Lloyds Ltd, Dumfries are the regions main dealer for Isuzu-UK and this week they gave the keys to the new 164ps 1.9 diesel D-Max Utah pick-up to DGWGO’s RB, so he could test drive it on and off road.
Many of you may think that this type of vehicle is just for farmers, but maybe after you see and read our DGWGO review about our week with this rugged yet family friendly car you may change your mind.
The D-Max Utah is the 2nd top of the Isuzu range (if you exclude the limited edition Arctic Truck) and benefits from a high level of luxury.
Leather upholstery, keyless entry, push button start, rear parking sensors, automatic air conditioning, heated front seats, electric height adjustable driver’s seat, six speaker surround sound Pioneer entertainment system with a seven inch touch screen are just some of the many features that makes it better equipped than most saloon cars in the same price bracket of £25,149
You can tell straight away that a lot of hard work has gone into making the Utah a luxury pick-up and it serves a serious purpose as a real work horse.My first surprise was just how comfortable the D-Max actually is and just how versatile as a multi purpose vehicle it is. It’s not only a fantastic off road farm truck, but also a spacious, smooth, solid, well appointed family car for perfect for everyday use.
From the moment I collected the Utah from Lloyds Ltd‘s showroom in Heathhall, Dumfries I was at ease with driving it. Although it is a large car at over 5 meters long, it steered through the Dumfries streets and traffic like a regular sized family saloon, but with the added benefit of the extra height and visibility that you can only get from a 4×4.
Parking was also not a problem, not only did we reverse park on streets in Dumfries, Kirkcudbright 
(during the school run) and Castle Douglas, we parked in several different busy car parks across the region, including Tescos, Gretna Gateway, the Market Hill and Wilkinsons in Castle Douglas, and managed to squeeze into normal parking spaces easily.
The better visibility you get from driving at height, along with electric folding side mirrors and a reverse camera made it’s easier and safer to park than my saloon car.
Having never driven a crew cab pick-up before, I was very open minded about just how useful the truck could be as a multi purpose vehicle, taking on tough work on and off road, whether it is towing a load behind, mud tracking around the forests and farm land feeding livestock, being a mobile tool box, or being a family car heading to do the weekly shop or going for a day out to the beach. I was really surprised at just how good this piece of equipment was at doing all of those tasks.
We put it through it’s paces all week, by day using it on my farm to do a number of different tasks, there was no job we threw at the D-Max that it couldn’t do. It pulls a trailer as if it wasn’t even there, and with the reverse camera you can even keep a close eye on the load behind via the Pioneer screen on the dash.
As for going off road, with all this wet weather we have been having recently it has made my farm tracks and fields extremely muddy, but the Isuzu, once in 4 wheel drive, coped with it all, no problems.
We found the large 4×4 extremely easy to swill off with the pressure washer after it had been off-roading too. The streamline shape, smooth curves and chunky alloy wheels were easy to clean, and thanks to the large mud flaps and side steps the bulk of the dirt was mainly kept to the wheel arches and not on the paintwork.
But this pick-up is not just a tough work beast, it really is a great family car too, with a high level of luxury inside the cab.
You really would struggle to find a family saloon/hatchback, in the same price bracket, that could match the enhanced features and comfort of this vehicle.
Not only does it offer more space for passengers ( Including your pets) and luggage/shopping but it also comes with a 125,000 mile / 5 year warranty plus it is fully Euro 6 compliant.
It also comes well equipped with safety and security equipment too and you can read the full details about that by clicking HERE.
Fuel economy is surprisingly good in this vehicle, with the Isuzu UK website stating a combined consumption of 36.2MPG on the Utah Double Cab with the automatic gearbox that we used. I have driven over 500 miles with it this week and was getting around an average of 32mpg, this was while driving on Dumfries and Galloway’s country roads, plus around the farm tracks often with quite large loads in the rear.
We have really enjoyed our week with a D-Max, it’s an amazing bit of kit, that is as good as a work machine as it is as a family and leisure vehicle and it will be tough to hand back the keys to this chunky all-rounder!
To see the full Isuzu D-Max range and to book a test drive for yourself contact Lloyds Ltd Dumfries ,Enterprise Park, Tinwald Downs Road, Dumfries , Dumfriesshire, DG1 3SJT
Telephone – 01387 424 097 Or Make an Enquiry HERE
Written exclusively for DGWGO use by RB, Images and video copyright R.B Photography
