2018 Ford Ranger vs Isuzu D-Max

What's the difference?

In the immediate aftermath of Ford's unveiling of its high-performance ute, the Raptor, in Thailand earlier this year, social media channels and pubs everywhere fired up with charged debates over the company's choice of a 2.0-litre engine four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel engine for its new flagship high-performance ute.

Was it a shrewd forward-thinking strategic move or a misstep? The case has been argued strongly by both sides – those who still love big engines and those who see the value in smaller-capacity engines.

Well, we've just spent a day driving a final pre-production Raptor prototype in the Northern Territory and we got a pretty solid impression of it over a variety of terrain.

So, does this hard-charging bush speedster, with off-road-racing DNA live up to the hype or not? Read on.

Last year heralded a raft of significant changes in Isuzu Ute Australia’s (IUA) D-Max and MU-X line-up.

In its first-quarter 2017 launch on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Isuzu officially revealed the range’s new 3.0-litre engine, new six-speed automatic transmission, and upgraded Aussie-specific suspension – all engineered for Australian drivers and our unique driving conditions – as well as a few nifty styling improvements, including a new front-end.

Well, this year Isuzu chose the Mt Cotton driver training centre, just outside of Brisbane, as the venue to let Australian motoring journalists loose in some new D-Maxs and MU-Xs. The changes this time around aren’t anywhere near as big as they were last year but Isuzu is hoping that extra safety features as standard, styling tweaks and value-added service intervals will help to build on growing buyer interest in its ute and SUV range.