Isuzu D-MAX 4x2 SX High Ride 3.0L (2017-2020)
9 reviews
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- +8
A simple yet practical work Ute – Everything from the tray through to the cabin were as expected for this segment. There’s some movement in the plastic centre console, and some flimsy feeling plastics around the door panels. This is the base model D-MAX, so the materials used aren’t exactly going to blow your socks off, but in a car like this, that doesn’t matter. When I tested… Read more
the D-MAX SX single-cab, there was a special offer of $29,990 driveaway, which was a fair bit cheaper than the usual price of $32,200 before on-road costs, which is quite competitive in this segment. This is a strong price for a small truck in this segment, and can take the crown as one of the most powerful utes in this category. For your money, you’ll receive the same 3.0L four-cylinder diesel motor that produces 140kW of power and a torque of 450Nm, also found in the range-topping X-TERRAIN. Additionally, you’ll retain the same wading depth of 800mm that all D-MAX models possess, which is particularly impressive, seeing as many single-cab utes usually offer a reduced ride height, when compared to the more expensive versions of the same vehicle. You’ll also receive a swath of safety features with the base D-MAX, including reversing cameras, autonomous braking, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and automatic dimming high beams.
All of these features made driving this base model ute feel far more advanced than driving cars even only a few years old. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and (wired) Android Auto, which makes connectivity a lot easier than using a phone mount or relying on the native system. Combine power, safety, and tech with the body of a single-cab ute, for the price of $29,990, and you have a seriously competitive truck.
As for maintenance, as is standard, the D-MAX comes with a 6 year warranty/150,000km, 7 years roadside assistance and 7 years capped price servicing. Isuzu is transparent about what scheduled services with them will cost. As part of Isuzu’s capped price servicing, your cheapest service will cost you $299 at 75,000km while your most expensive service costs $749 at 90,000km. When tested, the empty metal tray refused to rattle and shake to produce that distinct metallic sound you hear when a tradie-spec ute bounces past. Possibly over time, you’ll get some noise emanating from the tray, but while the car is relatively new, you have no noise worries there. The speaker system in the D-MAX SX can be tinny and lack some depth of clarity, but your ears quickly adjust, and this soon becomes unnoticeable.
As a single-cab ute, this vehicle saves on weight when it's not carrying up to 1.3T in the rear tray. Braking is direct, to the point and confidence-inspiring, even though the rear brakes are drums. I could imagine under load, the D-MAX would still provide smooth and progressive braking, as these brakes felt more than capable when driven daily.
Same power, less weight. This is the same engine you’ll find in the range-topping D-MAX X-TERRAIN. That means you’ll receive 140kW and 450Nm from the same 3.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel motor. However, in the base D-MAX, a manual transmission is standard, which is an interesting inclusion. I can imagine that manual working utes are there to help cut costs, but I do think most drivers would appreciate a traditional auto instead. Driving a manual diesel means you’re shifting lower in the rev range, which can feel a little strange to those familiar with petrol motors paired with manual transmissions. When moving off the line, the 1st to 2nd gear change can feel laborious. Since you are required to change rapidly, it can make getting up to 50km/h feel slower than it actually is. 0-100km/h times are estimated to be just under 10 seconds, which is plenty of speed for a ute of this calibre. The mid-gear pulls are strong and are where you can definitely feel that range-topping torque come alive. I’m an absolute fan of this diesel motor as it drives mostly like a car, but with truck-like performance.
This single-cab has a drastically increased load carrying capacity compared to the dual-cab variant as a result of a revision of the leaf springs on the rear. The big issue with revising suspension to carry more is that when the suspension is unladen, it can feel like a bounce house across bumpy surfaces. The suspension will do a decent job at keeping the car flat through corners, it will wallow, but remain stable, which will keep items in the rear stay upright. Nevertheless, it is somewhat entertaining to bounce across speed bumps and potholes. I would definitely recommend that you buy a tray cover to secure smaller items from jumping and sliding out from the back. The rear wheels can slide out from the back when driving on slippery surfaces. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the tyres fitted on the base D-MAX as all this tohttps://youtu.be/Nifdgl4KVXIrque being sent just to the rear resulted in the slipping and sliding of the tyres.
This is a 4-cylinder diesel, so fuel efficiency is going to be lower than petrol alternatives. Efficiency is claimed to be 8L per 100km (combined), whereas I achieved around 9L per 100km around the city. The interior is basic yet rugged. You hop into the D-MAX SX and you immediately know you’re here to work and not to rest in luxury. Everything here serves a purpose, from the two grab handles on each side through to the vinyl flooring that makes cleaning dust and debris a lot easier. The dash in the base D-MAX misses out on the cubby holes found in the higher-end variants. Which means you’re left with shallow tubs, from which small items like keys and coins will just slip out from. There’s a smaller 7-inch touch screen, which needed some tweaking to adjust for appropriate brightness and contrast, as this display looked a little washed out initially. Responsiveness of the screen isn’t amazing, but it does have wireless Apple CarPlay, which was a welcome addition, as you didn’t have to pull your phone out every time you entered the cabin.
The size of this rear tray measured 2550mm in length, 1777mm in width, and just under 300mm in height. All three sides of the tray were capable of folding 180 degrees, which should help with loading larger items, like wood pallets, in and out of the D-MAX. You can tow up to 750kg with the SX, and up to 3,500kg braked, which is absolutely impressive for a two door ute.
Our test ute was fitted with an optional under-tray tool box, which could carry smaller items, and even lock them up to ensure nobody snags your valuables.
Another item under the tray that was an optional extra, was a water tank. This includes a hand pump for soap, sunscreen or even hand sanitiser. Funny addition, and quite useful if you need somewhere to store some fresh water...or whatever liquid you want to carry in this tank.
In the cabin, you can store toolboxes and backpacks behind the seats, which fold forwards to reveal interior storage. This is quite generous and accommodating for the largest of bags, and provides peace of mind for storing those extra-valuable items inside and away from the elements.
Don’t expect the D-MAX SX to replace your daily driver, if you’re buying this for personal use. Its suspension, manual transmission, rear wheel drive and limited interior storage space will drive the everyday man a little nuts. The everyday man is better off with an extended or dual cab with an auto, and 4X4 capability. If you’re a business owner needing a truck to do a lot of heavy lifting in, or working in a field where you need a reliable work-horse that doesn’t feel like a death trap, you’re looking at the right ute.
*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.
Rated as a reasonable buy after 15 months use – Model: 2021 Build. SX Space Cab 3Ltr Auto Pickup truck style. (e.g. NOT roadworks style ute with flat aluminium tray) Paid: 39K new on the road, (price included some options such as side steps, tonneau cover, 2 sets of front and rear floor mats (1 rubber / 1 carpet), and rear tray liner mat. Likes: - 3LTR Engine has enough go for my purpose -… Read more
Torque converter Auto transmission works quite fine - This model was more affordable than others and represented reasonable value for the vehicle segment - seats are comfortable, including on longer trips - the steel wheels on this model don't look as bad as on many other ute brands, and are cheap to replace if dented badly by potholes etc... - the AT tyres than come with the car are just about right for a mix of country highway travel and unmade or dirt/gravel roads (which is what I drive on). - plenty of interior cabin storage space and options
Dislikes: - audio system sound is terrible and volume takes forever to adjust up and down (can only be adjusted by buttons) - paint work is subpar and too soft or thin resulting in scratches or marks that come far too easily (e.g. on plastic bumpers) - no rear jump seats and seatbelts, unlike the previous model - media system display panel and software is absolutely terrible to use and extremely old-school (android auto is not visible as an option even though it is supposed to be) - when needing to travel unladen, suspension is absolutely bone-jarring on this model, which has the heavy duty suspension installed as standard - interior trim is pretty cheap and nasty (e.g. hard black plastics with zero silver garnishing, and vinyl flooring rather than carpet - though among other various free inclusions and discounts, I did negotiate a set of carpet mats for using when I need them) - just even a slightly dirty/dusty windscreen will result in the cruise control not functioning. - both keys are really long old-school keys on this base model that do not fold in, so stick into you in your pocket when carrying - the options on the speedometer display are lacking, and hard to read (overcrowded). E.g. display a lot of info that you don't need, but none of the basic info that you do need, such as how many KMs until your tank is empty.
Would I buy it again? - It's been fine so far, and I really can't complain. In truth though I'd probably buy a Ford Ranger base model next time, or even one model above the base level to get just a little more "bling". The Ford Ranger also looks a lot better in the new 2023? model in my view, and dealers are easier to come across in remote areas.
Pity about the manual gearbox – Fantastic Ute - tech is first rate & vehicle really does the job but why oh why with all this effort Do we have to put up with notchy sometime so difficult gearbox,??? At least in 1st/2nd/Reverse so far. Bargain price though all the same so glad i did not drive one before purchase,!! Might have ended up spending a heap more!! C'mon Isuzu.... you're almost there. Show details
Great truck apart from minor issues – Hi bought this in late 2017 to replace a Toyota Hilux I had owned for 10 years. When I first test drove it I bought it. Suited me perfectly. Only 2 issues one is important to me the other not so much. 1. The bluetooth connection to my phone is almost unusable, so I have a separate unit to make calls etc. This means I have an AUX cable to play… Read more
music from my phone but that doesn't always work. It's a PITA. 2. Turn off the radio and the road noise is quite bad. This is a minor issue for me. It's done 60ks with no issues. Great truck.
Expected a basic level – Bottom of the range ute, Space Cab 4x2 ---- 2017 model First thoughts, being the bottom of the range work ute, one cannot expect too much. Was driving it around for about a month as its my workplace/office, virtually my home away from home. The interior itself is severely lacking, no real comfortable place to rest your right arm. The blind… Read more
spots through the A-pillar's are embarrassing. Have to be extra wary at pedestrian crossings and even cyclists/motorcycles are easily obscured.
Talking on the phone using Bluetooth is beyond a joke, voice sounds robotic, even peaky, with the system picking up more road noise than your actual voice. Bluetooth has gone backwards considerably, a car 10 years old has a much better system.
Lastly the seats. Completely lacking any support whatsoever, going around a corner, you'll move around considerably in your seat.
Whoever designed these seats completely forgot about ergonomics as the lower back support is non-existent. Its a really soft lower back cushion region that sinks in considerably. You do however get a fantastic metal bar that extends across the lower back that digs into you considerably.
If you have one of these cars, sitting on a towel or having one rolled up behind your lower back will help. Other blokes at work are starting to have the similar issues (back pain).
With aftermarket seats costing thousands and Police cracking down on mobile phone use. You would be better off looking around for something more suitable unless you want a bad back or a non existent licence.
The top of the range utes have the better adjustable seats, can only assume they would be more ergonomically designed.
Mechanically speaking it doesn't seem like a bad car, you won't be outrunning any coppers but it does have enough grunt to get you through the day.
Save your money, and look around for something that will meet your needs. If you're spending a lot of time in the vehicle seriously look at the top of the range DMAX, as it has electrically adjustable seats or be prepared to spend 5K on Recaro/Stratos replacement seats.
As I thought for a bottom of the range vehicle, one doesn't get too much so there would be a few small issues here and there. But definitely not to the extent as what I've had to deal with.
Now its spending many hours stretching trying to rid myself of this back pain hopefully it goes away sooner rather than later
Car warranty – Tried to claim a fault in vehicle but have been denied due to a warranty that is formed to suit company not consumer. Treated like I was lying about cause of damage and then when i requested to talk to actual people who make warranty decisions at Isuzu was advised those that make decisions won't talk to you. Show details
Comfortable and economical – My Dmax drives like a car and is very economical even towing the caravan around Tasmania it pulls up the hills effortlessly giving me 10.9L/100km. The only dislike is the console is too small, there are 2 glove compartments which are also too small and a lack of storage space Show details
2017 Auto Trans problems – When towing 2,700 kilo caravan on level ground,(after 1100 km run in period no load), 6 speed auto either travels in 4th gear at approx 26-2800 revs, or drops into 6th to around 1600 revs. Moves between 4th and 6th gears without staying in 5th. Using manual shift, will not stay in 5th but goes into 6th which is too high for it, so changes back to… Read more
4th. Traveling on the plains using manual mode causes gearbox overheating light to come on. Service Plus Driving report gives grade of 44 out of 100, trying to put blame on driver. I chose auto over manual on advice from dealer, as auto supposed to know best gear selection. It would appear that auto gearbox not capable of supporting manufacturer's claims of ability to tow 3,500 kg. This was stated by Service Manager. Using almost twice the fuel when towing. Not Happy, Jan. Response please from Isuzu Australia.
Love the Ute, hate the service cost – Fuel economy good, seats comfortable- I can drive 4 hours to a job, get out work and drive home, crook back still OK. AC is great, window washer bottle big, lights good enough. Carries a load well, indeed better with 200-300kg in the back- suspension is truck like but one cannot have real work horse that drives like a rear coil spring show pony… Read more
(Navara is proof). My vehicle is the basic Extra cab so trim is rudimentary, radio is good, hands free is great, clear and good microphone reception even on the freeway- the phone service provider is the weak link there. Hate the fact that the car beeps when the keys are in the ignition so one cannot listen to the radio while working near the vehicle, beep bloody beep! Worst thing is the service requirement. The Warranty and Service book says one thing (3000, 10 000, 60 000, 70 000km etc), the dealer (and Isuzu) say every 10 000kms, I am told that I have to take it in for a service at 10 000 for diff oil ($ 20 per litre), 20 000 for engine oil ($ 20 per litre), 30 000 for ? "Inspected Right/ Left Turn Radius", "Shift on the Fly system gear oil"? (Actually it is a 2WD so there isn't one but they did check it at 20 000 km).
I would definitely buy another but the fact that they treat the customer like a Muppet is irritating. I called Isuzu, they were polite but said my Warranty Service Book was a misprint and I need to take it to a dealer for replacement- everything else is good. It is not. Oil is too dear, service interval too close and the number of crap things that they supposedly check is wrong. I am glad I am not a non-mechanical person- they would just get skinned and not know that they are being done like a dinner- at least I can whinge about it. I would like variable wiper and climate control but not worth the big price jump, the tyres are a hard compound and on country roads are a little skittish at speed and in particular in the wet, but seem to hang on despite feeling a little light, aqua-planing on the Hume is common but that is as much the puddles as the compound. On balance happy enough, like I said I would buy another but to get a receptive response from Isuzu Ute would be better than "computer says no!"
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