2017 Isuzu D-Max vs Toyota HiLux

What's the difference?

Richard Berry road tests and reviews the updated Isuzu D-Max, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch in Queensland.

Australia loves its utes. We’re not just saying that either, you know in the same way you’d say Australia loves its pavlova or a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos, or sliding down a piece of wet plastic in the backyard on a hot day (although that’s true, too).

No, it is more official than that because Australians bought 42,104 examples of Toyota's HiLux in 2016, more than any other four-wheeled vehicle. It even beat the Corolla, and the popularity of the ute was further reinforced by the Ford Ranger in third place.

Isuzu’s D-Max ute was further back with 16,359 sold, which sounds piddling but it’s more than the total number of new BMWs and Volvos bought last year, and to put that in a bigger context Australia is the second largest D-Max market in the world.

That surely gives the Isuzu Ute Australia people a bit of clout when they visit head office in Japan and it appears they’ve used that leverage in the new D-Max which has just landed.

Now, when we say new, it is the same generation ute as the one which launched in 2012, but this is the first major update to the D-Max since then. All very simple – some restyling to the front, a better media system in the cabin, a different transmission and manual gearbox, but most importantly – a new diesel engine.

So what does that all mean? How does it change the way it drives? Have they hiked up the price? Oh, and can you see how its look is supposed to resemble a killer whale?

We were able to drive two different variants of the D-Max ute at its recent launch: the 4X2 LS-U crew cab ute with the manual gearbox and the 4X4 LS-M crew cab ute with the auto transmission.

We all know the Toyota HiLux 4x4 is one tough truck, and the new generation GD follows the trend. We also know it can carry quite a load in the rear tray, but what is it like when it needs to drag something behind it?

With a healthy tow rating of 3.5 tonnes for manual-equipped 4x4s (up by a tonne on the previous generation HiLux), which covers all but the very largest caravans, horse floats, and boats, the HiLux is rated to haul a large load and do it easily.

In case you're wondering, the auto is rated to 3200kg.

We decided to strap a more typically sized load to the back of an SR5 dual cab, consisting of a light car on a dual axle trailer. Tested over two days, we also recorded actual weights and fuel figures of the rig. Is the Toyota as tough as its maker likes to think it is? Well, let's see.