Isuzu breaks out the tinsel for D-Max

Isuzu’s new D-Max ute is on the way with plenty of tinsel in the lead up to Christmas.

There’s a new grille, new colours, new-look wheels, new trim inside and gas struts to make opening and closing the tailgate easier.

The new grille is finished in two-tone black on the SX, two-tone black and grey on the LS-M, two-tone grey and chrome on the LS-U and LS-U+, and two-tone dark grey on the X-Terrain.

Following the design trend, the LED rear combination lights are also trimmed in dark grey metallic, rather than chrome.

Engineers have also simplified the towing setup process by automatically disabling Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert when a trailer is hitched and detected via the genuine trailer wiring harness.

Isuzu describes the update as the most significant since the current model was launched in late-2020.

Most of the changes have been driven by customer feedback.

“This is the most significant update to the Isuzu D-MAX range since debut—with each model set to receive a bolder design aesthetic, new features, and three new models added—giving Customers more choice,” Isuzu UTE’s Hiroyasu Sato said.

“In a market where some brands have removed features to meet delivery timeframes, we’ve listened to the feedback from Customers and the Media and have introduced new features to keep the Isuzu D-MAX towards the top of the segment; features that appeal to the modern ute driver, and the towing and touring adventurer.”

Isuzu has also extended it’s smaller 1.9-litre diesel to three more workhorse variants: SX Crew Cab Chassis 4×2 Automatic, SX Crew Cab Ute 4×2 Automatic and SX Crew Cab Ute 4×4 Automatic.

The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine remains available in all grades and body styles, offering 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque.

With more families turning to utes as default dual-purpose family vehicles, the SX Crew Cab Ute and Crew Cab Chassis both receive an additional 2.1A USB port in the second row for charging mobile and tablet devices.