Isuzu D-Max

An all-black theme is standard in all the variants of Isuzu D-Max, with the contrast silver accents and leather bits on offer from the Standard variant onwards. In these mid-spec variants, the dashboard and door panels have contrast silver trims, which are replaced by a dark grey finish in the X-Terrain variants.

The Isuzu D-Max has a four-spoke steering wheel with a conventional instrument console housing behind it, which gets a 3.5-inch LCD MID in Low Ride and Single Cab variants, a 4.2-inch TFT MID in Standard, Auto Plus and Premium variants and a full-TFT 7-inch screen in X-Terrain variants.

The centre console has a hexagonal housing, which accommodates the infotainment system with climate control knobs and switches below it. The door panels have unique hexagonal-themed Miura design elements, while the transmission lever surroundings are finished in gloss black from the standard variant onwards.

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Spacious cabin with wide-shaped design elements

Con: Fit and finish levels in lower-spec variants

Features and Technology

Isuzu has equipped the D-Max nicely, with the equipment levels getting better with every rising variant in the lineup. The base-spec Low Ride and Single Cab variants feel spartan with features like a 3.5-inch LCD MID, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel, manual AC, a 1-DIN audio system with radio, USB and Bluetooth, two speakers and power windows.

Then comes the Standard variant, which has a few more feel-good features like a 4.2-inch TFT MID, steering-mounted audio, Bluetooth and voice command controls, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 6-speaker audio system, rear AC vents, one type-A and two type-C USB charging ports and manual driver seat height adjustment.

The Auto Plus variant further gets a larger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, push start-stop button, leather-wrapped steering wheel, an additional Type-C charging port and a wireless charger. The Premium variant gets all these features, plus two additional roof-mounted speakers, leather-wrapped steering wheel and transmission lever, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, front digital video recorder, leather seats and 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. 

The top-spec X-Terrain variant retains all the features of the Premium variant, while also getting a few exclusive features like a full-TFT 7-inch instrument console, ADAS buttons on the steering wheel, an auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, front and rear digital video recorders and a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Higher variants are nicely equipped

Con: No front ventilated seats

Boot Space and Storage

The lower-spec Low Ride and Single Cab variants of Isuzu D-Max have been designed for commercial purposes, and besides the limited features on offer, their larger decks indicate their purposefulness. The Standard, Auto Plus, Premium and X-Terrain variants have the same specifications for their similarly sized decks. All the variants of Isuzu D-Max claim a water wading capacity of 800mm, which is among the best in the pickup truck segment.

The cabin of the Isuzu D-Max has decent storage spaces, with the door pockets, front cup holders and glovebox being the common features in all the variants. The higher-spec Premium and X-Terrain variants also get rear cup holders.  

Pros and cons:

Pro: Large decks for loading, especially in Low Ride and Single Cab variants 

Con: Door pockets could have been more spacious

Besides minor tweaks in the 2024 facelift, the Isuzu D-Max has remained more or less unchanged since it arrived in 2019. The minor design tweaks and the exterior design highlights in the higher-spec variants have managed to keep the D-Max relevant despite fresher rivals stepping into the market. 

All the variants of the Isuzu D-Max get angular hexagonal-shaped headlamp housings and an aggressive-looking multi-slat grille in the middle. The headlamps are halogen units in Low Ride, Single Cab and Standard 1.9 4x4 MT variants, while all the other variants have bi-LED projectors with follow-me-home function and LED DRLs. Also, while the front grille and bumper are blacked-out in Low Ride and Single Cab variants, they are colour-coded in the rest of the lineup.

All the other variants have a four-door configuration besides the Single Cab variant, which has a two-door configuration. The D-Max gets prominent, rounded wheel arches. The Low Ride and Single Cab variants get 16-inch steel wheels, the Standard and Auto Plus variants get 17-inch alloy wheels, the Premium variant has 18-inch alloy wheels, and the X-Terrain variant has 18-inch matte dark grey alloy wheels.

The rear profile is simple and common to all the variants, with all of them having vertically aligned tail lamps, which have LED inserts in Premium and X-Terrain variants. The features available from Standard variant onwards are side steps, sports bar and cargo tray, while the tailgate assist is available from Auto Plus variant. The X-Terrain variant exclusively gets LED fog lamps, black chrome highlights for the front grille, dark grey roof rails, power-adjustable and foldable rearview mirrors, dark grey highlights for fenders and side steps and an X-Terrain welcome light.

The colour choices available for Isuzu D-Max are Splash White in Low Ride and Single Cab variants, Splash White, Mercury Silver and Onyx Black for Standard and Auto Plus variant, an additional Biarritz Blue for Auto Plus variant, and Mercury Silver, Dolomite White, Onyx Black, Namibu Orange and Kinabalu Grey for Premium and X-Terrain variants. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Muscular profile and appearance, especially in X-Terrain variants 

Cons: Alloy wheel designs look less modern

Isuzu claims a fuel efficiency of 13.88 kmpl for the 1.9-litre diesel engine-equipped variants and 12.5 kmpl for the 3.0-litre diesel engine-equipped variants. However, in real-world conditions, while the 1.9-litre diesel engine variants return 10-11 kmpl, the 3.0-litre diesel engine variants deliver 8-9 kmpl. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Decent fuel efficiency of 1.9-litre diesel engine variants

Con: 3.0-litre diesel engine variants could have been more fuel efficient

Isuzu has armed all the variants of the D-Max with the same suspension setup – independent double wishbones, coil springs & stabilisers with gas shock absorbers at the front and semi-elliptical leaf springs with gas shock absorbers at the rear. This heavy-duty suspension setup gives the Isuzu D-Max great purposefulness and versatility to match its durable set of engines. The ride quality can be bouncy at times, but over the tougher terrains, the suspension feels unbreakable. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Durable and rugged suspension over bad terrains

Con: Bouncy ride at times

There are two engine options on offer in the Isuzu D-Max lineup in the Malaysian market – a 1.9-litre four-cylinder diesel engine and a 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. The 1.9-litre diesel engine is available in all the variants, except the top-spec X-Terrain variant, and produces 150 PS of maximum power and 350 Nm of maximum torque. This engine is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox in Low Ride, Single Cab and Standard variants, and a 6-speed automatic transmission in Standard, Auto Plus and Premium variants. 

The 3.0-litre diesel engine, which is available in the Single Cab, Premium and X-Terrain variants, churns out 190 PS of maximum power and 450 Nm of maximum torque, while offered only with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Both the engines offer excellent tractability with abundant mid-range torque, but feel unrefined as the RPMs rise.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Tractability and reliability of both diesel engine choices

Con: Both engines feel noisy at higher RPMs

Apart from the comfort and convenience features it has on offer, the Isuzu D-Max is also well-specced when it comes to safety features.

The standard safety equipment list in all the variants, starting with the base-spec Low Ride and Single Cab variants, includes ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, brake override system, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, reverse parking sensors and dual front airbags.

Reverse camera, high mount stop lamp and emergency stop signal are available from Standard variant onwards, while front parking sensors and side and curtain airbags are further available in Premium and X-Terrain variants. 

The top-spec X-Terrain is the most advanced variant, with it getting ADAS functions like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, turn assist, pedal misapplication mitigation, lane departure warning, automatic high beam, blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert with rear cross traffic brake.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Covers almost all the grounds of safety with modern ADAS features in the X-Terrain variant

Con: Premium variant could also have had ADAS features

Competitor Comparison

The Isuzu D-Max exists in a heavily competitive segment of pickup trucks, with its direct rivals being Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Maxus T60, Peugeot Landtrek, JAC T9 and Mazda BT-50. 

Conclusion and Final Verdict

Like the previous first and second-generation versions, this third-generation version of the Isuzu D-Max has built a strong reputation among pickup owners with its excellent reliability and easy-to-fix nature. With the higher-spec Auto Plus, Premium and X-Terrain variants, the Isuzu D-Max has also become more premium and feature-rich in recent times, thus keeping with the changes in trends.