4x4 Dual Cab Comparison: 2021 Isuzu D-Max LS-U vs Toyota HiLux SR5+

You will make up your own mind about the look of these two utes. You might like one a lot more than the other, and that’s totally fine. But in this section of the test we’re going to look at how these utes make use of their size - that’s right, we’re going deep on dimensions. 

The longer, taller and narrower HiLux doesn’t have the wheelbase length that the D-Max offers, with the Isuzu’s smaller headlights and broad grille treatment making it look wider, too. As mentioned in the spec section above, both models have 18-inch wheels, though the dish-style rims of the D-Max look a bit more retro-futuristic than the new two-tone spinners on the HiLux.

Now let’s consider the tub dimensions, because there’s a bit of difference between these two.

As you can see, the HiLux has a little extra width and depth to its wellback, and both of these bakkies (that’s for you South African fans!) have four tie-down points to secure your load. Neither has a charge point/12-volt outlet in the tub, though the HiLux has a 230-volt powerpoint in the front centre console. 

Neither of these utes comes as standard with a tub liner at this price point, but you can accessorise to suit (the D-Max tested here has an optional accessory fit unit, as well as optional roof racks). There are plenty of genuine accessories available from both brands, including hard tonneau/hard lid covers, roller cover, soft tonneau, and of course items like a tow bar. Speaking of which.... 

We’ll cover off payload capacity and weights next. You might want to note in this next section that there is some difference in terms of payload, with the Isuzu taking a slight advantage.

Excellent to see both models offer the maximum towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes. We didn’t get a chance to do a towing review this time around, but stay tuned as we plan to look at their capabilities with a caravan or camper trailer in tow in the near future.

We also plan to do a load test, but that wasn’t part of the plan for this comparison, which is focused on assessing these two utes primarily for what they are - dual-purpose trucks that families might choose to live with day-to-day and head off-road for weekends or holidays.

Now, what about off-road angles and dimensions, because that’s a critical part of the design of utes like these:

Aside from the departure angle, it seems as though the D-Max has a lot of advantages over the HiLux in terms of off-road specs - the most surprising of which are ground clearance and wading depth. 

All told, it’s a slight advantage to the D-Max LS-U over the HiLux SR5+ across the board for weight and dimensions. 

These two new utes have seen increases and improvements to their engines. We’re talking more horsepower, more torque, and - in the case of the D-Max - it has an all-new engine.

The D-Max is powered by a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four cylinder making 140kW/450Nm.

But it’s the tweaked HiLux motor that has the advantage on paper despite its smaller engine capacity, as you’ll see in the engine specs breakdown below:

The HiLux hits harder for grunt numbers, there’s no doubt about that. In fact, for four-cylinder diesels, the HiLux is now hitting at the top of the class, where the D-Max appears to continue with the pursuit of a low-strain engine. The new engine in the D-Max is paired to a new auto transmission that is said to offer faster shifts - we’ll assess that in the driving section.

The HiLux has a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four cylinder with 150kW/500Nm.

Both utes have some emissions-focused items like a diesel particulate filter (DPF) but neither meets Euro 6 standards, so there is no AdBlue required. 

This part of the test was close, too. Closer than you might think, on balance.

The reason we need to stipulate that is because one was notably better on-road, while the other was more impressive off-road. Any guesses? Well, I did the on-road portion of the test, while our Adventure Editor, Marcus Craft, took care of the off-road impressions. 

Read on for the full rundown - but please note, the score at the bottom of this section is a combination of on- and off-road driving. And it was close...

On-road - by Senior Editor, Matt Campbell

Isuzu D-Max LS-U

What an improvement! The new D-Max is vastly better than the previous model, in almost every imaginable way.

The most stand-out feature of the driving manners for the new model for me is the steering. It is now considerably lighter and more user-friendly at all speeds than the predecessor model, and this new electric steering setup has clearly been to the Ford Ranger school of feel and feedback, because it is absolutely great at high speeds and - arguably more importantly - at low speeds, where it requires bugger all effort to turn the ute around in tight spaces. Yes, it still has a large turning circle (12.5 metres vs 12.6m in the HiLux) but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as big as that figure suggests.

Now you might think steering isn’t that big of a deal, but after a big day on the tools you’d likely want to have an easy drive home, not be fighting the tiller. More on the HiLux’s re-tuned steering below...

The suspension - independent front and three-leaf rear - is subtle and well sorted in most situations, though you can still tell it’s a ute. Isuzu is all about work and play, and this time around it feels like the emphasis is on the play part, with a more comfortable ride that is less jittery and fidgety, and not as kidney-bruising over sharp edges as what is served up in the HiLux.

The engine isn’t as zesty or quiet as the HiLux, but it still pulls hard enough to get away from a line with ease. There’s a fair bit of engine clatter and noise, and it’s evident at low and higher speeds, too.

The six-speed automatic shifts smartly and quickly, but it’s also a bit busier than you might expect. At highway pace you’ll notice it will shuffle between the higher gears to keep the engine in its torque sweet spot. That’s no bad thing, but to those who expect a diesel engine to stick in a higher gear and rely on rumble to keep things going, it can be a little unexpected.

Another consideration for the on-road driving component is the safety technology and driving aids, which are more helpful in the D-Max than in the HiLux - partly because the Isuzu has additional tech like active lane keeping assistance, as it uses a camera system to monitor the road ahead and can control the electric steering to ensure you don’t leave your lane, instead of just brake-force lane departure prevention like the Toyota.

The Isuzu also gets blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, and they’re helpful in all sorts of situations. The HiLux doesn’t get either of those items. 

Toyota HiLux SR5+

Changed, yes. Dramatically different? Not quite.

The claims about the updated HiLux are bold, with Toyota Australia’s local team assisting in “retuning the HiLux chassis, achieving a significant improvement in ride quality when driving without a load, along with more responsive handling and even greater stability when towing”.

We can’t comment on the towing element just yet - stay tuned, we’ll do a towing test at a later date - but the ride quality without a load was a focal point of this test, and while it is improved compared to the pre-facelift model, it’s not “significantly” better. You still feel more of the lumps and bumps in the road surface in the HiLux than you do in the D-Max, and it still feels more workmanlike as a result. And off-road it remains very, er, connected to the surface below, with some punishing parts of the drive experience on gravel tracks. More on that from Crafty below. 

As for the steering, Toyota reckons the new “variable-flow control power steering pump” offers a “more connected and confident feel at any speed” while also “making parking easier”. 

We disagree. 

The old HiLux had pretty good steering. In fact, it was one of the ute’s highlights when it came to driving. But this time around, there’s actually additional vagueness on-centre at speed, while at lower speeds the amount of wrist work is beyond that of the previous model. Seriously, we had a 2019 HiLux with us on this shoot, and the steering difference was remarkable - the old one was considerably easier to twirl at lower speed. 

But the big news here is really the engine, which retains the same capacity, but takes a big step up in terms of power and torque. With 150kW and 500Nm, it’s now among the most powerful four-cylinder diesel engines in this part of the ute segment, and it feels it.

There’s plenty of pulling power, and the recalibrated six-speed auto does a nice job of harnessing the grunt on offer. Like the D-Max, it can be busy - and the grade logic control, where the gearbox will downshift to use engine braking to take a bit of pressure off the brakes, is alarming in its aggression at times. It’s also really bloody loud when you’re downshifted to 3rd or 4th gear at 80km/h down a lengthy steep hill (for Aussies, we’re specifically calling out Mt Ousley near Wollongong here!).

Both offered good braking performance in a mix of situations, though, and while the HiLux wasn’t quite as comfortable or easy to drive on-road, when it came to the rough and tumble, things were a little different.

Off-road - by Adventure Editor, Marcus Craft

Isuzu D-Max LS-U 

The D-Max has always been a decent 4WD ute, but a lack of actionable power and torque, its less-than-ideal 4WD set-up (including a weak off-road traction control system) and the absence of a rear diff-lock have always let it down.

Well, all of those problems have been addressed in the 2021 D-Max and, bloody hell, it shows. 

But before we get to that, here’s some good news: the new D-Max’s suspension is much better than the previous generation’s as demonstrated by the very comfortable and controlled drive to one of our unofficial 4WD testing and proving grounds.

The track leading to our hill-climb test is mostly well-maintained gravel and dirt, but it is peppered with shallow corrugations here and there, and there are deeper surprise potholes lurking along the route as well. 

The D-Max’s showroom-standard Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts are no good for 4WDing.

The D-Max soaked most of it up without any bother. The ride was very comfortable, for a ute, and is the nearest the D-Max has ever been to being smooth and refined over rough terrain at speed.

It was much better than the rough-riding HiLux.

You want more good news? When it comes to low-speed and low-range 4WDing – the fun, tough stuff – the new D-Max is much better than the old one.

Whereas the previous D-Max’s 4WD shortcomings used to be quite rapidly exposed when tackling hardcore terrain, this time it took a climb up most of our set-piece hill, using controlled momentum off the back of the new tweaked off-road traction control system, before we had to even think about using the new rear diff-lock*. The D-Max’s off-road performance has improved that much. (* Note: when you engage the diff lock, the off-road traction control is disengaged.)

The D-Max has always been a decent 4WD ute.

Remember though: a rear diff lock – or any diff lock for that matter – is not the cure-all some people might assume it is, but it certainly helps – and the fact you at least have the option of using it when crunch-time comes is a real bonus.

The LS-U’s ground clearance is a claimed 240mm, and while that’s 24mm more the HiLux has, it always feels a little too low, too vulnerable to underbody-scraping (partly thanks to its 40mm longer wheelbase) on sharper-angled obstacles or bellying out coming out of deeper ruts and ditches. But, with patience and considered driving, progress can be easily maintained. 

The D-Max’s showroom-standard Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts (265/60R18 110S) – are no good for 4WDing and a weakness in its off-road efficacy that can be easily rectified with a set of new more aggressive all-terrains. 

The ute’s wheel travel is also still less than ideal, but the reworked 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine is a cracker so if you can get a tyre to the dirt, there is plenty of usable torque to tap into.

The D-Max also has 100mm more claimed wading depth than the HiLux at 800mm.

I did have some difficulty engaging the D-Max’s hill descent control before I took on the first of several downhill runs but, once engaged, it proved up to the task: yielding a smooth, controlled descent at a sustained 2-3km/h or so, even on short steeper sections; it only ever reached 5-6km/h – not ideal – on very steep declines. 

The D-Max also has 100mm more claimed wading depth than the HiLux at 800mm.

So, a lot of the pieces of the off-road-improvement puzzle are all there – tractable engine with more accessible torque, effective traction control, diff-lock – and with those elements combining nicely, the D-Max seems more ‘on the money’ in terms of its all-round capability in difficult 4WDing conditions than it ever has before. 

But that doesn’t mean it was the best in this match-up though.

Toyota HiLux SR5+

The drive to our hardcore hill-climb is, overall, a nice cruisy country drive, especially in favourable conditions, as was the case on our off-road testing day.

But the HiLux proved to be the roughest rider of these two utes over this sort of surface, seemingly finding any irregularity in the track and jarring, jumping and thumping through every single one of them. Spine-rattling to say the least, but firmly in keeping with true ute tradition.

The track up our steep hill-climb was even more deeply rutted and washed-out than usual due to recent heavy rains and so, with a fallen tree across the track here and there, and some nasty ruts which forced our utes into severe whole-vehicle tilts almost into trees and/or rocks, the route had become even more treacherous to drive up.

The HiLux feels the most composed, the most comfortable capable of most contemporary dual-cab utes.

At low revs, with plenty of ground-level dirt-grabbing torque to call on, the HiLux allowed for steady, even-handed progression up this serious challenge. 

There was ample control, minimal wheel-spin, and the HiLux simply kept trucking along, even when pushed into severe whole-vehicle tilts.  

I’ve said it before, but the HiLux simply feels like it’s ‘dialled in’ to the terrain; visibility is good all-round, accurate wheel placement is easy to achieve, and, as a result, so is finding your line up or down a tricky route and sticking to it.

The HiLux is the more appealing 4WD touring platform of these two. 

On the downhill run, the HiLux’s downhill assist control (i.e. hill descent control) was simple enough to activate and it then helped to produce a smooth driving experience at a controlled low-speed pace, about 2-3km/h. None of the overly-aggressive abrupt ‘biting’ of some systems, and no graunching either. 

As with the D-Max, the HiLux’s road-suited tyres – Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts (265/60R18 110H) – are the weakest link in its off-road characteristics – but, again, they’re easily replaced with a set of aggressive all-terrain tyres, and should be.

The HiLux simply kept trucking along.

But in low-range 4WDing, the HiLux still feels the most composed, the most comfortable capable of most contemporary dual-cab utes – and being able to now draw on even more torque – up from 450Nm to 500Nm – adds another layer of ability to its off-road arsenal.  

The fact the HiLux also produces more power and more torque and yields better fuel use, and so has a greater driving range in between tank-fills than the D-Max makes it the more appealing 4WD touring platform of these two. 

Ownership could be among the most important considerations for you if you’re shelling out sixty grand on a new ute, and we totally understand that.

While we can’t speak for each of these utes in terms of long-term ownership and reliability, we’ve covered off their respective ownership programs below, and there are some interesting considerations.

You may have noticed the asterisk in the warranty section above: that’s because the Toyota HiLux has a standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, but if you’ve maintained logbook servicing the powertrain is covered for seven years/unlimited kays. It doesn’t need to have been serviced at Toyota - you can maintain it at any registered mechanic. 

But the Isuzu has longer service intervals, cheaper servicing, you don’t need to take it in for maintenance every six months, and it only has one year less warranty - plus there’s seven years of roadside assistance to put your mind at ease. Wow. It smashes the Toyota here.

If you’re still worried about common problems, complaints, issues, recalls, DPF problems or any other potential worries, you can always take a look at our Toyota HiLux problems page or our Isuzu D-Max problems page.