Isuzu D-Max review

Driving position

As you’d expect, being a commercial vehicle at heart, sitting in the Isuzu D-Max is like sitting in a van. You’re high up, which means a good view over the road and other road users, and also some hedges and fences.

Isuzu has put a lot of thought into making this pick-up more comfortable for everyday drivers, including adding anti-vibration foam padding in the seats to soften poor road surfaces. So it’s not quite as harsh as its workhorse roots.

We tested the top-spec V-Cross trim, which has upgraded leather upholstery and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat.

The interior is full of hard-wearing materials that you won’t be afraid to knock about, but it’s also reasonably car-like. The leather on key touch points like the armrest, doors, and dashboard combined with silver and gloss black plastics help brighten the cabin.

It’s around 5.3m long, but standard-fit rear parking sensors on DL20 trim and above, and the front sensors and reversing camera you get on higher trim levels, make the D-Max no more challenging to drive than a standard SUV.

Tech and features

Don’t expect an awful lot of tech if you’re going for the entry-level Utility trim – this is the version that Isuzu plans on selling to commercial users. It splits the sale of its D-Max into three sections, Business, All-Purpose and Adventure. The Utility fits into the Business category.

It still has Bluetooth, digital radio, automatic lights and wipers, as does the mid-spec DL20 model, which is one of the two models in Isuzu’s All-Purpose range – pick-ups that are aimed at being company cars that will a lot of miles and be used mostly for work.

Higher-spec DL40 cars have a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment display, while the range-topping V-Cross trucks have bigger nine-inch displays. The latter is the only model in Isuzu’s so-called Adventure range, designed to keep up with the needs of families while still being capable of harsher use.

Both work with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which you’ll want to use because the standard software has little more than a radio – there’s no built-in sat-nav, for example.

We were blown away by the eight-speaker setup in the V-Cross though. Being a glorified van, we didn’t have high hopes, but the D-Max’s speakers offered a full and deep sound quality. Hardly a Harman Kardon system, but far from bargain basement either.

Engines and power

There’s only one engine available in the Isuzu D-Max, and it’s a 1.9-litre turbodiesel with 164hp and 360Nm of torque.

It’s a back-to-basics engine that’s well suited to what the D-Max is meant to do – it has the low-down shove needed to tow heavy loads and handle the really sticky stuff off-road.

The Double Cab configuration in all but the entry-level Utility trim level can be specced with a six-speed automatic gearbox. It’s a smooth shifter, but it can be happier than it should be to change down a gear under acceleration at high speeds.

This is largely down to the power of the engine though. With a 0-62mph time of 12.7 seconds (manual) or 13.0 seconds (automatic), we were left wanting a bit more poke.

Sure, this is in line with many other pick-ups, but as they become more car-like, so does their performance. The Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux both have secondary engine options with more than 200hp.

Handling and ride comfort

Every version of the Isuzu D-Max can handle over 1,000kg in the load bed – some more than 1,200kg, which is about the same as an entire Ford Focus with an empty fuel tank.

To handle the extra weight, the rear suspension needs to be springy, which would ordinarily mean a bouncy ride with an empty bed.

Pick-ups have come a long way since that was true though, and we found the D-Max to be comfortable on all terrains. It also has large tyres, which absorb potholes pretty well.

Overall, the Isuzu D-Max is more refined than the previous generation. Noise, vibration, and harshness are all improved.

Of the more than 700 miles we covered in a D-Max V-Cross, many were on the motorway. Its stability at high speeds was reassuring, and the lane keep assist (standard on all but Utility models) took the pressure out of driving.

Boot space

This is the D-Max’s party trick. The bed length is 1,530mm, and its width 1,495mm. At 490mm deep, rough calculations suggest it’s a 1,120-litre space (although the rear wheel arches eat into this a bit).

To put this in perspective, we loaded the back of the D-Max with two people’s worth of scuba diving kit, including a total of five air cylinders. There was still room for more, even though a normal family hatchback would seriously struggle with this, even with the rear seats folded.

Anybody using the D-Max for more utilitarian purposes will be pleased to know that it’s plastic-clad for durability, and the soft-opening tailgate doubles as a bench to reach further into the bed.

There’s no enclosed boot, but you can add a selection of lockable lids and covers to protect anything stored inside.

The rear seats also fold to reveal a small amount of storage for key motoring kit like the tyre inflator set.

Rear seats

We tried the Double Cab version of the D-Max, and this will be the model that most people will buy if they need to carry people in the back. This shape accounts for around four in five of the D-Maxes Isuzu sells.

It might be a pick-up first and foremost, but the rear isn’t an afterthought because there’s as much room as you’d find in a large family SUV.

The seatbacks are fairly upright because of the shape of the cab, but they’re not uncomfortable. Headroom and legroom are more than sufficient too.

The rear seats aren’t too bench-like either because the two outer seats are padded, just as you’d expect in a car. The middle seat is reasonably wide, so fitting three adults should be nice and easy.

Storage solutions

Its commercial vehicle roots are evident here because there’s a lot of storage. Isuzu has made clever use of the dashboard, so there are two gloveboxes as well as pop-out cupholders on either end, which we loved for long road trips.

There’s a pair of cupholders under the armrest, too, and a bit of storage next to the gear selector. It’s a handy place to keep your phone, but unfortunately, there’s no wireless charging in this model.

Safety

The D-Max’s most recent Euro NCAP test was in 2022, so it has undergone some of the most rigorous safety testing to date. Even still, it was awarded the full five stars.

Single and Extended Cab models have seven airbags, and Double Cab versions have an eighth in the centre.

What Isuzu calls ‘Advanced Driver Assist Systems’, things like forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, and lane departure warning, are standard across the range. But some models have more, like blind spot monitoring and emergency lane keeping.

Fuel economy

Isuzu claims the D-Max is capable of 30-35mpg depending on trim level, and we found the figures to be very accurate.

Our Double Cab tester with an automatic gearbox should have returned a combined 30.7mpg – we averaged around 34mpg over 700 miles, which included a lot of motorway mileage.

Reliability

Like other Japanese manufacturers (like Toyota and Honda), Isuzu is known for its reliability, and having a dependable pick-up is important for tradespeople.

UK buyers benefit from a five-year/120,000-mile warranty, which is more than the average in the automotive industry.

Insurance groups

On paper, the D-Max is in insurance group 50, but being a pick-up, you might not pay as much as you would for a performance car that’s also in group 50, so explore quotes before ruling out the D-Max on insurance grounds.