Almost every pickup manufacturer has a special, off-road oriented variant or one that, at the very least, looks sportier than the standard version. Mitsubishi has the Strada Athlete, Nissan has the Navara Pro-4X, and Toyota has the Hilux GR-S. Ford even went all out with the Ranger by releasing several trail-ready versions in the span of three weeks. In case you need to jog your memory, these were the Stormtrak, Wildtrak X, and Tremor.
However, Isuzu doesn’t seem to have one for the D-Max. Sure, there’s the LS-E 4x4, but that one isn’t quite like the models mentioned above. That is why we wish Isuzu would put its latest one-off model into production one day. The unique D-Max doesn’t have a name yet, but it has the potential to be a Hilux GR-S, Navara Pro-4X, or even a Ranger Raptor competitor.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
LTO ‘running out of plastic cards’ for licenses, will start issuing temporary IDs soon
‘Magpapahangin lang nang kaunti’ is NOT a valid excuse to ride without a helmet
The one-off-D-Max is equipped with a front nudge bar with an auxiliary LED lightbar, 18-inch alloys, and a roof rack. But the other mods made to the D-Max are put it a set above the LS-E version you see sitting in showrooms. For starters, those 18-inch alloys are wrapped in all-terrain tires for better traction. Then there’s the upgraded suspension package that gives this truck new springs and dampers, along with a 50mm increase in ground clearance.
Isuzu didn’t mention any technical specifications, so that makes us believe that this D-Max kept its 3.0-liter turbodiesel standard. If so, that means we’re looking at 187hp and 450Nm of torque from this particular truck.
You’re probably wondering why Isuzu made this one-off in the first place. That’s because Isuzu Thailand is doing something called Master of All Roads. It’s a web series that sees the D-Max taking on a variety of challenges, hence the mods on the truck. It’s been going on for two seasons now, the first one being held in Thailand and the second in New Zealand. It’s worth your time if you’d like to see the D-Max going sideways on the dirt, flying on crests, or plowing through mud pits.
As for the truck that’s featured in the series, a part of us would like to see a production version of it. Besides, who wouldn’t want a factory-built, off-road special D-Max? That said, it doesn’t seem to be in Isuzu’s future plans for the current-gen D-Max.
