2023 Isuzu D-Max

Standard equipment on the D-Max SX includes:

D-Max SX key features:

• 17-inch steel wheels 
• 255/65R17 Dunlop AT25 tyres
• Rear diff lock (4x4s)
• Tailgate assist (gas struts for assistance) (NEW)
• Automatic wipers
• Halogen headlights with auto high beam control
• Redesigned grille in two-tone black (NEW)
• Vinyl floor
• Cloth seat upholstery
• Manual air-conditioning with rear vents
• 7.0-inch infotainment display 
• Reversing camera 
• Voice recognition
• DAB+ radio
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wired Android Auto
• Four speakers
• 2 x  USB ports (NEW)

D-Max LS-M adds:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic Bi-LED headlights 
• LED daytime running lights 
• LED fog lights with dark grey metallic trims (NEW)
• Rear parking sensors 
• Body coloured mirrors, door handles and tailgate handle
• Redesigned grille in two-tone black and grey (NEW)
• Redesigned high-grade cloth trim upholstery (NEW)

D-Max LS-U adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels (NEW)
• 265/60 R18 Bridgestone 684II HT tyres (NEW)
• Tyre pressure monitoring system (NEW)
• Tow bar receiver
• Tub liner 
• Side steps
• Chrome door handles and tailgate handle
• Chrome heated door mirrors (NEW)
• LED rear combination lights trimmed in dark grey metallic (NEW)
• Redesigned grille in two-tone chrome (NEW)
• Proximity ‘smart’ key fob
• Walk-away auto door locking fob
• Piano black, silver and chrome interior trim accents
• 9.0-inch infotainment display 
• Satellite-navigation Android Auto
• 8-speaker sound system 
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Vanity mirrors for driver and passenger
• Carpet flooring
• Powered lumbar support for the driver’s seat
• Leather-trimmed gear knob
• Soft-touch door trims and central armrest lid

D-Max LS-U+ adds:

• Leather-accented seats with black stitching (NEW)
• Heated front seats
• 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat

D-Max X-Terrain adds: 

• 18-inch alloy wheels in dark grey (NEW)
• 265/60 R18 Bridgestone 684II HT tyres (NEW)
• Front parking sensors
• Remote engine start 
• Matt black roller tonneau cover
• Aero sports bar in dark grey metallic (NEW)
• Front and rear underbody spoilers in dark grey metallic
• Dark grey metallic accents
  • Sidesteps
  • Mirrors
  • Door and tailgate handles
  • Roof rails
  • Sports bar
  • Fender flares (NEW)
• Redesigned grille in two-tone dark grey (NEW)
• Leather-accented seats with red stitching (NEW)
• Red Stitching on steering wheel, interior trims and gear knob
• Blacked-out instrument cluster with X-Terrain insignia
• ‘X’ badging on tailgate and instrument cluster
• Red and black interior accents
• Vanity mirror lights

The 2023 D-Max range will be offered in eight colours. All except Mineral White come at a $500 premium.

• Mineral White
• Basalt Black mica
• Neptune Blue mica (new)
• Mercury Silver metallic
• Obsidian Grey mica
• Granite Grey metallic (new, X-Terrain only)
• Moonstone White pearl (new; LS-U, LS-U+ and X-Terrain only)
• Magnetic Red mica (LS-U, LS-U+, X-Terrain)
• Volcanic Amber metallic (X-Terrain only)

• Mineral White
• Basalt Black mica
• Cobalt Blue mica
• Mercury Silver metallic
• Obsidian Grey metallic
• Marble White pearl (LS-U, LS-U+, X-Terrain)
• Magnetic Red mica (LS-U, LS-U+, X-Terrain)
• Volcanic Amber metallic (X-Terrain)

The D-Max is backed by a six-year, 150,000km warranty, and comes with seven years of roadside assist.

Maintenance for the D-Max is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

The first seven years of servicing will cost you a combined $3513 in 3.0-litre models and $3223 in 1.9-litre models.

The 2023 Isuzu D-Max is offered with a choice of two turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines: a 1.9-litre with 110kW of power and 350Nm of torque, and a 3.0-litre with 140kW and 450Nm.

Both are mated with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission and either rear- or four-wheel drive.

Four-wheel drive models feature switchable 2H, 4H, and 4L options plus a standard locking rear differential.

With the 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, the D-Max is torquey and tractable. It pairs wonderfully with the six-speed auto, which ably keeps it in its torque band and shifts smoothly.

There’s also a lack of turbo lag, while peak torque comes on tap at just 1600rpm and sticks around until 2600rpm.

There’s the typically gruff diesel ute soundtrack under acceleration, but at cruising speeds it’s pleasant. Wind and road noise are kept largely in check, even at highway speeds.

The electrically-assisted steering is pleasantly light and car-like without feeling vague. It’s a boon in tighter urban confines, and the D-Max feels more manoeuvrable than rivals with hydraulic set-ups. The steering also feels secure even as speeds increase.

The D-Max’s ride quality is among the best in the segment, with the usual ladder-frame ute jiggles kept to a minimum even with an empty tub. Those jiggles are further quelled when you put even a small load back there.

At high speeds on unsealed roads, the D-Max has a comfortable, sure-footed ride, even with an empty tub.

The blind-spot monitoring works well and is absolutely welcome, particularly in a segment where this feature remains rare.

The lane-keep assist isn’t too obtrusive, while the adaptive cruise control also performs admirably. You can also adjust the sensitivity of some of these systems, including the forward collision warning.

What’s most impressive about the D-Max is that the steering, ride quality and noise levels don’t get noticeably worse as your speeds get higher, meaning this is a comfortable highway cruiser.

Overall, the capable powertrain, light steering and mostly well-behaved ride makes this one of the better utes to drive.

There are a range of genuine accessories you can option on the D-Max including a bull bar, snorkel, electronic brake controller, and wireless phone charger among others.

The D-Max is backed by a six-year, 150,000km warranty, and comes with seven years of roadside assist.

The D-Max competes in the hotly-contested 4x2 and 4x4 ute classes in Australia, going head-to-head with the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, and Nissan Navara. It also takes on the mechanically identical Mazda BT-50.

In 2021, Isuzu sold 6478 4x2 D-Max models and 18,639 4x4 D-Max models.

As the second top-selling 4x2 ute, the D-Max was only outsold by the 4x2 versions of the HiLux (13,214 sales). It beat out the 4x2 versions of the Ford Ranger (4293 sales) and Mazda BT-50 (2876).

It was the third top-selling 4x4 ute, outsold by the 4x4 versions of the Ford Ranger (45,986 sales) and Toyota HiLux (39,587 sales).

Combining these two figures together, the D-Max (25,117 sales) was outsold by the HiLux (52,801 ) and the Ford Ranger (50,279 ).

The D-Max remains one of the best workhorses in its class, and deserves its newfound popularity across the market, even if those price hikes strike me as cheeky at best.

That said, once there are plenty of V6 diesel, full-time-AWD-toting Rangers hitting the road this year with their oversized portrait touchscreens, the D-Max might feel in need of a larger-scale facelift before long.

For the first two D-Max generations, Isuzu and General Motors jointly developed utes together.

You'll most likely remember the Holden Rodeo and Holden Colorado which shared the same underpinnings as the first- and second-generation D-Max models, respectively.