Isuzu D-Max Utility Entry-level double-cab feels close to a premium model

ISUZU D-MAX UTILITY

Our 2021 Pick-Up of the Year has previously come over most convincingly in mid-range form; does the entry-level version continue this trend and be best of all, or is it a work truck too far?

WHEN ISUZU LAUNCHED THE CURRENT D-MAX, it did so on the back of the massive popularity its predecessor had achieved at the down-to-earth end of the market. The old D-Max never managed to mix it with the likes of the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi L200 for lifestyle appeal – but for farmers, builders and utility users, it was an absolute winner.

One goal the company’s UK importer set for the new model was to carve out a bigger share for itself at the top end of the double-cab market. But of course the D-Max also needed to watch its back in work-truck territory, where the Ranger and Toyota Hilux are forever poised to take advantage of any slip-ups.

Following the vehicle’s introduction last spring, we tested the mid-range DL20 and top-spec V-Cross models – and concluded that as before, the D-Max becomes less convincing the higher up the market you go. We’re leaving out the specialised AT35 there – it’s a story all of its own – but the corollary of that should be that the entry-level Utility model is the most convincing of the lot.

It’s certainly very authentic. It’s available in Single-Cab and Extended-Cab form but we’ve got the Double-Cab here, with the same extremely spacious second row of seats that becomes standard as you move higher up the range. These are trimmed in a stout, hard-wearing fabric and you plant your boots on rubber rather than carpeting, so this is a truck which, if you’re careful where you aim it, can be hosed out after a hard day’s work.

However it’s also a truck with what may be a surprising amount of premium kit. You get air-conditioning, cruise control and lumbar adjust as standard, as well as Bluetooth, DAB and an exceptional range of safety aids. Higher-spec models may add things like chrome, leather, alloys and a fancier media system, but we’ve long argued that a few well chosen items go 90% of the way – and the equipment on the D-Max Utility is very well chosen indeed. You could spend your life aboard one of these without ever feeling like you were missing out. This has become particularly true just recently, as Isuzu has added a locking rear diff as optional equipment on the base-spec version of the D-Max. This was previously limited to the DL20 and

Cabin is trimmed in hard-wearing materials that will live with a lifetime of hard use. Wipe-clean seats and surfaces mean you don’t need to worry about climbing aboard in muddy clothes, and rubber fl ooring allows you to hose it out. Yet it’s in no way sparse; even in Utility form, the D-Max has air-con and cruise control, as well as DAB, Bluetooth, lumbar adjust and an excellent suite of safety kit. It’s almost like being aboard a premium truck in disguise

above, which seemed odd to us as the Utility is at the very least just as likely to be used in conditions that would need one, so it’s good to see Isuzu plugging that hole in the range.

The wheels being locked together are shod with 265/60R18s, which sounds like a taller wheel and lower sidewall than we’d want, but this didn’t result in any ride issues on the road. Nor did it hinder the D-Max’s tractability in sloppy conditions, which remained excellent even on standard tyres.

If off-roading is indeed your thing, an advantage of the Utility is that it’s not equipped with the low-slung side steps that appear higher up the range. On something with such a long wheelbase, these are an accident waiting to happen, so unless you really need them for climbing aboard you’re better off without.

Something else that recently became available on the Utility is automatic transmission, however the vehicle we drove was a manual. It’s a good, precise box which gives you all the control you want in an old-fashioned, mechanical way; hill descent control is fi tted as standard, but if you know how to drive off-road you should never need to engage it for as long as you own the vehicle.

Ours didn’t have the locking rear diff, but we know from experience on other D-Maxes that this can make the difference between easing your way over an obstacle or having to hit it so hard you’re barely in control. This is particularly the case when you’re running unladen and the back springs are trying to hold up a tonne that’s not there. Nonetheless, even with the rear wheels free to spin independently of each other it’s still capable of picking its way of tight, technical ground under an impressive level of control. It’s agile, manoeuvrable and, with the manual box allowing you to decide things for yourself, extremely tractable.

On the road, too, the six-speed manual unit helps you get the best from the 1.9-litre engine’s 164bhp and 265lbf.ft. We’ve previously found the auto box in the D-Max to be prone to lengthy, hesitant shifts, however the manual has a nice mechanical accuracy to it and is very well matched to the turbo-diesel lump, whether you’re hauling it around on torque or short-shifting your way to what is a surprisingly sprightly performance around town and on fast A and B-roads alike.

It’s nicely refi ned at speed, too, though the suspension does fi dget a little on rough surfaces. It rides with good composure and body control nonetheless, though, and handles well in fast and slow corners alike.

All of this is the case for any D-Max, but in the case of the Utility it’s worth mentioning again fi rst because being manual-only (when our test vehicle was fi rst registered, at least) means you’ll get the best of the vehicle by default, and second because when you’re buying a base-spec one-tonner you don’t necessarily expect it to have the same road manners as a tarted-up range-topper.

As it is, this version of the D-Max makes an extremely strong case for itself, both as part of the range and in its own right. If you’re in the market for a lower-spec double-cab, all the options left in the market are very good ones – but the D-Max Utility certainly bears comparison with its rivals. If you’re in the market for a D-Max, meanwhile, your instinct might be to cast your eyes higher – however if you look closer to the ground, you might fi nd that the vehicle tested here is all the truck you’ll ever need.

If the sales fi gures since the D-Max was launched are anything to goby, the new model is doing a sterling job of helping Isuzu push into the lucrative lifestyle segment at the top of the pick-up market. But no way is the company taking its eye off the ball when it comes to work trucks. The Utility Double-Cab is one of those vehicles that gives you everything you do want and nothing you don’t. But most of all, what it gives you is all the ability you’re ever likely to need.