Isuzu D-Max Utility review

Make and model: Isuzu D-Max 4×4 double cab Utility
Description: double cab pick-up, four-wheel drive
Price range: £31,595 + VAT (plus options)

Isuzu says: “Developed with work in mind, the Utility features a wide range of practical and safety features to ensure drivers are as productive, safe and comfortable as possible.”

We say: There’s an unburstable feel to the Isuzu D-Max. These qualities are expressed at their best in the base-model Utility, which is perfectly fit for purpose.

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Introduction

Introduction? The Isuzu D-Max needs no introduction. It might be the only model that Isuzu offers in the UK, but the D-Max has carved out a loyal following here over many years.

It’s also not surprising that Isuzu, being a one-model car company, has one of the broadest specification ranges for that model. There’s a D-Max for pretty much every possible need – unless you need an electric pick-up, in which case you’ll have to wait until sometime next year for the D-Max BEV (battery electric vehicle).

While the D-Max may already look familiar, you may be starting to see a lot more of them. Isuzu UK has plans to increase its sales volumes by about 50% from about 6,300 vehicles in 2023 to 10,000 units in 2025. About a quarter of those are expected to be the Utility version seen here, with the rest being the higher-spec models.

Incidentally, Isuzu has seen the popularity of automatic transmissions increase massively over the last decade, growing from less than 20% of all D-Max sales back in 2012 to almost 50% last year. Unsurprisingly, and also inevitably contributing to this shift, only the Utility models are now available with a manual gearbox. The rest of the range is now auto-only.

Who is this pick-up aimed at?

This is the entry-level version of the D-Max, called Utility. It’s at the bottom rung of the specification ladder, which then rises through DL20 and DL40 models to the V-Cross specification at the top of the ladder. This is a no-frills work truck, aimed at agricultural customers and anyone working in the wide open spaces.

It’s also the version of the D-Max you’ll want if you’re looking for maximum payload, as the Utility can carry slightly more than its fancier siblings.

Who won’t like it?

When we say “no-frills work truck”, we mean no parking sensors or reversing camera, no satnav/Apple CarPlay unit, no heated seats or other niceties.

If you’re working in an urban environment, having to get in and out of tight work sites or parking bays, or if you’re an owner-operator who wants a vehicle that will suit both professional and personal needs, this is probably not the D-Max you need. You’d be better off looking at the DL20 or DL40 models further up the range.

What do you get for your money?

As you can see in the photos, the D-Max Utility is a beautifully unadorned machine, in all its steel-wheels-and-unpainted-bumpers glory.

Unlike its better-equipped siblings, the Utility is available in a wide variety of configurations to suit your needs. There are three cabs – single cab, extended cab and double cab – and a choice of four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive.

The single cab version is the only one available with a choice of 4×2 or 4×4 drive, and starts at £26K + VAT for the 4×2 version, with 4×4 drive adding an extra £2K. The 4×4 version also allows you to specify a diff lock for another £500. Single cab versions are only available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The extended cab gets a small rear cabin space with two folding seats, allowing you to carry two extra passengers – as long as they’re not claustrophobic and don’t mind being fairly uncomfortable. It’s 4×4 only and pricing starts at £28.8K + VAT, with a diff lock again available for an extra £500. Choosing the six-speed automatic transmission adds an extra £1,500.

Finally, the double cab allows space and access for five adults, with prices starting at £29.6K + VAT for the manual. Once again, the diff lock and auto transmission are available at extra cost.

The single cab version gets 16-inch steel wheels, while the rest get 18-inch versions. Also worth noting is that the single cab has fractionally more rear overhang (an extra 5cm).

A full-size spare steel wheel is included on all models, while the interior materials are designed to be hard-wearing. Floors are hoseable vinyl rather than carpet and the plastics are all solid and hard, rather than soft and squishy.

Creature comforts are more limited. There’s a stereo with bluetooth and DAB radio, but it’s pretty basic. Headlights and wipers are automatic, which presumably means it was cheaper for Isuzu to fit them as standard across the range rather than offer manual versions for Utility models.

While the Utility may lack a few comfort and convenience features, one area where it is well equipped is safety. The entire Isuzu D-Max double cab range gets a five-star safety score from independent examiners Euro NCAP, with very similar scores all round to the Ford Ranger. Other cab models were not tested.

All D-Max models get adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning and speed limit warning as standard. In addition, the double cab models get lane-keeping assist, blind-spot assist and rear cross-traffic alert (a blessing when reversing out of a parking space with limited visibility). On all versions, there are plenty of airbags all round that we hope you never need to see.

Finally, all D-Max models get a class-leading five-year/125,000-mile new car warranty, which includes UK-wide roadside assistance.

What can you get in it?

The Isuzu D-Max Utility is the only version available with three different load lengths (1,495mm for the double cab, 1,805mm for the extended cab, and 2,305mm for the single cab). The DL20 is available in extended or double cab, while the DL40 and top-spec V-Cross are double cab only.

Regardless of load length, all versions of the tray have a load width of 1,530mm and a depth of 490mm.

Payload is best for the single cab at 1,205kg, for either the 4×2 or 4×4 versions. This drops to 1,140kg for the extended cab and 1,115kg for the double cab. The Utility has slightly better payload than its better-equipped siblings in double cab form, but we’re only talking about 25kg.

Maximum towing weight is 3,500kg for all 4×4 versions. If you choose the 4×2 single cab version, this drops to 2,500kg.

Unlike some other pickup trucks the D-Max range weighs under 2,040kg. This means extended and double cab models are able to travel at passenger car speed limits. Double cab pickup trucks that weigh more than 2,040kg are subject to goods vehicle speed limits. Heavier pickup trucks can only travel at 50mph on single carriageways with national speed limit signs, 60mph on dual carriageways and 70mph on the motorway. 

What’s the Isuzu D-Max Utility like inside?

It might be aimed at rough-and-tumble usage, but the Utility is still an accommodating place to clock up the miles. The seats and driving position are good, with plenty of adjustment for drivers of any size and shape to find a comfortable setting.

The dashboard does look like a relic of the 1990s – especially in Utility spec, which has an aftermarket radio/CD player with seemingly unfathomable controls (what’s wrong with a simple on/off button?). There are relatively few storage boxes or trays compared to some rivals, and nothing in the way of non-slip surfaces so your phone or keys are going to end up on the floor anyway…

Speaking of the floor, it’s a easy-to-clean vinyl surface rather than carpet as befits the Utility’s place on the D-Max ladder. You can get rubber floor mats as well, but don’t bother as the hooks that hold them in place are insufficient. The mats either keep coming out and sliding around, or the hooks simply break altogether which result in the mats sliding around. This seemed to only be a problem with the rubber mats, as the carpet mats on higher-spec models we also drove had enough friction to stay in place.

Cabin space in the back is reasonable in all directions, so two adults will be able travel comfortably between work sites. Three will inevitably be pushing it – it’s certainly doable, but the newbie apprentice is not going to enjoy being squashed into the middle seat.

What’s under the bonnet?

All D-Max models are powered by the same 1.9-litre diesel engine, which produces 164hp of power and 360Nm of torque. This should be adequate for most needs, although it’s less than the base engine on the Ford Ranger, for example (170hp and 400Nm).

All Utility models are available with a six-speed manual, while the extended cab and double cab versions are also available with a six-speed automatic (for an extra £1,500).

The single cab version is available in two-wheel drive (rear-wheel drive) form, only with the manual gearbox. All other versions are only available as four-wheel drive, either with or without a diff lock.

What’s the Isuzu D-Max Utility like to drive?

Regardless of which spec you choose, all 4×4 versions of the D-Max will drive in much the same fashion.

Acceleration is leisurely and you get the sluggish throttle response of most diesel engines before things suddenly perk up. The auto is a fraction slower but nothing that you’d really notice.

Stop-start driving, as you get in urban areas, is somewhat painful whenever engine revs drop to idle. Roundabouts and t-junctions require plenty of anticipation if you want to nip into gaps, as the D-Max is slow to get started again once you’ve stopped. On more flowing roads where you can keep the engine in its working range, everything is far more comfortable and the D-Max will happily cruise all day long.

The turning circle is pretty average, with lots of twirling required from the light steering. This is less likely to be a problem for off-highway usage than it is for on-road duties. Negotiating car parks and tight lanes takes a bit of work, and the Utility doesn’t have any parking sensors or cameras to assist you. Given this truck’s target audience, it’s not a great problem, but if you do a lot of work around towns and cities then you should be looking further up the D-Max range for a more suitable variant.

Unladen, the ride is pretty bouncy over speed humps and kerbs. We didn’t get the chance to drive the Utility with any significant load in the tray, but it’s likely to improve with an extra 100kg or more over the rear wheels.

Verdict

It may not be the newest truck on the block, but there is an unburstable feel to the Isuzu D-Max. These qualities are expressed at their best in the base-model Utility, which is perfectly fit for purpose. With no pretense at luxury or any attempt to juggle family duties with work duties, the D-Max Utility does exactly what it needs to.

You wouldn’t want to live with this spec as a daily driver or personal use vehicle, as the lack of any real comfort and convenience features would get frustrating. Fortunately, Isuzu has another three models in the D-Max range that sit above the Utility that will suit those needs better.

Two big votes in the D-Max’s favour – for any model in the range – are a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and a five-year/125,000-mile warranty. Both offer reassurance to business owners, albeit for entirely different reasons, that you can trust the D-Max to look after you, your employees and your business.

Similar vehicles

Ford Ranger | KGM Musso | Nissan Navara | Toyota Hilux | Volkswagen Amarok

Key specifications

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