The What Van? Road Test: Isuzu D-Max

Date: Monday, April 24, 2023

Cab Copy

Interior and equipment

DL40 is not short of goodies with a roll call that includes heated front seats and climate control which can be altered to suit the individual requirements of the driver and front passenger.

The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable for height, reach and rake, as is its lumbar support.

A 7in multi-function touchscreen dominates the centre of the dashboard although many of the functions are controlled by two rows of buttons underneath. You use them to raise or lower the radio’s volume, switch the climate control on and off, change the temperature and alter the ventilation system’s fan speed among other tasks.

While they are slightly too small, their clarity of purpose is preferable to having to hunt around a touchscreen for ages when all you want to do is turn the fan down a notch.

A DAB radio with remote controls on the height and reach adjustable leather-trimmed steering wheel and Bluetooth connectivity are included in the deal along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors make it easier to manoeuvre a somewhat bulky vehicle. A USB port sits next to the gearshift while a 12V power socket is mounted on the dashboard.

All four doors boast electric windows, and the exterior mirrors are heated and electrically-adjustable. Press a switch on the driver’s door, and they fold inwards.

In-cab storage facilities include a bin in each of the doors with a moulding for a bottle of water, a lockable glovebox and a lidded compartment on top of the fascia.

Also provided are a lidded bin between the front seats accompanied by a pair of cup-holders and a shelf just ahead of the gearshift lever. Look up, and you will find a compartment for your sunglasses just above the windscreen.

The glovebox in our demonstrator was occupied by one of the biggest, thickest owner manuals we’ve ever seen. Will anybody ever read it?

Turning to the rear seating accommodation, legroom for the two outermost passengers is acceptable, but restricted if you happen to be squatting on the central perch. All three seats come with lap-and-diagonal belts and adjustable headrests, and if the middle seat is unoccupied then the centre section of the back can be folded down and turned into an armrest with a couple of cup-holders.

A USB port and air vents are mounted in the rear of the console between the two front seats for the benefit of people sitting in the back, along with a hook on the rear of the front passenger seat so they have somewhere to hang their Friday night takeaway.

Turning to the safety standards referenced earlier, DL40 comes with Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, Intelligent Speed Limiter, Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking. and Traffic Sign Recognition. The last-named feature tells you what the speed limit is on the road you are driving down and flashes a warning if it is being broken.

Present too are Emergency Lane-Keeping, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Misapplication Mitigation should ensure that disaster does not strike should you inadvertently slam your boot down on the accelerator rather than the brake pedal.

If all that were not enough, DL40 also features Brake Assist System, Traction Control, Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist. Trailer Sway Control will respond if a trailer you are hauling starts to snake and should hopefully bring things back under control by reducing your speed.

Multi-Collision Brake applies the brakes after any accident serious enough to trigger the airbags. This panoply of safeguards overlays the basic provision of ABS, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.

If things go awry despite the presence of all this protective technology, then you will be coddled by front, side, curtain, and centre airbags. A driver’s-knee airbag is installed as well.

Disc brakes are fitted at the front, while drums do the honours at the back.

Electronic power steering delivers a 12.5m turning circle kerb-to-kerb. D-Max’s suspension system makes use of McPherson struts at the front while leaf springs do duty at the rear.

Our truck’s 18in alloy wheels wore Dunlop Grandtrek AT25 265/60 R18 tyres. They help make the truck stand out, as do the silver sill bars which incorporate cab access steps.

The headlights dip automatically when oncoming vehicles are detected and revert to high beam when the vehicles have passed. A rain sensor triggers the windscreen wipers at the first sign of a downpour.

What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide