2025 Isuzu D-Max Blade
Price
* Properly beefy looks * Australian engineering * Strong D-Max platform isn't compromised
3 Things We Hate
* More expensive than a Warrior * More weight, same power * No Walkinshaw branding
Overall Rating
8.2
MotorMarvel Rating
9.3
Price
Starting at $78,990 (excl. on-roads)
Intro
With the ever growing popularity of locally-tuned halo models in the segment, with a little help from Walkinshaw Automotive Group, the D-Max Blade arrives to throw Isuzu’s gloves into the ring - with bold new styling, some off-road focused enhancements and more refined road manners. Now Isuzu’s shot with this name is a little different, this time introduced as the new, Australia-only, top of the range variant of their recently facelifted D-Max range, taking over the reins from the previous and now retired halo model, the X-Terrain.
Developed solely by local engineering skunkworks Walkinshaw Automotive Group, with Isuzu’s involvement in the project beginning and ending with simply giving Walkinshaw their blessing to create the new model, the Blade arrives as Isuzu’s entry into the increasingly popular amped up, accesorised and enthusiastically named utility market, aimed squarely at the Toyota Hilux Rogue, Nissan’s Navara Warrior and a smattering of others. The goal was simple: give the humble D-Max (an already fantastic example of how being exactly average in every metric can still get you noticed) a bit of a make-over, chuck in a little more offroad capability and while we’re at it, throw in a touch more on-road dynamism. The result is, and I’ll say this straight away, arguably one of the best looking utes in its class. And yes I know, looks are subjective, but to my eye, it’s the best of the bunch when it comes to these pseudo-halo variants. Bold without going over the top and frankly, a little more mature compared to most of its compatriots who may have gotten a little carried away with the eyeliner and shoulder pads.
Exterior
Alongside the dashing new looks, we get brand new bespoke Monroe Twin-Tube Dampers front and rear - fettled further by Walkinshaw, revised coil springs at the front, at the back we have retained the same standard leaf spring arrangement and rating as seen on all the other trim levels, and new design 17-inch wheels, wrapped in some wider and proper business looking Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT all-terrain tyres. These changes bring increased ride heights of 22.5mm at the front and 25mm at the rear, yet overall ground clearance is only improved by 4mm in total (I’ll get to that shortly) and the new wider rubber, afforded by some new widened fender flares, bring an increased track width all round. But it is here that we find the end, realistically, of any meaningful changes for.. the Blade.
The rest we are strictly talking cosmetic changes, starting with the addition of some black tubular sidesteps, attractive and useful, but due to their placement, also responsible for counteracting the ride height gains mentioned earlier so you’ll need to come to terms with that. Continuing, we find some aforementioned black widened wheel arch flares, a rather nice red 3mm bash plate with “Isuzu” laser cut into it - although I’m a little suspect on the mix of red if you go for the Orange exterior paint, a tasteful sports bar, albeit with some questionable welds, installed over the back tray, yet sadly no standard tonneau cover, black accents on the mirrors and door handles, a bucketful of Blade decals and that striking new front end. Oh and that grille, it hides a curved light bar. Nice. The Blade continues on with Isuzu’s geological period-spanning 3.0-litre four-cylinder 4J turbo-diesel, and honestly, I struggle to think of a better word than ‘venerable’ to describe it. Okay, it isn’t the most powerful, or the most efficient, or the quietest... or the smoothest… or the most athletic, but it is an endearing and willing unit. This engine can trace its roots back to the Cretaceous Period and while that might seem like a slight against it, this is actually something I find that works in its favour. As mentioned, sure it doesn’t top the class in any field, but it isn’t a total boat anchor either, it is perfectly capable at hauling you and whatever you fancy around when you call upon it and its party piece is, it will do so for probably much longer than you or I will be around. Genuinely, the 4J is almost a by-word in reliability, add to the fact Isuzu services this engine in the same meticulous way it does all it’s bigger truck engines, I’m certain even a nuclear holocaust would be mere background noise for it, and we’ll find they’ll still be chugging along well after their services would no longer be required. And is this not the point? To me, it is a huge selling point in this class, no fueling issues, no surprise leaks, no DPF tantrums, just your old reliable friend who never gives you any trouble and always gets you home without drama. Matched to a not particularly spectacular, yet stout 6-speed automatic gearbox and a locking rear differential, after driving it around for a week I was maybe a touch surprised in that I was never found wanting more from it, it did what I wanted when I asked for it and it didn't bat an eyelid. Perfect. Oh and I have to mention the abundance of room in the engine bay, if you do ever find, in some unlikely event, a need to poke around in there, workspace is plentiful.
Sean Maddison
MotorMarvel Journalist
Interior
That was a lot of engine talk, so let’s move on, as there’s something I wanted to address quickly. The D-Max has been getting a poor wrap for its interior with this model, with many calling it a “bad one”, but truly, I think that’s a lazy description, fuelled from a lot of exposure to some overindulgent cabins out there. Yes this current generation D-Max interior is a little spartan, it has some scratchy plastics and is absent of any real zing, but it’s not unattractive or a bad place to be at all. One could come at this from a different perspective and say it’s perfectly suited for its role. The reality is, it’s 2025 and car design and quality, even at the entry levels, has come such a long way that a manufacturer would have to be trying desperately hard to make an interior an awful place to be. I’d say a majority of owners, especially in this class of vehicle, would be chuffed with simply a nice sized, responsive screen and Apple Carplay/Android Auto capability and guess what? Box ticked. In a world where there is an ever increasing amount of nonsensical touch buttons, symbols and haptic feedback controls, in the Blade it is just you, a steering wheel, a generous screen and some physical buttons, I’ll say that again, “physical buttons”, that do the many things you would usually call upon on your daily commute. It is simple, logically laid out with all your go to controls ready at hand, and that lets you get acquainted fast, which means comfortable fast. There’s no weird extended foreplay for months still discovering new things about it you didn’t know it could do. You and it know what each other needs from day one, and in this day and age with increasing complexity and amenities, that’s a good thing.
Specifications
Engine
4JJC-TCX 3.0L Turbo-Diesel
Power
Rear wheel drive
Tourque
450Nm @ 1600rpm
Transmission
8-Speed Automatic
Drive Type
Four Wheel Drive
Fuel Economy (Claimed)
6.7-8L/100km
Fuel Economy (As Tested)
8.0L/100km
CO2 Emissions (Claimed)
212g/km
Fuel Tank
76L
Weight
3100kg
Offroad Dimensions & Versatility
Ground Clearance
244mm (+4mm)
Approach Angle
29.2° (+1.3°)
Departure Angle
25.2° (+1.4°)
Wading Depth
800mm
Payload
896kg
Brake Towing Capacity
3,500kg
Vehicle Dimensions
Length
5308mm
Width
1910mm
Height
1810mm
Wheelbase
3125mm
Tub Length
1570mm (floor)
Tub Width
1122mm (between arches)
Tub Depth
490mm
Tub Capacity
1066L
On the Road
I’ve had the luxury of being around various different utes and 4x4’s for most of my life and while it has been a decent amount of time since I have driven a ute of this type for any meaningful length of time, the Blade is.. much of a muchness. If you are well-accustomed to driving utes around Australian roads day to day, the Blade won’t surprise you at all, and while the new dampers and front springs have certainly increased the road comfort and general dynamics of the D-Max, you are still acutely aware of the fact you are driving a leaf sprung utility vehicle.
The steering, while completely devoid of all feel (as are most cars these days that have adopted electric power steering), is decently tuned and effortless to use, with a rack ratio not so fast as to make the car feel twitchy and unsettled, but fast enough that it doesn’t require an obscene amount of lock to get the front wheels to start turning, which is a plight some of its competitors are still laboured with. The brakes were good in every situation I found myself in, giving plenty of feel early on in the pedal travel without being overly sensitive and had enough juice when pressed hard to bring you to a satisfying stop.
Safety Tech
And so, there’s definitely a theme developing here, all of this normal-ness, in 2025, is what stands out to me, after getting in the car for the first time and driving for 30 minutes before making a brief stop for lunch with a friend and jumping back into the car, it was startling how settled I already was. I could get in and drive it, relaxed without any slight cautiousness you usually have with something new, that feeling you still need to learn the car's traits/dimensions/nuances before feeling truly confident, that all faded away fast. So confident and comfortable did I feel that it gave me enough time to whinge internally and fiddle with the unreliable wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto connection on my drive. While not an exclusive issue to the D-Max (most wireless setups have their “attitudes”) this one had its moment where it would disconnect and freeze the entire head unit, all of it, including all hard buttons and knobs becoming unresponsive, and for a time ranging from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, you can’t even change the volume level while it sorts itself out. So be warned, if you’re blasting your go-to playlists, be prepared to be suddenly greeted with AM radio at singalong volume for an amount of time or needing to pull over to restart the car if you can’t wait.
Digressions aside, I’m walking away properly impressed. I didn’t think I would be, I wasn’t expecting much and maybe that’s part of why it has worked its way into my thoughts so much. Middling expectations can yield big surprises and this unremarkable, reliable, fantastic looking thing has done exactly that, yet at $76,990 drive away, the Blade is about twenty grand more than its cheaper 4x4 3.0 Dual Cab SX sibling in which it shares 80% of its underpinnings sans all the make-up. So after the honeymoon period had dwindled, I’m left wondering, is it worth it?
Our Verdict
This super accessory specced, halo class of ute generally are an emotional choice when buying, so honestly, I think it’s down to each potential buyer. What do you want? For me, I’m left wondering if that 20k is worth it just for the Blade antics, and whether the SX I mentioned earlier would give me the same feeling, especially with that bulkier wallet in my jeans from the money saved. Regardless, if it’s pinnacle badges you’re lusting after in this price bracket, I’ll happily stand by the Blade as my pick of the bunch. As for my final word on the Blade? I’ll leave you with this video game analogy that came to me in a snap when I was asked what I thought of it by a couple of friends who own utes themselves: “You know when you play Mario Kart, there’s always the choice of “ooo which kart do I want?”. One has amazing speed stats, but terrible handling, another will have terrible speed but amazing handling and then there’s the Blad... I mean mid option. It’s middle of the road in every stat, average in every sense of the word, but it’s the one that at the end of the day, a majority of players choose because you can get in, be good mates straight away, and it’ll get you to the end each and every time with no surprises, only this time it’s got some pretty sharp looks to boot”.
Overall Rating
8.2
MotorMarvel Rating
