Isuzu D-Max review

Selling pick-up trucks used to be simple. All you needed was a hefty payload, a strong diesel engine and decent reliability to get your truck on to farmyards and building sites across the land. Times change though – and so has the Isuzu D-Max. 

You see, being a tough truck often isn’t enough these days. Instead pick-ups also have to be a one-stop shop, serving as a workhorse and an enticing alternative to SUVs, proving comfortable and safe for family trips as well as very practical.

To that end, the D-Max is available with the option of a single cab with a long bed, an extended cab or a full five-seater double cab (the weekday work pick-up that can also serve as a weekend family hauler). There’s even a hardcore off-road version called the Arctic Trucks AT35.

Do those configurations give the Isuzu D-Max all it needs to take on the best pick-up trucks – including the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok along with the KGM Musso and Toyota Hilux? Read on to find out…

For now, discussing the choice of engine for the Isuzu D-Max is pretty easy because there’s only one: a 161bhp 1.9-litre diesel. That's set to change at some point in 2025, though, with the introduction of the brand’s first all-electric D-Max.

Anyway, back to now. In everyday driving, the D-Max’s engine gets it off the line quickly enough and only really starts to run out of puff once you get up to motorway speeds. It feels just as quick as the entry-level Toyota Hilux but not as quick to whip up to motorway speeds as a more potent version of the Hilux or any Ford Ranger.

The D-Max Utility is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox. Other versions are available with the manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. 

If you go for the manual, the clutch pedal is well-weighted but we found the short gear to be very short. Meanwhile, the automatic changes gear smoothly once you’re on the move, but we found it hesitant before it kicks down.

It's legal to drive all D-Max models at the same UK speed limits as a car. That's because all versions weigh less than the 2,040kg threshold for dual-purpose and light commercial vehicles that requires you to drop your speed by 10mph on dual and single carriageways.

The D-Max's ride is much more sophisticated than in pick-ups of years gone by, and far better than the previous-generation model. However, it still feels rather bouncy without a load in the bed and sends shudders through the body when you hit something sharp.

That’s not to say that the D-Max is uncomfortable, it’s just that the Toyota Hilux has tighter control while a Ford Ranger is an altogether more supple and comfortable road vehicle.

The Ranger is also happier in the bends. Although it’s easy enough to guide the D-Max along, its light steering is more suited to off-roading. The Ranger’s more precise steering gives you greater confidence and is less affected by mid-corner bumps.

Engine refinement is never the strong suit of a pick-up, and the D-Max is no exception. Any demands for a bit more speed result in a cacophony of noise. It settles down once you get up to speed, but you’ll then hear plenty of wind whistling around the big mirrors and a fair amount of road noise.

Suspension noise is well contained, which helps explain why the D-Max feels right at home clambering over deeply rutted terrain off road. In fact, there are few obstacles that the D-Max won’t clamber over, thanks to lots of suspension articulation to keep its wheels on the ground, plus a lockable rear differential (standard on DL20 models and above).

In a recent facelift, Isuzu also added a new Rough Terrain mode to the D-Max, making it even better off-road. The mode is effectively a very clever and more aggressive version of traction control, and it makes a very noticeable difference when driving up steep muddy inclines. The D-Max's maximum wading depth is 800mm.

If serious off-roading is your thing, take a look at our review of a D-Max variant that's modified to take on anything – the Arctic Trucks AT35.

"As someone who drives long distances on motorways, I found that the Isuzu D-Max wasn’t quite as easy to live with as the Ford Ranger.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

When you climb into the Isuzu D-Max, you find a well laid out interior with a decent driving position and lumbar support on the driver’s seat in all versions (manual for single and extended cabs, electric on double cab). Some might wish the steering wheel would come out further from the dashboard though.

Visibility out of the front is good thanks to the lifted driving position, sizeable door mirrors and relatively slim side pillars. A reversing camera comes as standard on every D-Max. The DL20 version adds rear parking sensors while the DL40 gets front parking sensors too.

A new 8in infotainment touchscreen comes as standard on every D-Max, with the exception of the V-Cross and Arctic Trucks AT35, which both get an updated version of the 9in system that was in the pre-facelift car.

So far, we’ve only tried the new 8in screen, and it’s a definite improvement over the previous base system, with good graphics and a quick response to all of your inputs. It's still not quite as sharp as the systems in the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok but it's pretty good. 

You get a good amount of features, including DAB radio and Bluetooth – but not say-nav. Fortunately, you get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring so you can run your favourite sat-nav app through the touchscreen.

You get a row of physical buttons below the touchscreen for the stereo plus a couple of shortcuts for certain functions. The D-Max also has a dedicated panel for the ventilation system that’s easier to use than the touchscreen icons on the Ranger and Amarok.

There are some soft-touch plastics on top of the dashboard, and painted trim highlights on higher-end versions around the gear lever, infotainment screen and doors.

To go with the D-Max’s rugged nature, all the buttons and toggles have a very robust feel – you certainly won’t worry about climbing in with your muddy work boots on. If you want something that feels plusher, we’d point you towards the Ford Ranger Wildtrak or the VW Amarok – they use a wider range of interior materials.

"The Isuzu D-Max's high driving position (especially in the lifted Arctic Trucks version) is really useful, giving you one of the most commanding views you can get." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As you might expect in something as big as the Isuzu D-Max, there’s enough head, leg and shoulder room for even the burliest of occupants to get comfortable up front. Isuzu gives you four cupholders, a cubby in front of the gear lever and a cubby under the armrest. There’s also a decent glovebox.

The D-Max Extended Cab comes with two small folding rear seats to occasionally accommodate a pair of rear-seat passengers, with small rear-hinged doors providing access.

The D-Max Double Cab is the one to go for if you often need to take more passengers. It has full-size rear doors and back seats large enough for three average-sized adults to sit across in relative comfort. The backrest is fairly upright and the floor is raised, but it’s similar to most pick-up trucks. The two outer seats are more sculpted and supportive than the rather flat bench in the Ford Ranger.

Double Cab versions have two more bottle holders in the rear doors and two cup holders in the central armrest. The back of the passenger seat has a fold-out hook that’s rated for 4kg, making it a particularly sturdy "curry hook".

If you want to secure a valuable bike or other expensive kit inside the D-Max, you can flip up the seat bases in a 60/40 split or fold down the seat back (which uncovers the vehicle jack and tool kit).

It’s the boot space – or rather load bed – that’s of most importance to pick-up truck buyers, and with the D-Max there are three lengths (2,290mm, 1,785mm or 1,520mm), which decrease as cab size increases, as they do with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. All bed sizes can take a standard pallet lengthways between the wheel-arch intrusions.

There are four tie-down hoops in the bed, one for each corner, and all DL versions have a damped tailgate for ease of opening. The rear bumper has steps you can stand on to reach over the sides to get at anything in the load bed.

Even in its bulkiest Double Cab form, the D-Max can take a similar maximum payload to the equivalent Ranger. All versions are capable of carrying more than 1,000kg in the bed and towing 3,500kg, although not at the same time. The only pick-up capable of doing both at once is the KGM Musso.

"The Isuzu D-Max's four tie-down hoops are really useful for securing loads in the load bay. I'd definitely suggest investing in the optional roller cover too so you can lock items away." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Running your Isuzu D-Max as a company vehicle is affordable because every version is above the required 1,000kg payload threshold that enables you to classify it as a commercial vehicle, but the double-cab version will become much more expensive under new pick-up trick tax rules.

Anyone buying a D-Max out of their own pocket should find that most models undercut the equivalent Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux or VW Amarok and cost a little more than the KGM Musso. There’s little difference between them in terms of fuel economy.

The D-Max in entry-level Utility trim is rather spartan, with 16in steel wheels and black (rather than painted) exterior trim. You still get the basics, such as air-conditioning, automatic lights and wipers, and cruise control but it's more of a workhorse.

The DL20 has more creature comforts, and adds 18in alloy wheels, body-coloured exterior trim, heated front seats and interior carpets.

DL40 adds LED head and tail lights, silver side steps, leather upholstery, electric seat adjustment, keyless entry and dual-zone climate control.

Top-spec V-Cross swaps the chrome exterior trim for grey and adds the 9in infotainment system, an eight-speaker stereo (up from four in DL20 and six in DL40) and additional USB-C ports in the front. If you upgrade to an automatic gearbox you get adaptive cruise control.

The D-Max didn’t feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but it is backed by a five-year, 125,000-mile warranty (along with five years' roadside assistance). That's longer than you get with a Ranger and more mileage than a Hilux. The Musso beats them all with seven years, 150,000 miles.

Safety is a D-Max strong suit: it was awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP in 2022. That matches the Ranger, which was tested in the same year. When you look deeper into the scores, you find that the D-Max was better when it came to protecting adults in the front and the Ranger when it came to children in the back.

The Hilux also scored five stars for safety, but that was back in 2016 and, due to the testing getting more stringent every year, that rating has now expired.

While the D-Max has always come with plenty of standard safety equipment, a recent facelift has added even more and improved some of the existing systems, including giving the standard automatic emergency braking (AEB) a better range of vision. You also get lane-departure warning and traffic-sign recognition as standard, while Double Cab models come with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

"I think the varied trim levels and commercial vehicle tag make some versions of the Isuzu D-Max compelling company cars, whether as a workhorse or a mix of workhorse and commuter." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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