2023 Isuzu D-Max review
THE reigning Drive Car of the Year Best Dual-Cab Ute gets an update for the 2023 model year. But is the 2023 Isuzu D-Max still the best of the bunch?
What do you do when it comes time to update an already solid product? It's a tricky conundrum faced by the 2023 Isuzu D-Max, so the Japanese carmaker has opted to issue small tweaks in place of radical change.
It rejoins the popular dual-cab ute segment that welcomed an all-new Ford Ranger in 2022. With the tweaks to one of our Drive Car of the Year Best Dual-Cab Ute favourites, 2023 is shaping up as an interesting year for dual-cab ute competition.
How much space does the Isuzu
D-Max have inside?
You'll have to look hard, but there are differences inside the 2023 D-Max's cabin. Trainspotters will notice a new seating pattern with a tweaked stitching array on the upholstery, while the red stitching remains to signify an X-Terrain model grade. The seats don't change in terms of shape, still with broad shoulder support and a plush seat base ideal for longer journeys. There's a comfy amount of space for driver and passenger in the front row, plus more than enough storage room for odds and ends.
As before there's a dash-top stowaway cubby, cupholders in the centre console (and slide-out items in front of the air vents), door pockets for bottles, and a dual-open glovebox.
Back seat passengers continue to get a good amount of space, even for taller passengers, with decent head- and legroom. New for 2023 is an extra USB-A port inside the SX dual-cab grade, just above the pre-existing air vents.
Does the Isuzu D-Max have
Apple CarPlay?
Isuzu fits either a 7.0- or 9.0-inch infotainment screen depending on which model grade D-Max you pick. Both run the same software that presents a little more aftermarket than we'd like to see, but the functionality is simple and there are prominent shortcuts to skip between menus.
It's very simple to connect up wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (albeit with a wire) for a more familiar look and layout.
A small screen is prominent within the instrument cluster, showing a digital speed readout, fuel infor- mation, water temperature, tyre pressures, and so on. It'd be great to see appbased integration in the future to quickly see key information about the vehicle.
Is the Isuzu D-Max a safe car?
Isuzu first scored a full five-star ANCAP safety rating with the current-generation D-Max in 2020. This new 2023 facelift scores the same after ANCAP refreshed its ratings in September 2022. It achieved an adult occupant protection score of 86 percent, a child occupant protection score of 89 percent, and a vulnerable road user score of 69 percent.
What safety technology does the
Isuzu D-Max have?
There's a host
includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blindspot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and lane-keep assist. The D-Max also gets eight airbags.
New for 2023 is the provision for the rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring systems to turn themselves off if a genuine Isuzu towing harness is plugged in.
How much does the Isuzu D-Max cost to
maintain? Given Isuzu brings a trickle of new equipment with the same pricing structure as its predecessor, the 2023 D-Max doesn't sound all too bad in the value stakes. At a time where plenty of its rivals are hiking the prices on their respective model lines, it's great to see Isuzu holding strong, and even offering strong drive-away discounts in the case of some variants.
Comparing the mid-to-high-spec $61,000 before on-road costs LS-U model grade (with 4x4, tub, and a 3.0-litre engine) against its rough equivalent Toyota HiLux SR5, which begins at $61,930 plus on-road costs, the Isuzu sneaks in under the best-selling rival on price.
Isuzu offers a six-year/150,000km warranty on its vehicles. Service intervals take place at every 15,000km interval or every 12 months, whichever occurs sooner.
Isuzu also provides seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped-price servicing. Based on the 3.0-litre variants, three years of servicing costs $1545 and five years costs $2435. The Isuzu D-Max LS-U will cost $1880.66 to insure per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Is the Isuzu D-Max fuel
efficient?
Isuzu claims the 3.0-litre automatic-spec D-Max uses 8.0L/100km on a combined cycle and 9.8L/100km around town. While we didn't get a fuel recording out of our launch drive, past experience tells us that you can expect to see fuel use around 8.7L/100km in a combined setting. ◆