It seems that, unlike the Southeast Asian market, China isn’t too big on pickup trucks. Granted, there are some homegrown products over there, but pickups don’t seem to get the same level of fanfare compared to us, Thailand, and Australia. However, that isn’t stopping some brands from selling trucks in the world’s biggest market at the moment.
Recently, Isuzu launched the D-Max in mainland China, and it’s very different from the ones sold in the rest of the world. From the outside, it looks like a pre-facelift version of the pickup, but all the significant differences are under the skin.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Registration validity of ‘7’ plates extended till August 15 in typhoon-hit regions
LTO deploys ‘mystery applicants’ to check services at its district offices
Starting with the engine, the China-spec D-Max does not use the familiar 3.0-liter Bluepower turbodiesel. Instead, it comes with the smaller 1.9-liter RZ4E mill. While that engine is offered worldwide, it has a different tune for the Chinese market. Instead of 148hp and 350Nm, the version sold over there packs 175 hp and 410 Nm of torque. While not as powerful as the 3.0-liter, it’s still decent numbers nonetheless. Not only that, the RZ4E in China is paired with a different transmission. Instead of the familiar six-speed automatic, this one comes with an eight-speed unit.
Isuzu China also made several significant revision under the chassis. For starters, the truck swaps out its leaf springs in favor of a multi-link live axle with coil springs. With that, it now adopts a similar suspension arrangement as the Mu-X. The pickup also gets a brake upgrade at the back with a pair of discs replacing the drums. But what surprised us was the change of the steering rack. Instead of a hydraulic unit, the China-spec D-Max gets electronic power steering.
Even the interior gets an overhaul. The dashboard is nothing like the ones sold anywhere else. It gets a different fascia with the passenger side getting an intricate graphic. Meanwhile, the screen is much wider and the air-conditioning vents are moved down. More interestingly, the Chinese-market D-Max comes with a fully digital instrument cluster and an electronic gear selector. The truck also gets unique door panels to further differentiate it from Thai-build models.
We’re curious if any of the changes made to the Chinese D-Max will eventually make its way to versions sold everywhere else. At the very least, we’d like to see the addition of the rear disc brakes, the dashboard, and the lighter electronic power steering in the minor model change. And while we’re at it, it would be great if Isuzu finally added a rear differential lock as all its competitors come equipped with that feature.
