Isuzu D-Max

Hard-working, hard-wearing pickup turns to fresh style and equipment to keep fuelling its rising popularity

You’ll have read about the decline of the UK pick-up truck market; and lately about new benefit-in-kind company car tax rules set to hasten its demise further. Well, it isn’t declining in all quarters. Self-proclaimed “pick-up professionals” brand Isuzu had its most successful year for the Isuzu D-Max in 2024, selling more than 6600 units – more, even, than it managed in the lifestyle pickup boom of 2015. It now expects to be less exposed to the exit of those fleet ‘user-choosers’ who’ve been running a pickup as a route to paying less benefit-in-kind tax, and whose juicy loophole is snapping shut in April 2025. 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, or to access remote places well off the road network. The D-Max also sells on its well-established reliability, we’re told, to those who can’t afford their workhorse falling victim to ‘downtime’ – and is backed up by a five-year, 125,000 miles 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 glanceBeing Isuzu’s sole passenger vehicle offering, the D-Max’s 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 pickup buyers either don’t pay or can can claim back, needless to say).Stepping up to the DL20 car 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 alloys. The DL40 doesn’t add any off-road equipment but gets additional luxuries such as LED headlights, a 7in touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, push-button ignition, and a reversing camera.The V-Cross, meanwhile, which is the primary subject of this review and the car Isuzu uses to target lifestyle pickup buyers, gets a 9in infotainment screen, dual-zone climate control as well as 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, all-terrain tyres mounted to 20in alloys, but underneath it is the same as the regular car.All cars are powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel 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.

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