The thing I really like about Isuzu Utes is that they all come with the full set of safety features, right from the entry level model through to the top model.

They all come with wireless connectivity for smart phones and all have height and reach adjustments for the steering wheel

So the basics are covered. The X-Rider comes with:

• A soft cover and sports bar for the tub
• 10 inch infotainment system
• Black exterior and interior highlights

The fabric seats appear hard wearing, but the manual adjustment means that it’s a little difficult to find a really comfortable position.

The Ute I drove comes with the 3.0 litre 4 cylinder turbo diesel engine and a reliable 6 speed automatic transmission. Of course, dual range 4WD and a 3500 kg towing capacity.

The X-Rider comes with the upgraded rear springs that allows better payload with a slightly softer on road ride when unladen. Slightly is the key word here.

Priced at $59,500 plus the usual costs, the Isuzu D-MAX X-Rider is great value as you would expect from Isuzu

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Im Brianna Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-MAX X-Rider  – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-MAX X-Rider – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Instead of the D-MAX X-Rider – buyers could look at:

This is a popular segment: Buyers could look at:

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The engine remains the familiar 3.0L turbo diesel with 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque. This will run to all four wheels through a 6 Sp Aisin transmission and selectable 4WD. The Blade also retains the handy 3500 kg towing capacity.

On the launch we took the Blade over some interesting tracks at a 4WD park and some beach driving.

On my recent drive I was able to do more beach driving, lots of motorway cruising and some fast dirt road sections.

As I suspected it excels on the dirt roads. Its composed, with the larger diameter dampers soaking up most of the bumps. The steering is responsive and not prone to negative feedback from the potholes.

Priced from $76,990 drive away its getting up there in price and there is a lot of competition. However its definitely worth the test drive

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Im Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-Max Blade  – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-Max Blade  – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Buyers could also look at:

Buyers of the D-Max Blade could also look at the following: Toyota HiLux GR Sport, Ford Ranger Tremor, Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior, Kia Tasman X-Pro, Mazda BT-50 SP, Mitsubishi Triton GSR

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 120 radio channels. 

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

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In other words, the most basic work Ute offered  by Isuzu. It’s priced from $32,490 drive away and that’s simply outstanding value.

The actual vehicle I drove has a few options added which took the price up to around $35,200 drive away

How is it you may ask. Well considering that as I get older, I like my space and little luxuries in my Utes. It’s been ok actually.

I can see a specific appeal for this vehicle. Especially for tradies that need  to carry bulk rather than weight.

Having said that the 2.55mtr long tray will fit most loads in it and the Ute has a 1400kg payload in manual version.

The issue here is that the 1.9L turbo diesel engine has only 110KW of power and 350Nm of torque available. It does struggle with a heavy load. I know this because I filled it with a load of recycled bricks and took then north on the freeway and it really struggled on hills.

Not everyone needs or wants a powerful diesel engine. The 1.9L Isuzu D-Max SX Cab Chassis provides a practical choice for workers that need basic Ute with a sterling reputation.

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Im Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-Max SX   – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-Max SX – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

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Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

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This comes with revised dampers and raised suspension, better off road tyres, more underbody protection and some cosmetic additions.

The engine remains the familiar 3.0L turbo diesel with 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque. This will run to all four wheels through a 6 Sp Aisin transmission and selectable 4WD. The Blade also retains the handy 3500 kg towing capacity.

On the launch we took the Blade over some interesting tracks at a 4WD park and some beack driving.

On my recent drive I was able to do more beach driving, lots of motorway cruising and some fast dirt road sections.

As I suspected it excels on the dirt roads. Its composed, with the larger diameter dampers soaking up most of the bumps. The steering is responsive and not prone to negative feedback from the potholes.

Priced from $76,990 drive away its getting up there in price and there ios a lot of competition. However its definitely worth the test drive

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-Max Blade  – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE Ranger PHEV  – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

Additionally Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive – Cars Transport Culture Radio Program. 

Listeners can find this program weekly on the Spotify, SoundCloud and the Community Radio Network across Australia.

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I appreciate the power and responsiveness of the 3.0 litre turbo diesel engine. Its good around town, fairly economical and great for when you want to go on a longer trip. I averaged about 7.4 litres per hundred kilometres for the two weeks I had the Ute.

Being able to select from adaptive or normal cruise control is handy. Running boards make getting in easy.

I also like the interior comfort. Front heated leather seats provide plenty of support. Wireless Apple CarPlay is convenient, but I would like a wireless charging tray. There is room for it.

Rear seats are tight for taller people, but comfortable. There is a handy bag hook on the back of the front seats. There are 2 childseat tethers and ISO FIX compatible anchor points.

The X-Terrain is all about the look. With darkened alloys, decals, sports bar and hard roller cover for the tub.

This last one is as weatherproof as you can get. But it does have some limitations, like all covers.

Priced from $70,500 plus the usual costs its good value.

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Im Brianna Fraser

Readers can find everything you need to know about the D-Max X-Terrain HERE 

TO LISTEN TO THE D-MAX X-Terrain – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

Additionally Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive – Cars Transport Culture Radio Program. 

Listeners can find this program weekly on the Spotify, SoundCloud and the Community Radio Network across Australia.

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The thing I really like about Isuzu Utes is that they all come with the full set of safety features, right from the entry level model through to the top model.

They all come with wireless connectivity for smart phones and all have height and reach adjustments for the steering wheel

So the basics are covered. The X-Rider comes with:

• A soft cover and sports bar for the tub
• 10 inch infotainment system
• Black exterior and interior highlights

The fabric seats appear hard wearing, but the manual adjustment means that it’s a little difficult to find a really comfortable position.

The Ute I drove comes with the 3.0 litre 4 cylinder turbo diesel engine and a reliable 6 speed automatic transmission. Of course, dual range 4WD and a 3500 kg towing capacity.

The X-Rider comes with the upgraded rear springs that allows better payload with a slightly softer on road ride when unladen. Slightly is the key word here.

Priced at $59,500 plus the usual costs, the Isuzu D-MAX X-Rider is great value as you would expect from Isuzu

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Brianna Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-MAX X-Rider  – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-MAX X-Rider – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Radio Segments Motoring Minute

Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

Additionally Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive – Cars Transport Culture Radio Program. 

Listeners can find this program weekly on the Spotify, SoundCloud and the Community Radio Network across Australia.

The post Isuzu D-MAX X-Rider 4WD Dual Cab Ute driven for 2025 appeared first on Motoring Minute.

But as is turns out, we have nothing to do like that this time, so we’ve been using  it as an urban daily driver.

The Isuzu D-Max  LS-U is the mid spec model. It has cloth seats, manual adjustments, but has an electronic lumbar adjustment for the driver.

The D-Max Ute comes with the full set of safety features. The annoying safety features can be easily turned off. This is by a button on the steering wheel. You can also select if you want the adaptive function activated for cruise control or not.

The central screen has reasonable clarity, but if for some reason the lights are on in daylight it becomes difficult to see.

This is especially obvious with the reversing camera. There is wireless smart phone connectivity, but sadly not wireless charging tray. There is room for it though

Driving the D-Max is easy with the 3.9 litre turbo diesel engine and six speed automatic transmission.

Its powerful enough and economical as well.

The tray back design is designed for heavy loads and without that it does bounce around a bit and it’s a bit noisy. It did make a particularly convenient picnic table though for some takeaway and champers at the beach at sunset one evening.

It does show though that even though it’s a work Ute you can easily live with it on a daily basis.

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I’m Brianna Fraser

Readers can find more details about the Isuzu D-Max LS-U  – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-MAX LS-U – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

Additionally Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive – Cars Transport Culture Radio Program. 

Listeners can find this program weekly on the Spotify, SoundCloud and the Community Radio Network across Australia.

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These include:

• Suspension upgrade with twin tube Monroe dampers and spring lift,
• 18 inch wheel and tyre combination with Goodyear Wrangler AT tyres,
• Integrated light bar,
• Additional underbody protection and front rated recovery points and
• A heap of cosmetic upgrades that identify the new model.

The work was done  by Walkinshaw engineering, which has built quite the reputation for themselves over the years.

Showcasing the improvements we drove around the Adelaide 4WD park as well as Goolwa Beach. This is where the Murray Rover meets the sea and its quite spectacular.

The Blade certainly is better off road than the standard model with better articulation, however the ground clearance, approach and departure and wading depths aren’t as different as you might expect.

On road and on dirt roads the revised suspension improves the ride and handling.

Pricing for the Isuzu D-Max Blade is from $76,990 RDAP.

The upper segment of dual cab Utes is getting competitive with the likes of the Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior, Toyota HiLux Rogue and HiLux GR Sport, Mazda BT-50 Thunder and Ford Ranger Tremor and Wildtrak X.

This is a Motoring Minute

I’m Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-MAX BLADE  – HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-MAX BLADE  – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

Additionally Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive – Cars Transport Culture Radio Program. 

Listeners can find this program weekly on the Spotify, SoundCloud and the Community Radio Network across Australia.

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Well They have just released a limited edition of the D-Max, specifically aimed at towing called the Tour Mate.

It combines over $9,000 worth of commonly selected optional accessories into a pre packed bundle. Based on wither the LS-U or LS-U plus models.

These additions include:

• a tow bar tongue and 50mm ball
• 12-pin wiring harness,
• electronic brake controller,
• Clearview heated and foldable extendable compact towing mirrors,
• Canopy with dual lift up side windows
• weather shields and
• unique TOUR MATE badging.

The D-Max is one of the best towing Utes available, with low torque delivery allowing relaxed driving and excellent economy.

The other aspect buyers will be happy with is the pricing.

Isuzu LS-U TOUR MATE is priced from just $69,990.  The LS-U+ TOUR MATE is priced from $72,990 for . Both of these Utes are 2024 models and prices are Drive away prices. Vehicles are available now from dealers.

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the D-MAX Tour Mate  HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE D-MAX Tour Mate RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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