Test of the Isuzu D-Max Double Cabin: the charm of the pick up of always

Until 2002, Isuzu also produced passenger cars, but mostly only under license from English marques, then through cooperation with General Motors and its former Opel and Vauxhall brands. And we can’t forget its cheap and appetizing pick-up, the Isuzu D-Max, which today we tested its brand new third generation.

design and interior

The Isuzu D-Max’s construction is decidedly rustic: steel cross-member frame and bolt-on cab and cargo bed, plus a chassis with a rigid rear axle on leaf springs. This is how most cars drove about 90 years ago, when roads outside cities were even rougher than some dirt roads today.

In the rear seats, passengers have no reason to complain. The D-Max with a double cab convinces with the correct angle of the seat and backrest, so that adults can withstand several hundred kilometers in the rear.

On the other hand, if you just need room for extra passengers in an emergency, you can order the two-door model called Space Cab with emergency rear seats instead of the crew cab.

Of course, although they are legal because they have belts, they are torture for adults on routes of more than ten minutes. But in return you gain about a foot of space in the cargo area. As is typical for pickups, the wheelbase and overall length are always the same for the different body versions, only the ratio between the length of the cab and the length of the loading platform varies.

In the crew cab version we tested, there was a good 1.50m of interior length left on the bed, though not really enough to carry a full-size motorcycle or scooter. Solution: Leave the platform hatch, which rotates downwards, open so that it is horizontal to the rear and has a half meter wide loading area. Driving this way is allowed because it does not obstruct the view of taillights or the license plate.

Motor

The third generation of the D-Max carries the unusually small 1.9-liter turbo diesel. This aroused skepticism at first, because after all, this 163 hp block has to be used to move a pick-up that already weighs 2,185 kilograms empty, which can carry a whopping 915 kilos and couple another 3.5 tons.

But it worked surprisingly well with the predecessor with the same engine. And it doesn’t feel any different with the new D-Max.

Behavior

Isuzu knows how to inflate small diesel engines with turbocharger pressure to make them appear much larger. The new D-Max is no exception. After only a small start-up delay, things go well, and up to a speed of 150 km/h, a bigger engine is hardly missed. From then on, the D-Max just slowly picks up the pace, hard and loud.

Because the automatic converter has to stay in the fifth of six gears to get the ultimate performance from the engine through higher speeds. It reaches 180 degrees, accompanied by a brutal sound show with the addition of the noise of the wind in the bodywork to the roar of the engine.

On the other hand, if you drive relaxed, the background noise is still bearable. However, the Isuzu diesel is never quiet, especially after a cold start, when he lures the neighbors out of their sleep without even moving.

But that has a long tradition in Isuzu diesels, as has economy. And since the D-Max more than meets expectations. The test consumption of 9.2 litres/100 km is on average around a liter below that of well-known competitors from the pick-up scene.

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Even when driving fast with a high rate of maximum acceleration, consumption barely exceeds 12 litres/100 km. And whoever is particularly careful with the accelerator pedal will get our savings of 7.2 l/100 km. Combined with the 76-litre diesel tank, the range is impressive, averaging 800 kilometres.

The Isuzu’s chassis requires a fairly active driver. The moderate braking is typical of pick ups. But the Japanese drives around the corners without any problem once you get used to the indirect steering, as long as you don’t push it too hard, and you’re protected by a very efficient and alert ESP.

You also have to get used to the huge turning radius of about 13 meters. This makes the D-Max, along with the whopping 5.27m exterior length, a city parking lot torture. No, the natural habitat of such a car is the countryside, finally there is enough space here, although the turning radius and the outer length are also a hindrance on narrow forest roads.

Otherwise, the D-Max is really well equipped for off-road use with 225 millimeters of ground clearance, rigid all-wheel drive and 100% effective manual rear-axle lockout.

There’s also a gearbox, which increases power by a factor of 2.5, eliminating the fear of the little engine running out of air on steep inclines. Unfounded, because even on steep sections that require real courage on the part of the driver, or in deep sandy soils that drain power, the Isuzu resolves as long as the tires can still muster a bit of traction.