Isuzu D-Max review

Prices start from £28,755, but with the Arctic Trucks version an official part of the range and available through Isuzu dealers, the diesel D-Max now tops out at over £58,000. 

Mind you, that’s still cheaper the electric D-Max, which starts from £59,995 in fairly upmarket eDL40 trim. It peaks at £62,495 in eV-Cross trim. Yikes. But it does qualify for the plug-in vehicle grant, saving you £5k straight off the bat.

However, with double cab pickups now treated as cars rather than commercial vehicles for Benefit-in-Kind tax, you’ll need to pay four per cent this financial year and five per cent in 2027/28. That compares to 37 per cent for the diesel D-Max…

And to give you some more perspective, it's still cheaper than the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster...

What’s the difference between trims?

The model range is structured into three segments: Business, All-Purpose and Adventure. Within Business you’ll find the Utility trim, offered in a choice of 4x2 or 4x4 and in three different cab types: single, extended and double cab. Features include vinyl flooring and cool as ever steel wheels, plus hard-wearing black bumpers, door mirrors and door handles. The workhorse, in other words.

Post 2023 facelift you do now get a touchscreen infotainment system in there though, plus a reversing camera, a ‘rough terrain mode’ on four-wheel drive versions and upgraded driver assist systems. Prices start at £28,755.

The All-Purpose range previously consisted of just the DL20 and DL40 versions, with ‘DL’ signifying that the rear diff-lock comes as standard, and the ‘20’ and ‘40’ demonstrating the model hierarchy. Now though, the V-Cross has also shifted into here, with ‘Adventure’ presumably being saved for the AT35.

The DL20 starts at £33,795 and can be had in extended cab or double cab forms, with the former featuring fold-down seats that can either accommodate passengers or offer additional indoor storage. The double cab adds proper rear seats with ISOFIX points, but gets a smaller load bed as a result. The DL20 trim adds 18in alloy wheels, body coloured front and rear bumpers, heated front seats, slightly more fancy cloth trim and a couple of extra speakers.

The £37,505 DL40 is double cab only in diesel guise, extended (£59,995) or double cab (£60,995) in EV guise, and gets LED lights, a chrome grille, silver side steps and two-tone wheels. Because two tones are better than one, apparently. You also get keyless entry, leather upholstery, and USB-C ports in the front and rear.

As mentioned, the best-seller is apparently the V-Cross, which gets dark grey 18in alloy wheels and the same colour trim on the grille, mirrors and door handles. There’s also that larger infotainment screen, even more speakers to improve the audio experience (or to drown out the engine noise) and a choice of eight different exterior colours. Prices start at £39,395 for the diesel, £62,495 for the EV (this one is double cab only).

The Arctic Trucks AT35 kicks off at £58,095 and is a pretty specialist bit of kit with its widened body, fancy Bilstein suspension and huge all-terrain tyres, including guides for the correct pressures built into the massive wheelarches. Very cool.

Which one should I chose?

If you're a private buyer, it’s hard to look beyond the diesel D-Max. As a company car, the EV is slightly more tempting, but only if you’re a business trying to meet net-zero targets and staying very, very local in the process.

Beyond that, commercial buyers needn’t look further than the rough and ready Utility trim, which will be more than a match for everyday working life. Families? If your budget can stretch that far you’ll appreciate the extra luxuries offered in the V-Cross, that is if you’re considering a pickup to replace that aging small crossover. Looking to climb a mountain or reach the North Pole? You’ll be wanting the Arctic Trucks treatment.

It's probably also worth noting here that the D-Max secured an impressive five-star Euro NCAP rating. That’s thanks to the standard active safety systems like lane departure warning and prevention, traffic sign recognition and an intelligent speed limiter. There’s also an Autonomous Emergency Braking system that Isuzu helpfully demonstrated to us with the help of a polystyrene cut out. All of this helps sell the D-Max to fleet buyers, who should save on insurance claims with fewer accidents.

There's a 125,000 mile/five-year warranty on both the diesel and EV, too.