Isuzu D-Max 2022 review: X-Terrain

How does it look?

It looks… like a big, tough ute. Large with square angles. And look, aesthetically while it doesn’t appeal to me, I don’t think it’s meant to.

It’s meant to look tough! Like it could take you on outside the pub if it needed to! And take you across a river! Or up a gravelly hillside. That’s the vibe I’m getting here.

The inside is decent enough. There are leather accented seats and a leather steering wheel, with a pebble covered dash that certainly lifts things.

It’s not by any means luxe but it looks easy to clean when you climb back in after a muddy camping trip, which you’ll no doubt take in this car. 

It does have some metallic accents throughout the cabin and some high gloss points, too. 

What’s the tech like?

You’ll get a 9.0-inch multimedia display with sat-nav, corded Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, which is pretty great for this category, along with an eight-speaker sound system - it’s not an amazing system but it is good. 

How easy is it to use every day?

For storage in the cabin there are two cupholders in the front, a spot for keys and a phone, an extra storage spot on top of the dash that looks like it will hold an iPad or a log book. There are bottle holders in each door and a centre storage bin. 

Opening the tray of the ute is easy enough, it’s got a lockable cover that easily slides over.

Pulling the cover back isn’t as easy, and also loading the tray - you may have to get in depending on how tall you are. 

Also, things like school bags and grocery bags will slide around in the tray as it’s so large. You’ll need to get some straps to tie them down or something else to hold them in place.

Annoying for everyday? If you’re a parent, without an actual need for a tradies ute, then yes, it will be annoying. Basically it’s a bit of extra work every time you pop something in the boot.

Does the space make up for it? Well that’s up to you and your lifestyle and how often you need a giant tray space. If you use it all the time then it’s worth it. If you don’t, then it’s not. 

How spacious is it?

Rear passengers also have a good amount of space and my kids, aged seven and nine, happily used the side step to climb up and in. They also had plenty of room in the back seat, I can fit back here comfortably at 161cm (5'3") and taller adults/teenagers won’t struggle with legroom or headroom. 

You’ll find a pair of ISOFIX child seat anchor points and two top-tether loops to feed straps through to a centre attachment tether for baby seats.

Now, instead of the boot, you get a giant tray, which is great for deliveries, when you’ve got loads of boxes you want to transport around. And of course for tradies who have to carry tools for their job.

For a mum doing the school run who doesn’t have a business that needs a lot of delivery space, it’s not as convenient as a regular boot. 

How does it drive?

The most surprising thing I found about the D Max X-Terrain is that I actually enjoyed driving it. 

I love being so high up off the road, I love having all the power of a 3.0L engine (though can’t wait 'til there are hybrid/electric utes!).

It doesn’t even sound too loud for a diesel, and of course there’s the quiet confidence that comes with having a proper 4WD. 

The turning circle isn’t as huge as I thought it was going to be - it’s not awkward to drive and the steering wheel is light and easy, so parking wasn’t even an issue for me this week. I squeezed into spaces I didn’t think this car would fit in.

There’s also a decent reverse parking camera. And the best bit about driving a ute? Nobody seems to mind where you park it. I could have been doing important road work after all!

How safe is it?

Safety is comprehensive with all the new advanced safey like auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert and lane departure prevention, which is actually quite strong.  

There are eight airbags through the cabin and you’ll get two ISOFIX points and two top tether points for kids car seats. 

The D-Max scored a maximum five ANCAP stars when it was tested in 2020.

How much does it cost to own?

The Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain costs $63,900, before on-road costs, but there’s a deal on at time of writing offering it drive-away for under $60K. 

The official combined fuel figure is 8.0L/100km, and that’s diesel. I averaged 10.4L/100km for the week, which consisted of mainly city driving, with some highways thrown in. There is no electric or hybrid version on offer. 

It’s covered by Isuzu Ute’s six year/150,000km warranty with 13 months roadside assistance provided. Service your D-Max with a participating Isuzu Ute dealer and that roadside cover will be extended up to a maximum seven years.

Servicing is required every 12 months/15,000 km, and a seven-year capped price servicing program is offered, averaging just over $480 per annual service.

Verdict