Isuzu D-Max vs Volkswagen Caddy 5

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.

The VW Caddy Cargo feels sporty and is undeniably fun to drive with its lively engine and responsive handling. But that doesn’t detract from its light workhorse capabilities.

Given the choice, we’d prefer the TDI320 turbo-diesel’s superior torque, payload and fuel economy, but for $2000 less this turbo-petrol version with enhanced safety still has plenty of appeal for small van buyers.

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 SWB test vehicle has a 2755mm wheelbase and compact 4500mm length.

Its front-wheel drive chassis, which shares some architecture with the iconic Golf sedan, rides on simple but robust MacPherson strut front suspension, a coil-spring beam rear axle and four-wheel disc brakes.

With electric power-assisted steering, it has an 11.4-metre turning circle (larger than we expected) and load access is through asymmetric rear barn-doors and a kerbside sliding door.

The dash has a clean and minimalist look given that most functions including heating/cooling are controlled via the central touchscreen, which, like a phone, can be fiddly and therefore distracting while driving.

However, it does at least retain traditional rotary dials for audio volume and radio tuning.

The moulded composite bulkhead between cabin and cargo bay, with its mesh-protected central window, is effective as a cargo barrier and in minimising noise from the load area.

However, it appears Volkswagen has also fitted noise-absorbing fixtures over the rear wheel housings, which combined with the bulkhead, create civilised cabin acoustics.

Even so, tyre noise can still be intrusive at highway speeds on coarse bitumen surfaces.

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.

The Caddy’s 1433kg tare weight and 2150kg GVM result in a 717kg payload rating.

Up to 100kg can be legally carried on the roof, where external anchorage points covered by protective caps are provided for installing roof racks or rails.

It’s also rated to tow up to 1500kg of braked trailer but VW does not publish a GCM (Gross Combination Mass) rating, so we don’t know how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time.

The versatile cargo bay, which offers 3.1 cubic metres of load volume, is 1797mm long, 1614mm wide and 1272mm high. With 1230mm between the wheel housings, it can carry either a single 1165mm-square Aussie pallet, one 1000 x 1200mm Euro 3 pallet or two smaller 800 x 1200mm Euro pallets.

All can be loaded through the rear barn-doors, with 180-degree opening for easy forklift access. The sliding side-door’s opening is only 695mm, partly due to intrusion of the bulkhead, so kerbside access is only for smaller items.

There are six load anchorage points and even though the cargo bay’s walls and doors are lined to mid-height, there’s no protective floor covering, which we would recommend to avoid unsightly dents and scratches. There’s also bright LED lighting and another handy 12-volt outlet.

Driver and passenger have plenty of cabin storage with large bottle holders and bins in each door, dashboard bins, a large glove box, full-width overhead storage shelf and a centre console offering four open storage nooks and dual small-bottle/cupholders.

The Cargo range offers eight variants (10 if you include the Crewvan) with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, manual or auto transmissions and two wheelbase lengths comprising Standard (SWB) and Maxi (LWB).

Our test vehicle is the Cargo SWB, equipped with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic for a list price of $39,990.

Externally you get a no-frills workhorse designed for hard work, with ample dark grey plastic in the usual places where bumps, scrapes and wear occur, including the bumpers, door handles and door mirrors.

However, at least there are silver plastic wheel covers (easy to replace if damaged) to add some bling to its robust 16-inch steel wheels and 205/60R16 tyres, with a full-size spare.

There’s also work-focused rubber flooring in the cabin as you’d expect, which is in stark contrast to numerous creature comforts you might not expect like keyless start, height/reach adjustable leather-rimmed steering wheel, adjustable lumbar support on both bucket seats, heated door mirrors, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and separate cabin/cargo bay locking.

There’s also standard wireless smartphone charging, two 12-volt accessory outlets and a pair of USB-C ports, plus a four-speaker multimedia system with 8.25-inch colour touchscreen and multiple connectivity including Apple and Android devices.

However, in stark contrast to this tech, there’s no AM radio band. Go figure.

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 spirited and economical 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine produces its maximum 84kW across a 1500rpm-wide power band between 4500-6000pm.

Torque enjoys similar band width as its 220Nm is served at full strength between 1750-3000rpm, which showcases this little engine’s impressive flexibility.

The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic offers three drive modes comprising Drive, Sport and Tiptronic; the latter for manual-shifting using the steering wheel-mounted paddles. There’s also an electronically-controlled automatic locking diff.

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.

VW claims an official combined figure of 6.2L/100km and the Caddy’s dash display was claiming 7.2 at the end of our 252km test, of which about one third was hauling its maximum payload.

After crunching the numbers from tripmeter and fuel bowser readings, our own figure was very close to the Caddy’s at 7.4L/100km.

So, based on our figures, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 670km from its 50-litre tank using 95 RON fuel.

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 may be a small vehicle but people of most shapes and sizes can find a comfortable driving position thanks to its spacious cabin with ample headroom, comfortable and supportive bucket seating with adjustable lumbar support and a big left footrest. Rake adjustment for the seat’s base cushion would make it even better.

Although it looks like a back-to-basics workhorse it doesn’t drive like one, particularly when unladen.

It feels more like a car than a van and is quite engaging (dare we say sporty) with its combination of firm but supple suspension, nicely weighted and communicative steering through the delightful leather-wrapped wheel and reassuringly strong retardation from a quartet of disc brakes.

It has less power and torque than its TDI320 turbo-diesel sibling and both peak values are accessed further up the rev range, so it must maintain higher rpm than the diesel for optimum performance which is typical of small turbo-petrol engines.  

The sweet-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic makes this easy to achieve, though, particularly when you have the option of manual paddle-shifting.

The gearing also ensures low engine stress at highway speeds, requiring only 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h.

Although its agility is great for zipping through busy traffic or down narrow city lanes for delivery work, unfortunately it can’t erase the huge blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder caused by the cabin bulkhead and, beyond that, the solid cargo bay walls.

The passenger-side door mirror is not large enough for adequate visual coverage of this hazardous zone. Although blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are available as pricey options, we reckon they should be standard issue for not only our test vehicle but all solid-walled vans.

To test its load-carrying, we inflated the tyres to the 42psi cold pressures recommended on the placard and forklifted 415kg into the cargo bay.

With our crew of two, that equalled a 575kg payload that was about 140kg under its peak rating (we would have loaded more but weights were in short supply on the day).

Even so, the rear coil springs only compressed about 45mm, which was no different to when we loaded a similar model with more than 700kg. The rear suspension felt slightly firmer but still supple under this weight, maintaining safe and predictable handling.

 It also performed well on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to a suitable gear and easily hauling this load to the top.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was minimal at best requiring several brake applications to keep it under the posted 60km/h speed limit.

However, this is typical of small displacement motors with heavy loads on their backs.

A maximum five-star ANCAP rating applies to all Cargo variants built from July 2022.

The Caddy Cargo offers numerous safety features headlined by seven airbags and AEB, along with new MY23 upgrades comprising 'Lane Assist' and 'Front Assist'.

Lane Assist operates above 60km/h to provide steering correction when the vehicle appears to be leaving the lane without the driver using the turn signal.

Front Assist detects cyclists/pedestrians plus oncoming traffic when turning at an intersection and can apply autonomous braking to avoid a collision.

There’s also a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, daytime running lights, non-adaptive cruise control, a driver fatigue alert system and 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 Volkswagen Caddy Cargo is covered by a five year/unlimited km warranty with 12 months roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing every 15,000km or 12 months whichever occurs first.

Total capped-price servicing for five years/75,000km is $3142, or a pricey average of $628 per year.

However, VW offers an upfront five-year care plan that represents a $1492 saving (that’s almost 50 per cent) for the same service period.