The Isuzu D-Max has always been a rather polarising option. Owners swear that it is God's greatest invention, others won't even give it a second look. One thing that's never in doubt is that it is a capable and tough workorse. In fact, in the time we had it, it pulled up a surprise or two up its sleeve when asked to sing for its supper. So, what's good and what's not? Pros and cons time? Yes, yes it is.
Equipped with a 1.9-litre RZ4E-TC engine, you'd be forgiven if you thought that the performance of the Isuzu D-Max was underwhelming. After all, having 150 PS and 350 Nm sounds pretty unimpressive in an era where trucks are expected to come armed with 200 PS and 500 Nm.
We're happy to report that this is resoundingly not the case. Paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission that does its job unobtrusively, the little engine pulls smoothly, is willing and happy to get you up to speed. What's more, it sounds quiet and restrained for a diesel engine. Don't believe us? Watch it drag race against more powerful opponents. As you can see, the D-Max hangs on to the Hilux which has 54 PS and 150 Nm more. Impressive indeed.
Pros - Economical to run
One of the obvious benefits of running a 1.9-litre engine is you pay much less road tax per year. When compared to a Toyota Hilux 2.8 Rogue, the difference in road tax rates translates to about RM 850 in favour of the D-Max. That's 5 full tanks worth of fuel for the D-Max (it has a 76 litre fuel tank), and we're talking about Euro 5 quality diesel.
Speaking of diesel, the RZ4E-TC powerplant is known to drink very little of that stuff compared to its larger-engined counterparts. On our internal tests, it returned 8.0l/100km, in a 1.9 tonne truck. That's miles better than any rival can muster. The Mitsubishi Triton VGT Adventure X manages only 10.5l/100km. That is a very commendable achievement.
Pros - Robust and tough off road
The D-Max exudes this indestructible aura about it, inside and out. Of course, there is much substance to back it up. The exterior looks like it's up for a scrap anytime, and is one of those vehicles that looks even better with some 'battle scars'. The interior is brimmed with hard-wearing surfaces that will take years and years of abuse, however you beat on it.
Take if off-road, and the robust theme continues. It'll happily jostle around in muddy conditions, punishing surfaces and unpaved terrain till it runs out of fuel (which.... will take a considerable amount of time). Water-wading, ascending and descending steep hills, dealing with ruts and rocks, the Isuzu D-Max takes on all comers.
Cons - Exterior looks unexciting
It's safe to say that the Isuzu D-Max will not win any beauty contest. That's not to say that it's ugly, far from it. But if you are buying a truck to get noticed and have an imposing road presence, well.... this might not cut it. Any angle you look at the D-Max, it looks utilitarian. This is definitely not one to turn heads.
What's with the huge stickers?!
To cap it off, there are the rather gaudy stickers on the sides and rear. They just serve to make the Isuzu D-Max look like an advertisement for 'Bluepower'. I'd peel those off if I had one. Having said that, this exterior design has been around since 2016 - with a nip here and a tuck there -, the 2021 D-Max cannot arrive soon enough.
Cons - Cabin is..... also unexciting, spartan
The utilitarian theme extends to the inside of the D-Max as well. It's all good being robust and hard-wearing, but it feels like the interior designer of the cabin had a heavy lunch and fell asleep on the job afterwards. Not much to fault on the general ergonomics, but the layout looks very messy and haphazard.
The silver trim that runs the span of the front center stack also feels out of place in the D-Max. What was the purpose of the silver colour? I'll stop short of calling it depressing, but flair is definitely something that the D-Max lacks when it comes to interior design.
Cons - Agricultural on-road manners
Seems churlish to knock the Isuzu D-Max for its on-road manners, because it's undeniably not a road-biased truck. However, most rivals do strike a better balance in that aspect. The Hilux and Triton combine impeccable on-road manners with pretty strong off-road abilities.
It's not just the handling that is below average, the D-Max has a pretty stiff ride. A 30-minute jaunt is all you need before you've had enough and ask to get out of the car. The Isuzu D-Max is definitely not on for long, balik kampung trips, preferring camping trips and off-road expeditions.
Conclusion
Say what you want about the Isuzu D-Max, there is a certain charm to it. It is unapologetically utilitarian, and one tough cookie. If I had to pick a car to survive a theoretical zombie apocalypse, I'd pick the D-Max in a heartbeat. My spine probably won't like it, but hey, at least I'm not dead.
Jason's foremost passion is all things automotive, where he spent his formative working years as a Product Planner and Trainer. An Advanced Driving Instructor by training and an all-round enthusiast, Jason loves going into intricate details about driving dynamics. Will drive anything with 4 wheels and a steering.
