2014 Isuzu D-Max LS-M Hi-Ride (4×4) review

I changed dealerships after 70,000km and the warranty was accepted and repaired with no fuss. The only other negative is with the tub tie-down points – only four in bad positions.

The dealer's attitude at Sunshine Coast was excellent, and I had access to a courtesy car as well as a bus to the local area.

This vehicle has outstanding fuel economy of 8.6L/100km, a good strong engine – albeit rattly due to the life of the engine timing gear – and never let me down on- and off-road. Good towing performance and great at chewing up highway kilometres. The five-speed manual gearbox was silky smooth once run in, and was more than happy to pull hard overtaking in fifth gear.

It had great reflector headlights that were not carried over to the 2017, unfortunately so good that the spotties made little difference when on (IPF 900 with 130W lamps).

The paintwork's finish was great in the silver and no blemishes. An inspection after three years revealed no evidence of rust, even though it had seen a bit of beach work. I still cleaned it after each use, of course. The tyres wore well and were replaced at 70,000km with Mickey Thompson all-terrains.

It had simple cabin controls and a reasonable sound system with Bluetooth audio and phone capabilities. A functional vinyl floor and plastics with good storage, especially for drinks. Two dash cupholders, two centre console and two in the door skin. Reasonable rear seat room.

Added dealer accessories that come with a vehicle warranty are the tow bar, tonneau, nudge bar, and roof racks.

It was sold at 110,000km with no issues at a very reasonable private resale in the 75 per cent retention region, which is not to be sneezed at after three years.

This vehicle wore very well, and the steering and driveline were nice and tight, as to be expected with the same driver and 90 per cent highway kilometres. I was so impressed I bought the 2018 model, which other than the lights, gearbox and minor internal engine mods is essentially the same car.

In short, this is a ute trying to be a truck punching above its weight, not a ute trying to be a car.