-Cross.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Utility version still comes with enough kit to make it comfortable enough to live with and can be secured for less than £33,000, even allowing for VAT.

Worth noting is that all D-Maxes come with a five-year/125,000-mile warranty, five years of roadside assistance and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.

As for its running costs, we're not yet certain of its real-world economy, but we saw an average of 35.7mpg over 70 miles of stop-start off-roading and motorway driving, which beats Isuzu's claimed figure.

By comparison, the Ford Ranger claims up to 44mpg, the Volkswagen Amarok 36mpg and the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster 21.5mpg.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 6

Isuzu D-Max

New styling and equipment features are fripperies, really, on Isuzu’s slightly crude but tough and dependable workhorse.

Good

Feels as sturdy as it looks

Backed by great warranty

Cheaper than rivals

Bad

Unrefined, gruff diesel engine

Slightly crude, fidgety ride

Lacks torque relative to key rivals

While the D-Max's packaging and peripheral stuff has changed a little here, the slightly rough, tough and rudimentary pick-up underneath hasn’t, which for those who rate it - and given the reasons they do - probably isn’t such bad news after all.

Isuzu will continue to try to compete with more desirable pick-ups with its V-Cross and niche hardcore off-roading D-Maxes, but in our view, it isn't in a great position to win that battle, due to the slightly coarse, tough and unrefined character of the base vehicle.

But at a simpler level and lower price, the D-Max offers plenty. Being both cheaper to buy and just as capable off-road as its more conventional rivals from Ford and Volkswagen, it still offers lots of equipment for the money, along with that measure of utilitarian, back-to-basics toughness and dependability that returning D-Max buyers will look for.

And aside from the rather vague steering, Isuzu’s focus on the D-Max’s handling has made it a little more competent on the road than it predecessors. It can’t match the likes of the Ranger or Amarok for handling sophistication or rolling refinement, but for its price, buyers may not expect it to – and the Toyota Hilux is, in its way, little better-mannered.

The D-Max has all of its key selling points - ruggedness, durability and usability - well covered and should maintain its reputation as a highly rated, value-for-money workhorse.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested:

Isuzu D-Max V-Cross 4x4 Double Cab auto

Price:

£47,916

Price as tested:

unspecified

Engine:

4 cyls inline, 1898cc, turbodiesel

Transmission:

6-spd automatic; four-wheel drive with low range & locking rear differential

Driveline layout:

Front, longitudinal; four-wheel drive

Model tested

Isuzu D-Max V-Cross 4x4 Double Cab auto

Price

£47,916

Price as tested

unspecified

View all specs and rivals

Engine

4 cyls inline, 1898cc, turbodiesel

Transmission

6-spd automatic; four-wheel drive with low range & locking rear differential

Driveline layout

Front, longitudinal; four-wheel drive

Power

162bhp at 3600rpm

Torque

266lb ft at 2000-2500rpm

0-62mph

13.0sec

Top speed

112mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

2015kg

Fuel economy

31.4mpg

CO2

235g/km

BIK tax band

37%

Rivals Toyota Hilux Ford Ranger VW Amarok

Power

162bhp at 3600rpm

Torque

266lb ft at 2000-2500rpm

0-62mph

13.0sec

Top speed

112mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

2015kg

Fuel economy

31.4mpg

CO2

235g/km

BIK tax band

37%

Rivals Toyota Hilux Ford Ranger VW Amarok

Jonathan Bryce

Title: Social Media Executive

Jonathan is Autocar's social media executive. He has held this position since December 2024, having previously studied at the University of Glasgow before moving to London to become an editorial apprentice and pursue a career in motoring journalism.

His role at work involves running all of Autocar's social media channels, including X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn and WhatsApp.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.