Is it fast? No. Is it Cheap? No. Does it make sense? No. Do I want one? Yes!
I get a truck and I’m a kid with a Tonka Toy again. Okay, I won’t bash it into the table leg or drop it from the kitchen counter, but I still want to drive it with a big grin on my face. So when Isuzu asks if I would like to review the 2025 Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, despite the fact that I reviewed this generation of the pickup twice just a few years ago… I found myself struggling to decline.
Full transparency, I didn’t so much want to review it, as I just wanted to rock around in it! And when it turned up, I wasn’t disappointed, because they sent their Instagram special. A D-Max that had driven into the accessories warehouse and come out wearing EVERYTHING! More on that in a bit.
Smarter, stronger, safer. But still a beast!
First, let’s get the sensible stuff out of the way. For their 2025 D-Max, Isuzu’s mantra is: “Smarter. Stronger. Safer.”
The 2025 D-Max now gets the full suite of driver-assist tech – Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assist, better Lane Keep Assist, Attention Assist, and even eight airbags for that full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
The rear differential lock is now standard on all 4×4 models, and the Rough Terrain Mode improves grip across, well, rough terrain. It’s still got that trusty 3.5-tonne towing capacity and a strengthened chassis tough enough to move mountains, so it should be okay over London’s potholes – I think!
Farm tough, city chic
Plus it looks cooler than most supercars. Don’t take my word for it. “It’s AMAZING” exclaimed my neighbours (a pair of body-building personal trainers). They absolutely loved this thing. They took one look at the jacked-up stance, the black overfenders, and those blinding Lazer lights, and went: “This is a BEAST!” They weren’t wrong.
But like their perfectly honed bodies, such good looks don’t come cheap. The V-Cross Auto starts at around £40,900 (excluding VAT). That’s for the range-topping double cab automatic.
Accessories Galore – The £60k Pickup
Now let’s total up those extra bits. Deep breath and: Special Paint Finish Sienna Orange (£600); Bonnet Protector (£172.08); Lazer Linear-36 Elite (£970); Lazer Linear-6 Elite+ (£579); Front Cladding Kit (£410); Over Fender Set (£811.96); Wind Visors (£136.08); Custom Side Bars (£457.75); Alloy Cross Bars + Roof Rails (£536.50); Sports Bars (£432.50); Electric Roller Shutter (£1,740); SportGuard Under-rail Liner (£388.33); Tow Bar & 13-pin Electrics (£487.92); LED Interior Upgrade (£50.59); Illuminated Door Sill Covers (£388.29); 12V Socket in Load Bed (£237.50); Bonnet Lift (£114.83); Wireless Charger (£133.50).
That brings it all up to £49,546.83 – add in VAT and you’re looking at just short of £60k! That’s Ford Ranger Raptor money – or, for the same cash, a two-year-old Lotus Emira! And yet… I don’t find myself criticising it. In fact, now that I’ve seen it with all the accessories on, I insist that’s how you should have it!
Expensive, slow, yet irresistible
Besides, despite all the make-up and adornments, there’s something wonderfully honest about trucks like this. Even in its Sunday best, it’s not really pretending to be anything other than what it is. A truck, built to do a job. And if you’re not a farmer, tradesman, or bodybuilder, well, you’ll just have to invent an excuse to own one. And looking cool is not a bad one.
Slick but slow – how leisurely are we talking? You’ll accelerate from 0-60mph in 13 seconds (12.7 for the manual). Although initial acceleration doesn’t seem too bad, it won’t embarrass you too much at the traffic lights.
That old-school 2.0-litre diesel might sound gruff, but it’s torquey, reliable, and feels ready for a decade of abuse. The ride is surprisingly comfy, the visibility is commanding, and you get that strange sense of invulnerability that only a pickup can provide. Plus, you can scratch it, dent it, or get it muddy – and it’ll just look even tougher. Try that with your shiny sports car.
Safety that tries too hard
Of course, it’s not perfect. The over-eager ADAS systems can be annoying — lots of bings, bongs, and the occasional random emergency brake for no reason at all – giving me a mild heart attack! It’s as if the truck’s been to too many mindfulness seminars and now panics about everything.
But otherwise, it’s exactly what it says on the tin: a rugged, authentic, no-nonsense machine with just enough modern comfort to keep you happy and even the fam happy.
And the thing is, while a new, fully specced D-Max like this edges towards £60K, year-old V-Cross models can be found in the low £40,000s, which suddenly makes this big orange brute look like quite the bargain.
Would I buy one?
So no, I can’t really justify one for myself – I’m not a farmer, I don’t DIY, and I certainly don’t bench-press my own bodyweight. But every time I parked it up and saw it gleaming in the sun, I couldn’t help but think: “Damn… that looks cool!”
And besides, there’s one other perk of owning something this chunky and deliberate: you’ll never get done for speeding. It’s slow, expensive, and slightly neurotic but it’s also gloriously, defiantly real. The real question is not whether you should get this D-Max – you should – but it’s whether we find the all-electric version of this just as likeable. Stay tuned, that one’s coming soon!
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