Isuzu has unveiled the brand-new Blade ute, built in Australia as a new top-spec D-Max model through a collaboration with Walkinshaw Automotive Group.
While Walkinshaw – famous for its work on numerous vehicles including performance Holdens – has put its spin on the D-Max’s styling and suspension setup, a notable omission is any power bump for the diesel ute.
As it stands, the Blade is powered by the same 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine used by other D-Max models.
That makes it a direct competitor to the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, fettled by Premcar in Victoria, rather than the twin-turbo V6-powered Ford Ranger Raptor.
Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) has made it clear the focus of the Blade was not to create a high-performance ute, while Walkinshaw outlined developing a higher-output engine would’ve added an “enormous amount of money” to the project.
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IUA PR manager Mark Harman says the development of the Blade centred around the D-Max’s “core pillars”, namely off-road prowess.
“We have focused on the elements that are really core to the vehicle. It wasn’t about outputs, which would compromise a few things when it comes to viability of the program, and, of course, costs as well,” he said.
Mr Harman says the current 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine carried over for the D-Max Blade is a “proven powertrain”, with IUA “proud” of its current outputs of 140kW and 450Nm.
“What we’ve all got to keep in mind is the hallmark attributes of that [engine]: that durability, that reliability, and also that torque spread across the rev range. It’s not to be compromised,” he said.
“The engine in the vehicle performs up to expectations. We’ve done a fair bit of validation testing, and it still performs as per expectations, and against the benchmarks of the class.”
For context, the top-spec Navara Pro-4X Warrior utilises a 2.3-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine with exactly the same power and torque figures as the Blade’s 3.0-litre unit.
The Ranger Raptor, meanwhile, is the only variant in the Ranger lineup to use a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, which produces 292kW of power and 583Nm of torque.
Walkinshaw chief engineer Trevor Barallon says changing engine outputs would be prohibitively expensive, while also creating issues with emissions regulations.
“From an emissions perspective, it’s quite a struggle at the moment to make any changes without adding an enormous amount of money to the program,” he said.
“Honestly, I don’t think we thought that was a pillar of this vehicle, those being durability, off-road capability, that sort of stuff. That’s probably the main reason for not focusing on the powertrain.”
Walkinshaw’s additions to the D-Max include suspension developed and tuned in-house, new 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in large all-terrain tyres, a wider track and underbody protection and bracing.
Cosmetic tweaks include a new grille with a blacked-out Isuzu logo and integrated light bar, Blade decals, Isuzu-branded mud flaps, wheel arch cladding, a one-piece sports bar, and beefy side steps.
Changes to the suspension and wheel setup in particular were designed to improve off-road capability while adjusting on-road handling, aspects that were developed through more than 100,000km of durability testing.
The Blade benefits from slightly better ground clearance as a result of the suspension lift – 244mm, up from 240mm in the LS-U+ on which it’s based – and retains the same 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity.
When asked about the possibility of a more performance-oriented D-Max in the future, Mr Harman said IUA was always thinking about “ways to innovate a product”.
“There’s always scope to improve our products. We work hand in hand with our engineers and our designers, not just locally, but also overseas in Japan and Thailand,” he said.
“We’re always feeding back to our product planning team, our engineers and designers to improve the product, so it’s been noted and we’ve passed it on. That’s all we can say at the moment.”
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