KGM Musso Xlv vs Isuzu D-Max

What's the difference?

What new 4x4 dual-cab ute can you buy for $50K these days? Well, if you want to stick with the major players, $50K will only get you into base-model workhorses like the Ford Ranger XL 2.0L auto ($50,880), Toyota HiLux Workmate 2.4L auto ($50,420) or Isuzu D-Max SX ($50,700). And that's list pricing before on-road costs.

However, if you’re prepared to try something different, the same money can let you drive away in the top-shelf model of KGM SsangYong’s MY25 Musso range, which is a 4x4 dual-cab ute that's bursting with luxurious standard equipment.

We recently spent a week behind the wheel to determine if its comparative bargain pricing does not come at the expense of quality or performance.

There’s a fairly big change hiding under the metal of one of Australia’s favourite utes. The Isuzu D-Max has a new 2.2-litre engine, replacing the 1.9-litre unit, and it brings a couple of other things with it.

A bigger engine designed to be more powerful and more efficient can only be a good thing, surely, especially with Isuzu looking down the barrel of stringent emissions laws with only two models in the line-up, both diesel powered.

But is this new 2.2-litre engine any good? Isuzu’s gone to the trouble of a new gearbox and some new tech to go with it, so we check it out to see if it stacks up against the increasingly strong competition.