The 2024 Isuzu D-Max range of configurations is currently priced from $29,490.
Carsguide Deputy News Editor Tom White had this to say at the time: It’s a tough test for two tough utes, which are more evenly matched than we first expected. It’s clear both also make great alternatives to the HiLux or Ranger.
You can read the full review here.
The 2024 Isuzu D-Max carries a braked towing capacity of up to 3500 Kg, but check to ensure this applies to the configuration you're considering.
The Isuzu D-Max is also known as Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet D-Max, Chevrolet LUV D-Max, Holden Colorado, Holden Rodeo, Isuzu KB, Isuzu LB, Isuzu Rodeo, Chevrolet T Series, GMC Canyon in markets outside Australia.
The Isuzu D-Max 2024 prices range from $28,820 for the basic trim level Single Cab Sx (4X2) High-Ride to $76,120 for the top of the range Dual Cab Blade.
The 2024 Isuzu D-Max is available in six trim levels, including a new-for-2024 X-Rider grade.
The entry-level SX gets a vinyl floor, cloth seats, powered windows and mirrors, and air-conditioning with rear vents. Tech is handled by a new 8.0-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, pairing with four speakers, while an also-new 4.2-inch screen sits in the driver’s binnacle. You also get 17-inch steel wheels, and automatic wipers and halogen headlights.
Stepping up to LS-M trim gets you new and softer rear suspension, a higher-grade cloth interior treatment, bi-LED headlights and DRLs, 17-inch alloy wheels and body-coloured mirrors, door handles and tailgate handle. If you can spring for this trim, it feels like the sweet spot of the lower-range models.
Next there’s the new X-Rider which was once was a special edition but now rejoins as a permanent member of the family. It’s all about upping the street credibility, so there’s black gloss on the grille and a black underbody spoiler, as well as black on the rear step bar, the mirrors, door handles and tailgate handle, the B-Pillars, the sports bar and on the soft tonneau cover. There are also black 17-inch alloy wheels, and dark grey sidesteps.
Next up is the LS-U, which ups the cabin tech with a new 9.0-inch central screen, but with tactile dials for volume — fixing what was apparently a big complaint about the outgoing D-Max – as well as a new 7.0-inch Driver Display. There’s also keyless entry and push-button start, including a new welcome light that illuminates the interior when you approach, dual-zone climate control and a nicer interior treatment. Outside, there’s a tub liner, silver sidesteps, chrome on the handles and mirrors and 18-inch alloys.
The LS-U+ then adds leather seats which are heated in the front, and are eight-way power-adjustable for the driver, and four-way power-adjustable for the front passenger.
Finally, the flagship X-Terrain gets red stitching across its leather interior, remote engine start, a rolling tonneau cover, a unique sport bar, dark grey sidesteps, mirrors, handles and roof rails, and 18-inch matte-grey alloys wheels.
Any time you have a grinding noise from the driveline of a car, it’s time to have it checked out. That’s because continuing to drive it in that condition might cause more damage than was already there. Grinding sounds from the area of the transmission can indicate worn bearings in the gearbox which, if caught early enough can sometimes be replaced without resorting to a complete transmission replacement. Even so, it will be a big job as the gearbox will need to be removed and pulled apart.
You may also find while you’re inside the transmission that there’s other wear that needs to be addressed, at which point the decision becomes whether to repair or replace. You can buy a reconditioned transmission from a specialist shop, or a second-hand one from what was once called a wrecking yard. If you do the latter, make sure the used gearbox has been tested and comes with some sort of warranty. The cost of a replacement could be anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 depending on what you buy and where you buy it from.
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Any time a diesel engine produces black smoke, it’s doing so because too much fuel is entering the engine. The danger then is that the engine will start to run hot and that can cause all sorts of meltdowns. But combined with a knocking noise, black smoke can also signal serious internal engine damage.
The best advice is to not drive it any farther and get a diesel specialist to look at it. Diesel engines often make a knocking noise as a normal part of their operation, but if this noise has changed, then something’s wrong.
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There’s a bit to unpack here. The first is that the D-Max is rated to safely tow 3.5 tonnes, so it’s not as if you constantly have the vehicle overloaded in terms of what it’s towing.
But if you also have the tray full of gear as well as 2.3 tonnes of caravan on the hitch, you might find that you’ve been inadvertently running overloaded for most of the time. It happens more than you think. At which point, the Pedders specialist is right; you need a suspension upgrade.
Even then, however, you still need to stay within the manufacturer’s maximum GCM (Gross Combination Mass) and the GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) to stay legal. You can sometimes officially upgrade the GVM with a suspension upgrade that’s been properly engineered, tested and approved (which Pedders is a specialist in) but the GCM is generally not able to be upgraded according to the law in each state and territory.
But none of this explains why a vehicle designed to two 3.5 tonnes is wearing out its rear springs with 2.3 tonnes hitched up. Is the tow-ball down-weight within the legal limit (usually 10 per cent of the weight of the towed load)? Incorrect loading in this manner could affect the springs. Perhaps a fully-loaded visit to an accredited weighbridge might net more answers.
However, if it’s a simple case of the springs wearing out prematurely, then it’s possibly Isuzu’s problem to fix under warranty. Perhaps there was a bad batch of springs fitted at the factory that is affecting your vehicle and others built at the same time. Stranger things have happened.
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The new 2024 Isuzu D-MAX is offered in nine colours, with optional pearl, metallic and mica paints charged at an extra $695. They include Mineral White, Basalt Black mica, Mercury Silver metallic, Obsidian Grey metallic, Neptune Blue mica, Magnetic Red mica (LS-U, LS-U+, X-Terrain and X-Rider), Granite Grey mica (LS-U, LS-U+, X-Terrain and X-Rider), Moonstone White pearl (LS-U, LS-U+, and X-Terrain), Sunstone Orange metallic (New X-Terrain exclusive)
Inside, the brand describes the 2024 Isuzu D-Max cabin as a mix of utility and comfort, and that’s feels pretty accurate from the driver’s seat.
The tech is new, with the 8.0- or 9.0-inch central screen joined by USB connection points, and there’s a new Digital Driver Display screen in the mix, along with new seat materials and trims, too.
But back to that that mix of utility and comfort. I’m not sure Isuzu has gotten the mix exactly right. There are plenty of soft-touch materials in the higher-trim levels, just not always where I want them to be.
I don’t know about you, but I like to have my elbow up when driving, and that plastic is still scratchy and hard, as is the place where my knee touches the centre console.
The 2024 Isuzu D-Max’s powertrains remain unchanged, with the four-cylinder choice of a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel good for 110kW and 350Nm, or a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel producing 140kW and 450Nm. They are paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, and two- or four-wheel drive, depending on the model.
The 2024 Isuzu D-Max dual-cab is the kind of five-seat ute that makes it clear why these vehicles now double as family haulers. There's space aplenty in both rows, even if you want to have three adult-sized humans in the rear.
Isuzu reckons you’ll see around 8.0L/100km on the combined cycle in the 2024 Isuzu D-Max with the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, with fuel use dropping to 6.9L/100km with the 1.9-litre unit fitted.
The 76-litre tank is the same for both engines, meaning a theoretical range of 950km or 1100km.
There is no official 0-100k/h time for the 2024 Isuzu D-Max, but we'd estimate it to be around 10 seconds.
It's less boot space and more payload in the new 2024 Isuzu D-Max, and you can expect that figure to be 1045kg in dual-cab models.