Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
It may be just my luck but there’s almost always a storm or a typhoon on my landmark birthday. On my 10th birthday, I cried because strong rains and floods prevented us from going to a department store to buy a toy car that my parents promised as my birthday gift. I recalled this childhood disappointment when two typhoons, Crising and Dante, raged on my 60th birthday this year. But I didn’t fret about not being able to celebrate my first senior year because my toy car “birthday gift” – a 2025 Isuzu New D-Max 3.0 LS-A A/T – was already in my garage.
Despite the stormy weather, the “gift” for my 60th birthday was already in my garage.
Now, before you congratulate me for getting a nice birthday gift, the New D-Max is not really a gift but merely a “birthday drive” from our friends at Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC). You see, it’s been a long while since IPC has lent me a media demo unit to review and now that I’ve been actively writing motoring stories for this website and for the “Torque & Power” motoring section of Malaya Business Insight, our friends at IPC thought it would be nice to lend me the New D-Max for a 10-day drive during my birthday. Aww, thanks guys!
Yup. it was raining when I had to take these beauty shots of my “birthday drive” New D-Max.
Personal History with IPC
One of the first out-of-town media drives that I participated in when I first became a motoring writer 25 years ago was with Isuzu Philippines. I guess that I have driven most of the newly-introduced Isuzu models since 2001 – from the Trooper SUV, Hi-lander/Crosswind AUV to the Alterra and Mu-X SUVs, from the early Fuego to the D-Max pickup trucks, and some commercial trucks and buses in between. I was privileged to have travelled around the Philippines with Isuzu and I’ve won a number of their Isuzu Challenge fuel economy runs as well.
I’ve had a long 25-year history with Isuzu Philippines.
To say that I’ve been quite familiar with Isuzu models is an understatement. Yet, despite being familiar with their products, Isuzu models always seem to surprise me every time I get to drive one. When I got into the cockpit of this white 2025 New D-Max, one of the surprises that greeted me was a VHF transceiver with a mini microphone on the center console. It’s not standard equipment, I know, but I later learned that this particular LS-A 4×2 A/T demo unit, along with other Isuzu vehicles, also serves as the marshal’s vehicle for the local car rallies that IPC sponsors and supports.
My LS-A 4×2 A/T birthday drive sometimes moonlights as a marshal’s vehicle during rallies that IPC sponsors and supports.
Familiar Surroundings
VHF transceiver aside, the cockpit of this New D-Max pickup truck immediately felt familiar. As a mid-level model, the LS-A 4×2 has an ignition key slot instead of a push button engine start/stop. The aircon controls are rotary knobs that control fan speed and temperature and a sliding switch to toggle between fresh and recirculated air. After driving several modern vehicles, including EVs and HEVs, I actually miss the times when you need to insert the ignition key and turn it to start the engine, or to adjust the A/C manually instead of letting it adjust automatically.
Aside from the VHF transceiver on the center console behind the shifter and its red wire plugged into the 12-volt power socket, the cockpit of the New D-Max feels familiar and ergonomic.
The cockpit is generally spacious with all the controls within easy reach.
You might think it’s too “old school” but you have to realize that this D-Max is more of a workhorse than a posh truck. The cloth seats are covered with a strong fabric that can withstand work jeans with steel rivets, utility belts and the occasional dirt. There is enough space for five burly construction workers to ride in comfort and a strong bed at the back to carry a metric ton of cargo. I believe that Isuzu loaded this LS-A 4×2 A/T with just the right amount of equipment to establish it as a pickup truck that you can drive for work on weekdays and drive for leisure on weekends.
“Riding shot gun” or sitting in the front passenger seat is a great place to be.
Rear bench seat has comfortable space for 3 passengers, albeit in a bit of a squeeze if they are burly construction workers.
Intelligent Concession
Of course, the new generation of pickup truck owners demand modern safety and convenience features and Isuzu has smartly equipped the LS-A 4×2 A/T with a host of Automated Driver Asistance Systems (ADAS) as well as a 9-inch touchscreen display with wireless CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity and clinometer. Aside from serving as the vehicle’s infotainment monitor, the touchscreen display also serves as the monitor for this New D-Max’s numerous cameras and sensors, showing the front, back and sides, including a 360° view when needed. I found it very helpful when driving through heavy rain and in tight spaces.
360° View and front camera shows what the driver cannot see, especially when there are small children, animals or obstacles in front.
Turning on the signal light activates the side camera and shows the driver if there are any obstacles or if the vehicle is too near the gutter or sidewalk.
The view can also be changed to see if another vehicle, such as a motorcycle, is on the driver’s blind spot.
The reverse camera is extremely useful in parking this long pickup truck into our small two-car garage.
In front of the 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel is a 4.2-inch electroluminescent display panel between two large round dials, one for engine rpm and one for vehicle speed, which shows two stylized bar graphs showing engine temperature and fuel level, along with a digital speed display, outside temperature, time, trip meter, odometer reading, average fuel mileage, average vehicle speed, elapsed driving time, gear selector position, and several warning lights. I’ve always admired engineering solutions where you can fit multiple functions in a confined space.
The New D-Max’s electroluminiscent instrument panel displays gobs of relevant and useful information.
Tough-Looking Pickup Truck
The other thing I’ve always admired about pickup trucks is their tough image and my white LS-A 4×2 A/T birthday drive is no exception. Isuzu seems to have incorporated “toughness” into the D-Max’s DNA, regardless of the vehicle’s color. While 4-door midsize pickup trucks with short beds have become the common body style among the models in this genre, Isuzu seems to design the D-Max to be distinct yet immediately recognizable as an Isuzu. At almost 5.3 meters, it’s a bit longer than the vehicles I usually drive, but I found it as easy to maneuver even in tight spaces.
The Isuzu New D-Max embodies toughness in a sleek package.
Anywhere you look, the New D-Max has toughness imbedded in its DNA.
The double wishbone front suspension and the 3.1-meter wheelbase try to minimize the choppy ride inherent of a pickup truck with a rigid rear axle on leaf springs and an empty bed, but I found that I can live with the ride of this LS-A 4×2 A/T if it was my daily driver. And I’m happy to report that its 240mm ground clearance, 18-inch wheels and tall stance was a godsend when I needed to go out and drive during the strong rains and pass on flooded roads. Thankfully, the 3.0-liter Blue Power turbo diesel 4-cylinder and 6-speed automatic drove through the storm with ease.
3.0-liter 4JJ3-TCX Blue Power turbodiesel makes 188 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque.
265/60R18 Dunlop GrandTrek AT25 tires on 18-inch 6-spoke 6-lug black-coated wheels add to the tough look and provide sure-footed traction.
I would have liked to load our bicycles on the bed and drive to a scenic resort with my family for some nice bike rides in the countryside but, as I mentioned in the beginning, the weather would always seem to ruin my plans. Despite the stormy weather and slow traffic, I managed to squeeze around an average of 12 kilometers per liter out of this 2025 Isuzu New D-Max LS-A 4×2 A/T. I’m also thankful for the perfect timing of having this capable pickup truck in my garage during one of the worst storms our country has experienced, especially on my 60th landmark birthday!
Had the weather cooperated, there’s nothing more that I would like than to put our bicycles in the bed and drive to a sunny and picturesque destination…
… but still and all, I was glad I had this white 2025 Isuzu New D-Max LS-A 4×2 A/T to drive during the twin typhoons that flooded most of the country.
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Type: Front-engine, 2WD, 4-door midsize pickup truck
Price: P1,520,000
Engine: 4JJ3-TCX Blue Power inline 4-cylinder turbodiesel
Displacement: 2,999 cc
Maximum power: 190 PS (188 hp) @ 3,600 rpm
Maximum torque: 450 Nm @ 1,600 – 2,600 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Fuel capacity: 76 L
Wheelbase: 3,125 mm
Length: 5,277 mm
Width: 1,880 mm
Height: 1,810 mm
Minimum ground clearance: 240 mm
Gross vehicle weight: 2500 kg
Bed length: 1,485 mm
Bed width: 1,530 mm
Bed height: 465 mm
Front suspension: Independent, double wishbones with coil springs & stabilizer
Rear suspension: Rigid with leaf springs
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear Brakes: Drums, auto-adjusting
Steering system: Rack and pinion, power-assisted
Wheels: 18-inch 6-spoke 6-lug aluminum alloy
Tires: 265/60R18
