MOTORING SEPTEMBER: Isuzu DMAX V-CROSS

New Look 2024 Isuzu DMAX V-CROSS

The Isuzu DMAX, voted as Pickup of the Year for 2023 by WhatVan?, truly is a fantastic go-anywhere vehicle. We have already assessed the DL40 here on TNU before in a prior road test. However, this time we have got the range-topping V-CROSS in facelift guise. Is it still as good, or even better than reviewed in www.travelnewsupdate.co.uk/article/167

So, what is new for 2024? There have been some subtle updates across the entire DMAX range for this new model year. Such as a revised front grille, looking somewhat more aggressive in black as seen here with the V-CROSS model. Moreover, the interior trim has also undergone some changes; all models benefit from a new seat design which are charcoal in colour as opposed to just plain old black.

Regardless if you go for cloth or leather seats, you will still be in receipt of the new seat design. Otherwise, it is business as usual in terms of aesthetics.

Speaking of the seats, they match the rest of the cabin. Comfortable yet durable. You are surrounded by hardwearing plastics which simply wipe clean after a hard day’s use. Plus, soft-touch materials for resting your elbows either as a driver or passenger. The driver can make use of a fully electronically adjustable seat, whereas the passenger has to make do with the traditional sliding rail. At this price point, north of £30,000, you would expect electronic adjustment. Nevertheless, rear passengers can make use of their own climate control vents, privacy glass, and ample leg and head room. These trucks are not small! Also helping out family and friends are the grab handles located on every door pillar, helping you to stay in your seat when the going gets tough. We have still got a 9-inch multi-media screen, which could have done with an update too, but at last it has full smartphone connectivity via Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Which, I might add, is wireless! That is a big plus!

This V-CROSS falls into Isuzu’s adventure range. In theory, a vehicle that does it all. And that it does! The six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and effortless for highway cruising, sitting just below 2,000rpm at 70mph. Which, for anyone with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the speedometer needle sits dead centre at that speed. Very satisfying. Anyway, I digress.

Because of the sheer length of the ladder frame chassis, the DMAX does struggle to settle on normal roads which means that there is always movement in the cabin. However, the rear leaf springs are admirably dampened to facilitate large loads and bumpy roads. When the tarmac ends and it gets slippery and muddy, Isuzu’s ‘on-the-fly’ 4x4 system is as easy as 1,2,3. For four-wheel-drive simply rotate one dial, rotate the same dial for low range, and rotate once more for high range. Otherwise, you are permanently in RWD mode. I would not quite call it off-roading for dummies, but you see where I am going. Hill descent and diff locks are also at the touch of a couple of buttons. Simplicity continued.

Accommodation is plentiful throughout the vehicle. To the tune of a tonne payload in the load bed, with built-in stainless-steel hooks for securing luggage. The rear seats fold upwards for increased storage inside the vehicle, as well as there being hooks attached to the back of the front seats, allowing you to hang up to 5kg. Heated seats benefit riders in the front, and cupholders are almost in double figures.

The George Loveridge Verdict

Isuzu hope to sell 10,000 DMAX trucks in 2025, and believe that these sales will mostly come from the all-purpose and adventure range. In years gone by, 30% of all sales have come from their business range. The difference in vehicles are creature comforts like heated seats and body coloured door handles. Mechanically, they are all the same.

Although it has lots of grunt in the torque department, the 1.9 turbo-diesel engine just does not have the power for such a bulky vehicle. Considering that my road test was conducted with no weight in the load bed with a trailer, I do think the power plant would struggle. Moreover, Isuzu do not seem to have any plans to go EV either! That is fine by me… These diesel engines keep getting greener and greener.

Price as tested: £38,495

Lead in price: £20,999

* Average fuel consumption: 29mpg
* Range (diesel): 700 miles  
* Engine size: 1898cc
* 0-60: 10.8 seconds
* Performance 6
* Handling 6
* Transmission 5
* Noise 4
* Economy 8
* Ride and Comfort 7
* Accommodation 10
* Styling 10
* Brakes 9
* Finish 9

TOTAL= 74%

www.isuzu.co.uk/vehicles/isuzu-d-max-v-cross

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