Isuzu D-Max vs Mahindra XUV3XO

What's the difference?

The new engine makes the D-Max a much more likeable ute than it already was, which is high praise.

It’s smoother and quieter and makes for a more pleasant drive. The added efficiency is a bonus both for your wallet and Isuzu’s emissions credits.

The 3.0-litre engine will probably remain the favourite, but anyone who test drives a 2.2L might even be tempted to opt for the smaller unit. Isuzu sure hopes so.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The fact this is Australia’s cheapest SUV is a massive feat for the Indian brand. It also has so much standard kit so this is even more surprising.

In many ways the XUV 3XO is better to drive than its rivals. The three-cylinder turbo engine has plenty of charm and moves this car along with ease, the car feels confident and composed out on the open road, and there aren’t any bings and bongs from intrusive safety systems.

However, things aren’t perfect. I wish the steering column offered reach adjustment, the steering feel wasn’t so inconsistent and the lane-keep assist wasn’t so hands-on.

If you can overlook these quibbles, this tiny Mahindra is an outstanding value buy if you’re considering a first new car.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The look of the D-Max depends on the grade you end up with, but the 2.2-litre SX and X-Rider variants down the lower end of the model-run are still pretty standard-looking utes. Inside and out.

You get fairly rugged styling that fits in for both work and play, and the interior is functional, if getting a little outdated. 

The black trim (and extra features) that comes with the LSM X-Rider as opposed to the SX is worth it if you’re keen to get a 2.2-litre-powered D-Max for the family rather than one for a fleet as it just elevates things slightly.

Inside, it also means nicer cloth, and not having the vinyl flooring looks a little less ‘farm ute’.

From outside it’s surprising just how small this SUV is. At just under four metres long, the XUV 3XO is shorter than a Mazda2, for example.

The reason for this is because in India there are tax breaks for vehicles under four metres long. The Ford EcoSport, sans the tailgate-mounted spare wheel, was another SUV that met this requirement.

As a result of being so short, this has made the rear overhang virtually non-existent. It’s a strange look, especially because the bonnet is so much longer.

Even though the XUV 3XO is based on the KGM Tivoli (formerly SsangYong Tivoli), which was briefly sold in Australia, you’d be hard-pressed to find visual similarities. The former looks more modern from the outside and has more visual interest with the chunky wheel-arch cladding and diamond motifs.

At the front it’s hard to not see the face of a sad panda. The LED headlights are big and plunge down the front fascia, giving it a droopy and sleepy appearance. It’s not helped by the thick black bar connecting them.

Around the side the diamond-cut alloy wheels are a nice touch, along with the contrast black-painted roof on this AX7L tester.

The rear end is a little on the flat side, though the badging is tasteful. I’m not a fan of the full-width LED light bar, however, as it’s an overdone design cue now.

Inside I appreciate the mix of both old-school and new-school. There are dual 10.25-inch screens ahead of the driver for the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system, as well as plenty of physical buttons and knobs for shortcuts and the climate controls.

For such an affordable car I’m surprised how many soft-touch finishes there are in this car. In the AX7L you get an extended use of synthetic leather on the door cards and dashboard, which helps make for a pseudo-premium look and feel.

However, one of my biggest gripes with the XUV 3XO interior is the amount of glossy piano black. It’s on the dashboard, centre console, door cards and even the steering wheel.

This may look cool and slick when you pick the car up from the dealer, but it shows up dust quickly and then gets scratched when you try to wipe it clean. Our tester had fewer than 1000km on the odometer and the centre console was already scratched to the wazoo.

The D-Max remains straight-forward inside, given nothing has changed with the update aside from the 2.2-litre engine and the addition of stop-start - there’s a button for that now.

The interior and usability of the D-Max, especially in the lower-end variants where the 2.2L engine is available, is focused on the basics.

Tech remains at a relative entry point, where the 8.0-inch screen and its software feel outdated but do everything you need. Plus of course there’s the phone mirroring workaround.

The D-Max is comfortable and spacious enough, there’s also physical buttons for everything including media and climate settings, and adjustability in terms of the seating position means not needing to reach.

In dual-cab versions, there’s enough space for an adult to sit in the second row behind another adult, so the D-Max also holds its own as a family hauler. Tick.

Importantly, Isuzu is now able to claim a 3500kg braked towing capacity across the full D-Max range thanks to the new 2.2-litre engine.

Given this SUV is tiny, I’m blown away at how much interior space it has.

Up front both the seats are manually adjustable, which is to be expected at this price point. Despite this, they’re still comfortable and offer an elevated driving position which is something SUV buyers seek.

In front of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which feels nice in the hand. While it offers tilt adjustment, it disappointingly doesn’t have reach adjustment. This is frustrating if you’ve got long legs and short arms, like myself.

The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster has an overall dark and minimal look, but you can cycle through a range of informative views. There’s even one that allows you to display a full-width map.

Moving across, the 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system appears to be snappy enough. I’ve experienced fewer glitches in this car than in previous Mahindras I’ve driven.

I like the physical shortcut buttons underneath the touchscreen because it allows you to jump around to key sub-menus a lot easier.

As standard there’s both wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. With my iPhone 15 Pro Max the connection was flawless and only dropped out during known interference points.

This AX7L spec comes with a seven-speaker Harman Kardon sound system which gets this tiny car booming. The subwoofer in the boot is so powerful it almost feels like overkill.

In terms of storage up front there are two cupholders, big door pockets with two bottle holders, a centre armrest and a cooled glovebox. There’s also a USB-A port, 65W USB-C port and a wireless charger.

Moving to the second row there’s a decent amount of space for adults to sit behind adults. You could easily fit two adults along the rear bench, though pushing it to three would get a little too squishy.

Second-row amenities include rear air vents, a USB-C port with a phone slot, as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

At the back there’s a manual tailgate, which is to be expected at this price point, but finding the trigger to open it is a little tricky. It’s a small button that’s hidden away.

Once the tailgate is open, the amount of boot space on offer is generous. Mahindra claims there’s 364 litres with the rear seats upright.

While the loading lip is high, the boot area is deep and wide. Unfortunately there’s no cargo cover available as standard, which means you’ll need to be careful what you boot back there.

Under the boot floor there’s a space-saver spare wheel, which is fantastic peace of mind if you travel long distances away from tyre repair shops.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO is currently Australia’s cheapest SUV.

There’s a caveat, however, because this is thanks to an introductory pricing offer that ends on August 31.

Currently though, the XUV 3XO line-up starts at $23,490 drive-away for the AX5L and extends to $26,490 drive-away for the AX7L, as tested here.

After August 31 the drive-away asking price of both of these XUV 3XO variants is set to go up by $500. This will see it share the title of Australia’s cheapest SUV with the Chery Tiggo 4.

Despite the affordable asking price, Mahindra has packed a lot of standard kit. This includes 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, electric park brake with auto-hold, keyless entry and push-button start, leather steering wheel and gear selector and black cloth upholstery.

For an extra $3000 in the AX7L you get a black-painted contrast roof, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, panoramic glass sunroof, seven-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, 65W USB-C charger, cooled glovebox, black synthetic leather upholstery, and synthetic leather on dashboard and door trims.

The new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder comes with 120kW and 400Nm, that’s 10kW and 50Nm more than before. Isuzu also says there’s 60 per cent more torque ready from near-idle at 1000rpm.

An eight-speed auto replaces the six-speed, but the brand has also culled the manual options that remained in the line-up.

As ever, that sends power and torque to a part-time 4WD system capable of 2H, 4H and 4L with a rear diff-lock.

All variants are powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 82kW of power and 200Nm of torque.

This is mated to an Aisin-sourced six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with drive sent to the front wheels only.

The biggest advantage for the new drivetrain from Isuzu’s perspective is that it’s more fuel efficient.

The old engine’s 6.9 litres per 100km become 6.6L/100km in the new engine, in part thanks to a new stop-start system. That system is also now on the 3.0-litre engine, where 8.0L per 100km drops to 7.1L.

With its 76L diesel tank capacity, the D-Max should theoretically be able to travel more than 1000km on a single fill, although that comes down to a lot of variables - that 6.6L figure was achieved in almost lab-like conditions.

Mahindra claims the XUV 3XO has a combined urban/extra-urban fuel consumption of 6.5L/100km.

During my testing, however, I achieved a real-world fuel consumption figure closer to 6.2L/100km, which is better than the claim.

All XUV 3XOs have a 42L fuel tank that Mahindra claims can take 91 RON regular unleaded petrol, but 95 RON premium unleaded petrol is recommended.

With my as-tested fuel consumption this means the theoretical driving range from a full tank of petrol is around 675km.

Let’s start with the most important part of the updated D-Max. The new 2.2L is smooth. 

It feels so much more refined physically, but it's also quieter. Paired with the new eight speed, it makes the D-Max a much more likeable ute than it was with the rattly 1.9L.

At the launch, Isuzu had a bunch of MU-Xs to drive (keep an eye on a review coming soon), and the new drivetrain actually suits that big family SUV down to a tee.

The power and efficiency changes are second to how much it changes the characteristics of the thing.

If anything, the D-Max sits in a slightly higher gear than necessary, probably to try and eke as much out of the diesel dual-cab as possible in terms of fuel efficiency, but put your foot down and a more appropriate gear is close-by, and without much fuss.

There's also a relatively good stop-start system. It's not seamless but it's better than some. You take your foot off the brake and the engine rattles back to life, rather than waiting for you to put your foot back down.

The rest of the D-Max’s behaviour is pretty standard ute stuff, as it was before.

The steering is on the light side, but accurate enough even though it has a slightly doughy spot dead-straight. It’s not anything you wouldn’t expect from a ute.

Similarly, the brakes are a bit spongy but predictable, and once you’re used to where the ‘bite’ point is it’s easy to live with.

The suspension is a bit busy, but easy to keep on top of and doesn’t jostle you around. 

Behind the wheel, the Mahindra XUV 3XO feels refreshingly old-school.

The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine does seem like it would be underpowered, but in practice it’s completely adequate. Peak torque comes on tap from 1500rpm so it doesn’t have to work too hard at all.

It’s fun hearing the noise the three-banger makes when under the boil. You don’t hear it much though because the revs are typically kept down low to minimise fuel consumption.

The key reason why this car feels old-school is the six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. It’s nice to not drive an affordable everyday car that doesn’t have a continuously variable transmission (CVT) or dual-clutch automatic transmission as these can suck the life out of a car or be jerky.

The gear shifts in the Mahindra are sometimes docile, but are smooth and measured. It just operates like a regular car that doesn’t require you to rewire your brain to drive.

There are three drive modes to choose from. They’re hilariously called ‘Zip’, ‘Zap’ and ‘Zoom’. These correspond to Eco, Normal and Sport, respectively.

While I did eventually get used to driving in the ‘Zap’ mode, it felt a little snoozy at points, taking a beat or two to get the car accelerating with traffic. You can sidestep this with ‘Zoom’ which feels much more lively. If you activate cruise control or restart the car, though, it defaults back to ‘Zap’.

The XUV 3XO makes the most sense in the city where you’re able to use its tiny exterior dimensions to navigate tight urban carparks and narrow laneways with ease.

It almost became a challenge for myself to find the smallest parking spot I could slot this car into. As standard on this AX7L there are front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera system.

Where this car is let down, however, is the steering feel. It’s incredibly light at low speeds and then as the speed builds it gets very heavy. So much so it feels like I’m getting an arm workout.

Unlike some of its rivals, there is still a semblance of feel through the steering wheel, but this drastic change from light to heavy steering weight is too stark. Somewhere in the middle would be nice please.

Something Mahindra is very good at is developing a comfortable suspension tune and this car is no different. It can tackle pimply urban road imperfections and speed bumps with no problems whatsoever.

Out on the open road this car surprised me. It feels like a much larger car than it actually is and doesn’t get blown around in the lane like small cars can.

The three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine remains confident at higher speeds, though if you frequently travel up hills the fuel consumption will skyrocket. There’s also a bit of road noise, which is to be expected when a car is this small.

For the most part the suspension does a fantastic job at rounding out road imperfections, but bigger bumps or potholes can unsettle the car. It’s not helped by the larger 17-inch alloy wheels.

Out in the twisties this tiny SUV is fairly agile. It’s not the sportiest thing out there by a vast degree, but it remains planted and solid even when pushed into harder corners.

Lastly, another point that makes this car feel old-school is the lack of obtrusive bings and bongs from the safety systems.

Sure the parking sensors can be a little over-the-top and the traffic sign recognition takes over the entire digital instrument cluster when it picks up a new speed limit, but having no driver attention monitor and intelligent speed limit assist is refreshing.

It’s not all perfect however as the lane-keep assist is too hands on for my liking. It activates from 60km/h and is quite overt in how it directs the car through bends.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP just yet.

It was, however, tested by India’s less stringent Bharat NCAP testing authority in 2024 and received a five-star rating.

Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Stepping up to the AX7L gets you a surround-view camera, blind-spot view camera, and front parking sensors.

Notably absent from the entire range is rear cross-traffic alert, as well as a traditional blind-spot monitor that alerts you when a car is in your blind-spot.

There are two ISOFIX points on the two outboard rear seats, as well as three top-tether child seat anchorages across the rear bench.

Isuzu’s six-year/150,000km warranty covers the D-Max, which could do without the limited distance, especially for a workhorse.

There’s also five years of flat-rate servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, costing $469 each time.

That’s gone up about $20 per visit since the update, with total cost over the five years at $2345.

There are 164 Isuzu dealers across the country, so finding somewhere to service shouldn’t be a challenge.

Like other current Mahindra models, the XUV 3XO is covered by a seven-year, 150,000km warranty with seven years of roadside assistance.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, though the first service is required after 12 months or 10,000km.

The first seven services are capped-price and total $1994. This averages out to $284.85 per service.