2017 Ford Ranger vs Isuzu D-Max

What's the difference?

To be honest, we're not big on 'special editions' in which the only thing special or unique about them is purely aesthetic. If the FX4 was true to Ford's US traditions and included some special equipment for improved off-road performance, then we'd probably be more excited about it. Fact is, it's just an XLT in a different costume. If that's worth an extra $3500, only you can decide.

The Isuzu D-Max may not be as flash as a Ranger or as advanced as the new HiLux, but its heavy duty new engine developed for Australian conditions, plus tried and tested underpinnings, make it a smart pick. A practical, comfortable piece of equipment.

Under that fancy dress is the same highly competent ute Australia has grown to love. That's no surprise as it was designed and developed here by a team of Aussies that manage to make a Thai-built ute look, feel and drive 'Australian' in that unique and intangible way a Falcon (RIP) or Territory (RIP) did.

Its sturdy ladder-frame chassis rides high on a relatively long 3220mm wheelbase. With an overall length of 5426mm and 1860mm width, the Ranger has an imposing size and stance tailor-made for hard work or adventure. The cargo tub floor is 1549mm long with 1139mm between the wheel arches.

Impressive off-road credentials include 237mm of ground clearance, an approach angle of 29 degrees, departure angle of 21 degrees, a 25 degree ramp-over angle and a class-benchmark wading depth of 800mm.

Isuzu says the killer whale (which has now rebranded itself as the orca) inspired the styling for the new D-Max. If you can see it, please let us know what strange plant we have to eat to see it too.

The exterior changes are all to the front end – the bonnet is smoother, the chrome-look grille is chunkier the headlights are more angular and now incorporate LED DRLs, the fog light surrounds are taller and the lower lattice grille is more prominent.

The D-Max doesn’t have the beefy and imposing all-American snout of its Ranger or Holden Colorado rivals. That said, it doesn’t have the HiLux’s goofy overbite, or, as with the Mazda BT-50, a face that looks like it’s melting. No, the D-Max’s soft, rounded nose, with headlights that extend above the grille, is more... orca-like. Although I can’t seem to find the blowhole.  

The styling is tasteful, with a good quality, hard-wearing feel.

In crew-cab form it’s a good looking thing, and despite wearing the same panels since Julia Gillard was PM it hasn’t aged. Some makers can’t help but make those rear doors look awkward, but the Isuzu’s appear properly proportioned and the muscular wheel arches look tough.

The D-Max’s dimensions differ depending on the bodystyle and range from 5020mm to 5295mm in length while height goes from 1685mm to 1855mm, and a width from 1775mm to 1860mm. All have the same wheelbase of 3095mm.

The cabin design is dating now with its large dial air-con control dominating the centre console, but the styling is tasteful, with a good quality, hard-wearing feel.

The FX4 shares the Ranger XLT's hefty 2202kg kerb weight which provides a very solid and sure-footed anchorage for heavy towing. Its GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 3200kg results in a 995kg payload and its rated to tow a maximum 3500kg of braked trailer.

However, with a GCM (gross combined mass) of 6000kg, the maximum payload has to be reduced by a substantial 700kg to legally tow a 3500kg trailer. Keep that in mind if you plan to regularly tow heavyweight stuff.

Storage options available within the FX4's smart and functional cabin include bottle holders and storage pockets in the base of both front doors, an inset storage tray in the centre dash-pad, a single glovebox and a centre console with front storage cubby, two cupholders and a lidded storage box.

Rear seat occupants get bottle holders and smaller storage pockets in the doors, plus two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest. There are also storage pockets on the rear of each front seat.

As chunky and basic as that air-con control is it’s pretty much perfect for the job; easy to use and reliable - even wearing gloves. That in a nutshell is the D-Max: easy to use. There are big door handles (also easy to use in gloves), big supportive and comfortable seats up front, and in the crew cabs we tested legroom in the second row is excellent – I can sit behind my own driving position with about 40mm of space between my knees and the seat back.

There are two cup holders in the second row and two more up front, while all doors have space for a small bottle.

Storage throughout the cabin of the LS-M and LS-U is excellent.

Those rear doors are on the small side, but open wide enough to make entry and exit easy. The LS-M crew cab isn’t as tall as the LS-U, although the drop down from both is fine and the standard sturdy side steps on the LS-U aren’t just there for decoration.

Storage throughout the cabin of the LS-M and LS-U is excellent with a top and bottom opening glove box, a deep centre console bin, there are map pockets in the seat backs and there’s tool storage under the rear flip-up seats.

Tray floor lengths range from 1552mm for the crew cab utes to 2550 for the single cab chassis. Tray depth for the utes is 465mm and the width between the wheel houses is 1105mm. The alloy tray is 1778mm wide.

The D-Max comes in 23 variations thanks to six grades, 4x2 and 4X4 drive systems, and the many different body and tray styles.

The entry point into the range is the 4X2 single cab chassis SX with a six-speed manual and it lists for $28,500 (an increase of $1000 over the previous model) and heads north to the 4X4 crew cab Ute Hi Ride LS-T for $54,200 (up $2000).

The two utes we drove - 4X2 LS-U crew cab ute with the auto transmission lists for $33,600 and the 4X4 LS-M crew cab ute lists at $46,400.

This update has brought a 7.0-inch screen as standard to all D-Maxs with a DVD and CD player, FM/AM radio, USB port, phone streaming and Bluetooth connectivity. Other standard kit on the LS-M Crew Cab includes air conditioning, power windows all around, eight speaker sound system, a second USB port in the second row, vinyl floors, LED running lights and a double-walled ute tub.

The LS-U gets that list as standard too, but sweeps the vinyl for carpet floors, and the smaller screen for an 8.0-inch display. There's also climate control, built-in sat nav, and LED taillights.

The venerable 3.2 litre in-line five-cylinder turbo-diesel is one of the great ute engines of its time. With common rail injection and variable vane turbocharger, it's an effortless heavy-duty load lugger with 147kW at 3000rpm and a generous 470Nm serving of torque from 1750-2500rpm.

The six-speed automatic transmission is also well suited to this role, with ratios and shift calibrations tailored to get the best performance from this engine. It also has a sequential manual-shift function with the ability to hold a chosen gear, which can be most handy in some situations like towing a sizeable load through hilly country.

The part-time dual-range 4x4 transmission has on-the-fly engagement and the back-up of an electronically-controlled rear diff locker, worth its weight in gold in tricky off-road conditions or when extracting a heavy boat trailer from a slimy launching ramp. The 4.17:1 first gear, low-range reduction and 3.73:1 final drive results in a hands-and knees 42.3:1 crawler gear.

Despite there being 23 million (well, 23) variants in the D-Max range there’s just one engine - and luckily it’s a beauty. It’s new, and it’s the biggest change brought about by this update.

The previous engine was a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and so is this latest one, but it’s different – it’s Euro5 compliant, it makes more torque, but there’s even more to it than that. This one hasn’t just been taken off a shelf and stuffed in the engine bay - it’s been specifically developed for Australian conditions.

Isuzu supplied D-Maxs with the new engine to typical users such as the Queensland police, NRMA, tradies, caravan-pulling grey nomads and four-wheel drive enthusiasts. For two years Isuzu collected the engine data, listened to the drivers’ feedback and built an engine based on that information.

The previous engine suffered from a lack of torque at lower revs. This has been addressed with the new engine.

The pistons, fuel injectors and fuel supply pump were redesigned; a new VGS turbo was fitted along with a larger exhaust gas recirculation cooler and a new bypass valve for it; new ceramic glow plugs and an intelligent battery sensor were installed, and there is now diesel particulate diffuser with automatic regeneration.

Peak power is the same as the previous engine at 130kW. Torque is up by 50Nm to 430Nm. The previous engine suffered from a lack of torque at lower revs. This has been addressed with the new engine and now 380Nm of torque is available 100rpm lower at 1700rpm and extends to 3500rpm – 700rpm more than before.

A six-speed manual and six-speed auto replace the five-cog units in the previous D-Max.

Ford claims a combined figure of 8.7L/100km and the dashboard display was showing 10.0L/100km at the end of our test. That reading was remarkably accurate given our 'real world' numbers, based on actual trip meter and fuel bowser readings, came in at 10.3L/100km.

Based on those consumption figures and its 80-litre tank, expect a driving range of around 780km.

Isuzu says you should see an average combined fuel figure of 7.8L/100km using the manual gearbox in the 4x4 LS-M crew cab ute. Ours was a bit thirstier. After 300-odd kays of highways, urban streets, off-road excursions and country roads our trip metre was telling us our 4x4 crew cab ute had been drinking at an average of 10.0L/100km. We should mention our ute had less than 1000km on the clock and we weren’t trying to be especially frugal.

One of the Ranger's strengths has always been its effortless load-lugging ability. For our test we loaded 830kg into the FX4's cargo tub which with a full tank of diesel and a 92kg driver was a payload of 922kg, or about 70kg short of the maximum. Under this weight the nose rose 12mm and the rear leaf springs compressed 63mm, resulting in a near level ride height due to the long rear wheel travel.

The 3.2-litre engine and six-speed auto made such light work of this load-hauling requirement it was easy to forget it was even there at times, the big five-cylinder loping along at barely 2000rpm at 110km/h. On long highway gradients where we'd expect it to kick down to fifth, it held on to top gear with the revs dropping as low as 1600rpm but still pulling like a train.

It also conquered our set climb with ease, holding fourth gear at 1800rpm up a long winding 13 per cent gradient at the posted 60km/h speed limit. Engine braking on the way down was just as impressive, using the sequential manual shift mode.

With second gear selected the FX4 confidently restrained its big payload all the way down, with the engine spinning as high as 3800rpm on over-run to maintain the 60km/h speed limit without once needing to brush the brakes. Such powerful engine braking under near-maximum payload is unmatched in this segment and one of the Ranger's greatest attributes.

Ride quality and sure-footed handling are excellent, particularly under heavy loads. The Ranger maintains its composure over a variety of sealed and unsealed roads, with responsive variable rate steering and reassuringly strong braking. These attributes combine with a refined sprung-to-unsprung weight balance that inspires confidence at all times.

At highway speeds its minimal tyre and engine noise creates a comfortable cabin environment that allows conversations to take place at normal levels, with the only minor wind noise coming from the large door mirrors. Overall, given its primary role as a load hauler, the Ranger's dynamics are hard to fault.

Sixth gear, on a highway at 100km/h in the 4x4 LS-M crew cab and the engine was snoring along at 1600rpm. At 1700rpm it wakes up with 380Nm on tap right where and when you need it for overtaking. The same goes for the other end of the speedo, when we were wriggling through soft sand and had to stay in second and keep the momentum going, but as the revs disappeared the torque stayed to pull us through steadily. Having all that torque arrive lower in the rev band, even though it’s only 100rpm lower, makes a difference.

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) improvements have been made with the addition of insulation to the firewall and front wheel arches to reduce road and engine noise. You’ll still know you’re driving a diesel as that clatter under a bit of acceleration is still there, but those who are used to diesels will consider it fairly quiet.

Our time in the 4X2 LS-U crew cab ute was spent only on the black top – but that was a good opportunity to get a feel for the new six-speed lock-up torque converter transmission. Frankly it’s excellent. It’s a high torque capacity unit developed by Toyota and transmission specialist Aisin. It has an adaptive learning function that will adjust its shift map according to the driving conditions. I was particularly impressed by the way it shifted down almost instinctively as we approached corners, as I would with a manual.

The brand trades on its tough commercial machinery reputation and the D-Max benefits from this know-how.

The update also added a descent control function to all D-Maxs and we had a chance to test it out. The 4x4 LS-M crew cab ute was used in the off-road section of the launch and while the terrain wasn't too challenging, it provided a good show-and-tell on the ute’s 225mm ground clearance and 22.4 degree ramp-over angle.

The hill descent control worked well – there’s no need to adjust the speed using the cruise control as with some other vehicles, you just set it with the accelerator pedal and pull it back with the brake if you need to. There are very decent approach and departure angles of 30 degrees and 22.7 degrees, respectively, too.

Steering is quick at 3.8 turns lock-to-lock, although the turning circle is large at 12.6m. The wheel is tilt adjustable, but annoyingly can’t be moved for reach.

Isuzu is the only ute maker in Australia that also makes trucks. The brand trades on its tough commercial machinery reputation and the D-Max benefits from this know-how.

The chassis is a full-length heavy duty truck chassis with seven cross members on the low-ride utes and six on the high ride variants.

The on-road ride in the 4x4 and 4x2 utes was excellent for a ladder frame chassis vehicle that was totally empty. Both have independent coil springs and gas shocks, with upper and lower wishbones and a stabiliser bar up front. In the rear both have leaf springs and gas shocks.

Brakes felt good and both utes tested pulled up well with 300mm discs at the front and 295mm drums on the rear.

Our LS-M 4x4 ran on 16-inch wheels with 245/70 R16 all terrain tyres while the 4x2 LS-U wore 17-inch rims with 255/65 17 highway terrain rubber.

The new displays save the cabin from looking ancient. Both the 7.0- and 8.0-inch displays are good, although hard to see at times in strong sunlight. The navigation system in the 4x2 was particularly good – easy to use when we lost our way at one point – I blame my co-driver.

There were no towing components on the launch but the D-Max has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg for all but the two low ride variants.

All D-Max utes made after November 2016 have the maximum five-star ANCAP rating. While there’s traction and stability control, and hill hold, these features are becoming the minimum level in new vehicle safety. Other brands are bringing in advanced safety equipment like AEB, and considering the kays these ute can travel it would be good to see Isuzu bring in this tech, too.

What is surprising is the lack of reversing camera on all variants except the LS-U and LS-M. The camera can be optioned but it should be standard given more and more of these vehicles are being used as family cars.

Talking of which, there are three top tether points for child seats across the rear row on all variants apart from the single and space cabs.

Ford Australia offers a three year/100,000km warranty, with an optional extension available for an extra three years/200,000km, whichever comes first.

Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km with capped price servicing costs ranging from $400 to $640.

If the vehicle is serviced at participating Ford dealers, 24/7 roadside assistance is available for up to seven years/105,000km.

The D-Max is covered by a five-year/130,000km warranty. There’s also five years road side assistance and five-year/50,000km capped price servicing. Servicing is recommended at 12-month/10,000km intervals. Prices are capped at $200 for the first visit, $400 for the second, $260 for the third, $590 for the next and $50 for the 60,000km service - yup $50.