By Ian Strachan.
Pick-ups have become a lifestyle choice in recent years – the cool vehicle to be seen in. But just because pick-ups may have started life as workhorses doesn’t mean it has to be basic.
And this where the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross comes in. It has all the ruggedness, powerful looks, loadspace and capability you’d expect from a vehicle that started life as a tool of the trade for farmers and builders. But this Isuzu is every bit as well-equipped as most upmarket 4x4s.
In 4×4 double-cab guise it has smart styling, a comfortable well-equipped interior, capable off-road performance and an impressive range of technology, including plenty of safety aids.
Imported by the International Motors Group, the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross automatic which I tested has a roomy double cab body, very smart 18-inch black chrome alloy wheels, leather upholstery and a huge carpeted load-space. It also has that rare beast – a full-size spare wheel!
The award-winning D-Max is powered by a strong, if slightly agricultural, 1.9 litre diesel unit. It sounds tough and is tough – a growling 164 bhp engine with plenty of grunt if you need it for towing or off-roading. The D-Max has a comfortable suspension set-up which sits high, with plenty of ground clearance, enhancing its off-road credentials.
Despite its size, the unladen D-Max with a six-speed automatic gearbox can still return fuel economy figures of almost 31 miles to the gallon in mixed driving. That might not sound impressive, but this is a big vehicle with four wheel drive.
It handles nicely too. Suspension is quite soft, which means you’ll roll around corners a little, but straight-line handling is comfortable and steering is precise. There’s cruise control, hill descent control, hill start assist and lane keeping assist.
The external appearance of the D-Max V-Cross, with its huge dark grey grille and gunmetal sidesteps, may be tough, but inside you get lots of features aimed at driver and passenger comfort, including comfortable seats with eight-way electric adjustment for the driver.
You also get automatic headlights with high-beam assist, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, rear diff-lock, leather steering wheel with mounted controls, and adaptive cruise control.
There’s plenty of room for five people in this vehicle, with good headroom. The V-Cross specification also gives you dual-zone air conditioning, eight-speaker DAB radio with Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connection controlled via a nine-inch colour touchscreen, heated electric door mirrors and all round electric windows – all for £37,014 on the road.
Oddly there is no satellite navigation as standard, which seems odd in 2024. So you have to connect to your Smartphone
The V-Cross gives you all the safety features you’d expect on a car, plus the advantage of a high driving position. It has a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes
Isuzu pick-ups have been around for a long time, but this is undoubtedly the most car-like to date. It sells in 130 countries worldwide and could easily take sales in the UK from more established competitors.
