Long overdue facelift Isuzu D-Max has been worth the wait

Facelift D-Max has finally arrived after an almost three year long wait. Picture: Charl Bosch The facelift Isuzu D-Max has been a long time coming as it officially went on-sale in itsde factohome market of Thailand three years ago. Late arriving on South African soil due to what is referred to as a “freeze” timeframe from principle production to complete knockdown (CKD) assembly in other markets, the three-year wait hasn’t been as making light adjustments for the local market.

Instead, Isuzu’s localisation programme means the South African-made D-Max is different in 12 key areas compared to the Thai model. In addition, the D-Max has undergone 400 000 km of testing over various terrains and conditions, not only for South Africa, but also export markets in Sub-Sahara Africa. A process that takes three years, the internally named RG D-Max is, therefore, almost market specific compared to the visually identicalrevised Thai example.

Entering itsfourth year of local productionafter being delayed due to the global pandemic, the local launch involved a cross border unveiling in Botswana. Centring around Kasane on the banks of the Chobe River, and not far from the Zimbabwean border – a key export market for Isuzu along with Zambia – the mostly gravel-bound route identified more than a few areas of immediate improvements. A line-up spanning 33 derivatives, thefacelift D-Maxretains the same three bodystyles options as before.

[paywall]

However, more emphasis has been placed on the single and Extended Cab. As such, more variants have added, with the Extended Cab in particular gaining three new models and the single cab two. On the double cab, the smash-hit X-Rider has once again been made available with the 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine last offered on the previous generation D-Max as a limited edition model. Globallyrevealed seven years ago, the D-Max’s reworked aesthetic comprises a new grille and headlights, new fog light bezels, a redesigned front bumper and bonnet, and cladding for the flagship V-Cross.

[/paywall]