2021 Isuzu D-Max vs 2022

What's the difference?

The D-Max is much better than it’s ever been. In the realm of space cab ute variants, which are traditionally engineered for job-site duties with few concessions to comfort and safety, the D-Max has moved the whole market forward a great deal – if it’s not the king of these work utes, it’s pretty bloody close.

Even in space-cab form, this is a nice-driving utility and as a daily vehicle of choice, it’s not an unpleasant option. It’s still a purpose-built work vehicle, sure, and in space-cab guise it is comfortably so, but it’s so good in most other respects that it effectively shrugs off any job-site shackles and offers a formidable proposition as a work-and-play all-rounder for perhaps a couple and their dogs.

The Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain is an awesome ute that combines true practicality and versatility for growing families. It still has most creature comforts but the powerful turbo-diesel engine has the grunt to satisfy those still needing a workhorse that also moonlights as the family car. 

I would have liked a more sophisticated multimedia system but I had a lot of fun in this and the simplicity had its merits, too. I understand why this is such a popular ute and I give it a 9.5/10.

My son didn't want to give this one back and loved the big brutish size of it, he gave it an 10/10.

Plenty, if you get your jollies out of utes. And, admit, it, there are a fair few of us out there.

But let’s stick to the essentials.

This D-Max has the new-generation ‘double vampire fangs’ front end, which is a bit of a ‘like it or don’t like it’ kind of proposition. 

But it’s the rear on this D-Max that’s most interesting. Because rather than a tub/pick-up style back end, this D-Max has a heavy-duty alloy tray, which costs $2567 (RRP, including fitting). This tray is one of five available, including economy, general purpose, heavy duty (steel), and mine specification (steel).

This heavy duty tray has a built-in rear-window guard/protector and a top rail on the tray headboard that has a claimed 150kg load rating.

The cabin is, in keeping with the entry-entry-level SX mode, on the basic side of ‘basic’, lending itself appropriately to the rough and tumble of everyday life, including work and play.

The updated X-Terrain hasn't seen a massive change in design, however, there are little things that make it look more purposeful than previous models.

The detailing on the new black 18-inch alloy wheels is sharper and more defined. The extra black accents and crisp angles in the body panels manage to create some ruggedness, too.

The interior is the major drawcard. The seats are plush with their black leather-accented trim and contrasting red stitching. The stitching is carried across the dashboard and doors, as well, for added oomph.

The black headliner will hide little fingerprints but it also creates a Batcave-like ambience inside the cabin. There are some lovely soft touch points throughout but they are mixed with harder plastics.

Unfortunately, the sun visors are a bit too flimsy/plasticky looking for my liking but it doesn't detract too much.

The dash looks great with the 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen integrating well with the massive air-vents and sleek controls. The piano-black shiny inserts also elevate the interior.

It looks good but everything is also where you expect it to be.

The SX cabin is a space well suited to work. It’s basic but without being spartan; it’s comfortable without being plush.

The flooring is vinyl, the seat trim is cloth, and there’s an abundance of hard plastics. All of that’s fine with me, but you may have a problem with the paucity of modern comforts and conveniences.

The 7.0-inch display is quite a bit smaller than the 9.0-inch unit that’s in some more expensive variants. It looks a bit odd, with such a thick border of ‘screen nothing’ around it, and it’s also fiddly to operate on the move.

Controls elsewhere are easy enough to use – temperature, fan direction and speed are all big dials – but there are a few dummy buttons around, just to rub in the fact that you’re not driving a higher-spec D-Max, as if you care.

In terms of storage there is a shallow tray in front of the shifter, cupholders between driver and front-seat passenger, a centre console, and pop-out cupholders under the outboard air vents.

There is a USB port and a 12V socket.

The rear wing doors allow for easy enough access – to throw in gear etc – and the rear bench has shallow storage spaces underneath.

The cabin is quite roomy and all passengers enjoy good legroom and headroom but passengers sitting behind a taller driver may not agree.

The storage is great for a ute with multiple cubbies up front, deep drink holders in the middle console and doors, plus retractable cupholders in the dashboard (a personal fav).

The rear seat isn't forgotten, either. With map pockets, drink bottle holders in each door and two cupholders in the arm rest – there are plenty of spots to tuck things away in.

The back seat is a 40/60 split fold, in case you need a larger space for gear (think pot plants, etc), which you don't often see in a ute.

The tray is large and fairly accessible, too.

This model will cost you $67,438, before on-road costs, but that's a competitive price, considering the market.

It also has some good features, like synthetic leather seats, heated front seats, electric driver's seat with lumbar support, 4WD capability, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus built-in satellite navigation.

Our model featured an optional tow bar tongue kit ($215.05), 12-pin plug ($393.25), an electronic brake controller ($896.05) and rubber floor mats ($208.67) – which are all worth considering for the true adventuring family.

The official combined fuel cycle is 8.0L/100km and I achieved 7.8L, which I thought was impressive given what's under the hood.

I did do some heavy open road driving this week, so I would expect it to be higher in an urban setting.

The D-Max comes with Isuzu's standard six-year/150,000km warranty, whichever comes first, as well as, roadside assistance for up to seven years.

There is a seven-year capped-price servicing plan and services average $527, which is competitive for this class.

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

It’s actually pretty decent for an extra cab/space cab ute. Traditionally, these utes, in which the tray size is the priority over cabin space, have offered very average overall ride and handling, because they’ve simply not been set up to exhibit those characteristics. In the past, these utes have been engineered to handle large payloads comfortably, not to actually be comfortable.

Well, that’s changed quite dramatically with this latest revised D-Max line-up. The new dual-cab variants offer quite car-like on-road manners, and while the space cab has certainly improved over previous iterations, it’s not quite at car-like levels of driving assurance yet. But that’s the nature of the load-focussed beast, because it is on load-carrying leaf springs at the rear afterall.

There’s a fair bit of in-cabin noise, mostly diesel engine clatter, and the unladen space-cab D-Max yields a jittery ride, skipping around merrily as this ute traverses surfaces with even slight imperfections. 

But, as always, if you expect stable, composed ride and handling in an unladen ute that’s mostly a tray, then you ought to take a long hard look at yourself.

In most other aspects, this D-Max is right up there with the best in this realm, and you certainly can’t fault it in terms of what it offers in pure drivability, functionality and safety tech.

The X-Terrain has two options available and the model I've been testing has the larger 3.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine and the grunt is fantastic.

You'll get to where you need to go. It's a real cruiser around town and handles corners well. The steering is direct and the six-speed auto transmission is surprisingly smooth.

The ride comfort is a highlight as the suspension just absorbs the bumps of the road but it can feel floaty in high winds.

It definitely handles like a much smaller car, which is wonderful when you're navigating tighter city streets. The only time you notice how heavy it is, is on hills. I had to put my foot to the floor to keep my speed consistent but I soon got used to it.

The four-wheel drive drivetrain offers further flexibility for families who need it and I love the quick reference guide that's on the sun visor.

It's very easy to figure out the different configurations (especially if it's been a while since you've used it!).

The cabin is super quiet considering the grumbly engine and it makes for a more refined driving experience.

The reversing camera feed fills the screen but the image isn't as clear as I was hoping for. I also prefer dynamic guidelines on a car of this size, but honestly, I had no issue in parking this. I had to get it into a tiny car park this week and there was only one 'will I make it?' moment.

The safety features list is pretty extensive in the D-Max with blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping aids, auto emergency braking and forward collision warning being standard.

You also get trailer sway control, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert (which I always like to have), to name a few.

Front and rear proximity sensors plus the reversing camera make light work of parking, but you also see more airbags than you usually see in a ute, eight, to be exact.

The D-Max has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2022 – so it's nice and fresh.

There are ISOFIX mounts and top tethers in the second row for the outboard seats, meaning you'll only be getting two child seats in there.

This does limit flexibility for some families but the ease of child seat installation deserves a big mention. The top tether anchor point is located at the top of the middle seat; meaning there's no awkward juggling between holding a child seat, pushing the rear seat forward and trying to hook the tether on, etc.

It also makes it super simple if you need to remove just one child seat, because you don't have to unclip both seats. Perfect for families who do shared care and swap child seats between cars.