The beefed-up Isuzu D-Max Blade has been uncovered early by the carmaker, a handful of days before it officially details the rugged new dual-cab 4×4 ute.
In a post on social media, Isuzu’s Australian division uploaded a single photo of the D-Max Blade, showcasing its blacked-out and new-look grille, red bash plate, unique wheel-arch flares and chunky all-terrain tyres.
Spy photos of the D-Max Blade, which was developed by Walkinshaw, have previously shown it’ll ride on bigger wheels and different springs to standard D-Max 4×4 dual-cabs, and feature a sailplane, high-mounted brake light, wheel-arch cladding, and a sump guard.
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Further details about the Isuzu D-Max Blade are due to be announced later this week, as a media launch event is currently underway.
However, thanks to a government approval filing from July, which detailed the Blade’s modifications, we do know more about what lies under the skin of this more rugged D-Max.
The aforementioned changes mean it’ll ride 26.5mm higher up front and 29mm at the rear, though its axle ratings and gross vehicle mass (GVM) are unchanged.
It’s understood the D-Max Blade won’t bring any changes for the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder that powers most versions of the Isuzu ute, meaning it’s expected to continue making 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque.
It’ll be the latest in a growing number of locally-fettled dual-cabs developed by Walkinshaw, including the Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme, Volkswagen Amarok W-Series, WAU Ford Ranger and the Holden Colorado-based HSV SportsCat, to name a few.
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