Isuzu D-Max vs Mercedes-Benz Vito

What's the difference?

The new D-Max hasn’t been majorly overhauled and instead bundles together a whole bunch of small but important changes, all of which have been designed to keep it fresh in the face of its competition, like the Triton, Ranger and HiLux.

Has it done enough? Only time will tell. But there’s little doubt that these updates only improve the D-Max formula.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

This is a very competent light commercial van that’s nice to drive, either unladen or with a heavy load. It’s also rated to carry more than a tonne (like the HiAce) while towing 2.5 tonnes (one tonne more than the HiAce) which would make it well suited to a wide range of job applications, particularly given the forklift-friendly option of rear barn-doors.

However, even in standard trim, without our test vehicle’s options, it costs about $20K more than Toyota’s dominant rival. So, only a potential buyer can decide if the Vito’s much higher pricing is justified after a decent test drive and consideration of its higher tow rating - and perceived prestige.

There are some big-ish changes for this new-look D-Max, but how many of them you get depends on which of the six trim levels you’re shopping for.

Spring for one near the top of the family tree, and you’ll get all of the updates, which include new-look headlights that are LED with LED DRLs (but halogens on the SX), and a new-look front-end and grille. At the rear, there are new LED rear light clusters.

It doesn’t look a million miles away from the current D-Max, to be honest, but it does look a little newer, and a little fresher, which is important in the battle of the inches that is the new-ute market.

Inside, the brand describes the cabin as a mix of utility and comfort, and that’s feels pretty accurate from the driver’s seat.

The tech is new, with the 8.0- or 9.0-inch central screen joined by USB connection points, and there’s a new Digital Driver Display screen in the mix, along with new seat materials and trims, too.

But back to that that mix of utility and comfort. I’m not sure Isuzu has gotten the mix exactly right. There are plenty of soft-touch materials in the higher-trim levels, just not always where I want them to be.

I don’t know about you, but I like to have my elbow up when driving, and that plastic is still scratchy and hard, as is the place where my knee touches the centre console.

That said, it’s largely comfortable, definitely functional, and it serves up pretty much exactly what you might expect.

Our test vehicle rides on a 3200m wheelbase, which is the shorter of two available, resulting in an overall vehicle length of more than 5.0 metres (5140mm) and a tight 11.1-metre turning circle. Its 1915mm height ensures access to underground and multi-storey carparks.

It looks a cut above the usual whitegoods-on-wheels appearance of commercial vans with its alloy wheels, chrome grille highlights and black metallic paint including the front and rear bumpers. It has MacPherson strut front suspension, semi-trailing arm coil-spring rear suspension (which is excellent under heavy loads) and four-wheel disc brakes.

Although the driver’s bucket seat offers multiple adjustments, the separate bench seat for two passengers has none, but it does include a separate headrest and lap-sash belt for the centre passenger. All are trimmed in black 'Caluma' fabric.

However, if you’re tall with large feet like me, you’ll struggle to find a comfortable position in the centre seat. Given that its base cushion is offset to the left of the floor’s transmission hump, you can’t sit with feet either side of the hump.

The only choices are to squeeze both feet on top of the hump between dash and seat (not enough room for my size-11 Blundstones) or angle both legs across to the left with your feet on the passenger floor and knees pressing into the dash. Either way, travelling three-up is for short trips only, with the smallest crew-member preferably in the middle.

Isuzu has taken to calling the D-Max one of Australia’s most capable utes out of the box.

That includes up to 240mm in ground clearance, 800mm in wading depth, and a towing maximum of 3.5 tonnes for the bigger diesel engine, dropping to three tonnes with the 1.9-litre powerplant fitted. Payload is up to 1405kg, too, but to get you need the SX with Cab Chassis. It’s more like 1045kg for most dual-cab ute trims.

Also new for this update is the addition of Rough Terrain Mode — a technology borrowed from the MU-X, then improved to pair with the D-Max’s mechanical off-road features.

In short, the tech taps into the traction-control systems to detect wheel slip, and can then brake individual wheels and send torque to where it is needed to smooth your progress. In the D-Max, it works with the rear diff-lock, too.

The back seat of the D-Max shows why vehicles in this category are now doubling as family vehicles. Behind my own 175cm driving position there was enough knee and headroom to get comfortable, and I’m confident you could fit three across the back row pretty easily, too.

There are some creature comforts, including a USB-C charging point (trim dependent) as well as air vents, but no temp controls, and even a little coat hook as well, but it’s not swimming with niceties.

With its relatively light 1967kg kerb weight (a HiAce equivalent tops 2200kg) and 3050kg GVM, our test vehicle has a 1083kg payload rating, so it’s a genuine one-tonner. And up to 150kg of that can be carried on the roof, where you’ll find four pairs of mounting points along each side of the roof ready for rack-mounting.

It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer and with its 5550kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it’s rated to tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum payload. That’s an impressive and useful set of numbers.

The cargo bay, which offers a competitive 6.0 cubic metres of load volume, is accessed by sliding doors on each side with 822mm opening width (although the top half of the cabin bulkhead encroaches on this) and a swing-up tailgate which restricts forklift access for rear loading (a twin barn-door option is available).

The walls and doors of the cargo bay are lined and its wooden load floor is 2678mm long and 1709mm wide with 1270mm between the rear-wheel housings. So, it could carry two 1165mm-square standard Aussie pallets or up to three 800 x 1200mm Euro pallets, secured using your choice of eight load-anchorage points. There’s also a large storage area at the base of the bulkhead which is ideal for carrying ropes, straps, load-padding etc.

There are numerous personal storage places in the cabin, including large bottle-holders and bins in the base of each door plus a second-tier at mid-height for smaller items. There are also three bins and two cupholders in the top of the dash-pad plus an overhead glasses holder, decent-sized glove box and a sizeable storage compartment hidden beneath the outer passenger seat.

Our Vito test vehicle is the 116 CDI MWB (Medium Wheel Base) Van, which with 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, nine-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive has a list price of $63,278, plus on-road costs.

Our example is fitted with the optional 'Cargo Package' ($2244) which comprises a twin-passenger ‘Comfort’ front bench seat and cargo bay enhancements including a rear LED interior light, full-width bulkhead with window (which separates cabin and cargo bay) and robust wood flooring.

It’s also finished in optional 'Obsidian Black' metallic paint ($1704) which together with the Cargo Package bumps the as-tested list price to $69,701.

Standard equipment includes niceties like 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/55 R17 tyres and a full-size steel spare, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, tinted windows, leather-wrapped and height/reach-adjustable steering wheel with multiple remote functions, along with a driver’s seat comfort pack with adjustable lumbar support and adjustable base-cushion length which can be extended so it sits right under your knees. Great on long drives.

There’s also a chrome grille and interior highlights package, all-season floor mats, two USB ports and a 12-volt accessory outlet plus a multimedia system with 7.0-inch touchscreen, digital radio and multiple connectivity options including Apple and Android devices, voice-command and more.

The D-Max’s powertrains for 2024 remain unchanged, with the choice of a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine good for 110kW and 350Nm, or a 3.0-litre unit producing 140kW and 450Nm. They are paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, and two- or four-wheel drive, depending on the model.

The refined and efficient 'OM654' is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel which meets the toughest Euro 6 emissions standards using AdBlue. It produces 120kW at 4200rpm and its 380Nm is served at full strength across a broad torque band between 1350-2400rpm, which highlights its flexibility.

The '9G-Tronic' nine-speed torque converter automatic offers fast and smooth shifting and there are four switchable driving modes comprising 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' or 'Manual', the latter using steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters.

Isuzu reckons you’ll see around 8.0L/100km on the combined cycle with the bigger engine, with fuel use dropping to 6.9L/100km with the 1.9-litre unit fitted.

The 76-litre tank is the same for both engines, meaning a theoretical range of 950km or 1100km.

Mercedes-Benz claims an official combined cycle figure of 6.8L/100km but the dash readout was showing 8.1 at the end of our 348km test, of which about one third of that distance was hauling more than one tonne of payload.

That was lineball with our own figure, calculated from tripmeter and fuel bowser readings, of 8.3 which is outstanding single-digit economy given its big payload and GCM ratings. So, based on our figures, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 840km from its 70-litre tank.

Remember, it’s evolution over revolution for the 2024 Isuzu D-Max, so don’t expect the drive experience to be dramatically different. 

Instead, the brand says it has focused on fixing some of the complaints surrounding the outgoing model, something Isuzu is pretty open about.

It says they’ve taken feedback from the media, from their customers, and from their big fleet users, and they’ve fed it up their Japanese HQ. And the result of all that is this 2024 update.

Apparently one of the biggest complaints focused on the infotainment screen having no physical buttons, but the new one changes that with its wireless Apple CarPlay and twin USB connection points joined by a physical volume dial. I know that feels a little like you’ve taken a step backwards through time, but when something works, it works.

The’ve also made some key, and worthy, changes to the safety systems, but we will get to those in a moment.

The reality is — and I don’t mean this in an insulting way — that the new D-Max largely drives much like you might expect a top-selling diesel dual-cab to drive.

The torque on offer from both engines, but especially the bigger one, is plentiful, even if the noise of the diesel is an ever-present passenger when you put your foot down, and there is that inescapable truck-like feeling from behind the wheel.

There are some elements that set it apart, though. The steering is smooth and responsive, as is the quick-witted automatic gearbox, and despite us tipping into corners a little faster than we would on our daily commute, there wasn’t much in the way of side-to-side body roll, and no complaints from the rubber.

That might sound like I’m damning the D-Max with faint praise, but that’s not the intention. It’s a comfortable, capable, practical workhorse, and that’s ticking plenty of ute boxes, right?

The bigger-engined D-Max remains a towing powerhouse, too. We pulled some serious weight, and 3.0-litre turbo-diesel made pretty light work of it, with ample torque on offer to keep things moving.

It wouldn’t be the launch of an updated diesel dual-cab without a tour across a tailored off-road course, and Isuzu delivered, specifically to plug the merits of its new Rough Terrain Mode.

Tested back-to-back with the system switched on and off, there does seem to be less slip from the wheels when traversing bumpy, tyre-torturing articulations, with the D-Max just gripping and going. It’s another off-road tick for a ute already very good in the rough stuff.

It offers a comfortable driving position with good eyelines to all mirrors, even though the central mirror’s view through the bulkhead window is slightly obscured by the centre seat headrest.

There’s a vast blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder caused by the bulkhead and solid cargo bay walls. This requires total reliance on the passenger-side door mirror in traffic, fortunately with the reassurance of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

The driver’s seat, with its fold-down inboard armrest and multiple adjustment, is supportive and comfortable even though the recline angle of the backrest is restricted by the bulkhead behind it. Fortunately, there’s enough recline available, even for tall drivers.

The leather-trimmed steering wheel has a luxurious feel which is in stark contrast to the foot-operated parking brake, which lets out a loud spring-loaded ‘twang’ each time you pull the dashboard lever to release it.

It’s nice to drive on a daily basis as the bulkhead seals off cargo bay noise, steering is nicely weighted, the four-wheel discs provide strong braking and the unladen ride quality with four-coil suspension is smooth and supple.

At city and suburban speeds, the nine-speed auto is efficient at keeping the turbo-diesel operating in its broad peak torque band, with energetic throttle response that never feels sluggish.

With adaptive cruise control it also has effortless highway performance, requiring only 1500rpm to maintain 100km/h and 1750rpm at 110km/h. Engine and wind noise are low, but tyre noise varies according to road surface and can be quite intrusive on coarse bitumen at these higher speeds.

To test its payload rating, we forklifted 975kg into the cargo bay. With the raised tailgate restricting forklift access, we could only load one weight-block through the rear and that was only possible using extended tynes on the forklift. The other two blocks were loaded through the side doors.

With driver the total payload was 1065kg, which was less than 20kg under its limit. The coil-spring rear suspension compressed 75mm, which engaged the long rubber cones located inside the coils that provide a second stage of load support and a ride quality that’s free of thumps over bumps. The nose rose 30mm in response.

With more than a tonne on board, the Vito handled the load with ease. Although more accelerator pedal was needed, particularly on hills, the handling remained stable and it glided over bumps.

It also scoffed at our 13 per cent gradient 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to third gear to easily haul this load to the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as effective which is usually the case with relatively small diesels trying to restrain heavy payloads on steep descents. The quartet of disc brakes kept our speeds below the posted 60km/h limit.

Currently there's no ANCAP rating for Vito models built from January 2023. Even so, our test vehicle is loaded with active safety features in M-B’s latest ‘Adaptive ESPR – Electronic Stability Program 9i’ plus front and (side) window airbags for driver and outer passenger, digital reversing camera with three rear-view modes, heated door mirrors and lots more.

The D-Max is covered by Isuzu’s six-year, 150,000km warranty, and we like the years, but less so the kilometre limits.

There’s five years of capped-price servicing, too. You’ll be visiting the service centre every 12 months or 15,000kms, and each visit will cost you $449 for the first five years, or $2245 in total.

The Vito is covered by a five-year/250,000km warranty including a 24-hour roadside assist support package. Service intervals are 12 months/25,000km whichever occurs first.

A choice of three capped-price service plans is available, including 'Best Basic Pre-Paid' which covers five scheduled services for a total cost of $4892, or an average of $978 per service.