2025 Isuzu D-Max Blade review

Walkinshaw is at it again.

And once again, the famed Holden tuner’s latest collaboration involves modifying a reputable dual-cab 4×4 ute, rather than creating the five-second performance cars for which it’s best known.

When Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) decided to transform its ever-strong D-Max into a homegrown offroad-ready beast, it turned to the Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Clayton, Victoria.

So Walkinshaw set about upgrading the off-road capabilities of the D-Max LS-U+, rather than the top-shelf X-Terrain, namely in the form of new suspension developed in-house, new 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in chunky Goodyear all-terrain tyres, and an array of protection components like a bash plate and tubular side steps.

That provided an increased track width and a raised ride height, which were complemented by tougher cosmetics like a new grille and bespoke decals to set it apart from the rest.

The result is the Isuzu D-Max Blade. It’s Isuzu’s new flagship ute and is intended to sit alongside the off-road oriented X-Terrain, though it is $9000 more expensive.

A major drawcard for the Blade is its Australian connection. While no development or manufacturing for the standard D-Max takes place in Australia (unlike the Ford Ranger, which was designed and engineered locally), the Blade was conceived entirely by IUA.

The only involvement by Isuzu’s Japanese headquarters was approval to get the project underway, and to back it with the same manufacturer’s warranty as the standard D-Max made in Thailand.

Walkinshaw then carried out three years of research and development, followed by more than 100,000km worth of development testing, both in-house and out in real-world Australian conditions.

We had the chance to test drive the Blade on roads in and around Adelaide, as well as in various off-road scenarios including the beach.

Does the Blade live up to expectations, or do competitors like the similarly Australian-fettled Nissan Navara Warrior do it better?

How does the Isuzu D-Max compare?

View a detailed breakdown of the Isuzu D-Max against similarly sized vehicles.

Isuzu

D-Max

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How much does the Isuzu D-Max cost?

The Blade joins the D-Max range as its new flagship and 26th variant, and it’s now the most expensive version of the popular ute available.

It’s officially positioned alongside the X-Terrain at the top of the D-Max lineup, which itself is an off-road oriented variant.

But at just under $77,000 drive-away, the Blade is $9000 more expensive than the X-Terrain (about $68,000 drive-away).

The LS-U+ – on which the Blade is based – costs $65,500 before on-roads, or $71,182 drive-away in Victoria. That means the Walkinshaw additions have added around $5800 to the cost of the D-Max LS-U+.

D-Max 4×2

D-Max 4×4 Cab Chassis

D-Max 4×4 Ute

Prices are before on-road costs unless specified as drive-away (D/A).

To see how the Isuzu D-Max stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool.

What is the Isuzu D-Max like on the inside?

The D-Max’s interior is already plenty comfortable for a ute, and since Walkinshaw has hardly spent any time in here there’s really not much to complain about.

Blade-specific interior extras are surprisingly limited. You’ll find ‘Blade’ logos embroidered into the head restraints and floor mats, and the logo also appears on the front door scuff plates.

Behind the gear selector is one of two numerical plaques to be found on the inside of the Blade, denoting each example’s specific build number.

It’s a small thing and the Blade is not a limited-edition, rather a full-time D-Max variant, but it could be nice to know you own the 100th Blade ever built, for example, which may add to the vehicle’s exclusivity and potential resale value.

In our case, we had the privilege of driving production Blade number 001.

That’s all there is for Walkinshaw’s interior tweaks to the D-Max, but realistically that isn’t the point of the offroad-ready Blade. And while the X-Terrain does offer red interior stitching, the Blade is in largely the same boat.

A benefit of that is you get a proven cabin setup and, because it’s essentially an LS-U+, it is as luxurious as the D-Max gets. That’s not to say the LS-U+ is as plush as the competition though.

It’s hard to not take note of the hard plastics draped across the cabin, but for a ute like the D-Max it isn’t going to be a dealbreaker. The armrests and seats are still comfortably soft, so you likely won’t care much about things like the hard dashboard.

Those seats are leather-accented, heated, and power-adjustable, which means it’s easy to get comfortable when you first hop in.

The steering wheel ahead of you is also leather-trimmed, and it’s where you’ll find a lot of the infotainment and driver assist controls. They’re arranged in an assortment of buttons on the spokes, though their feel remains on the cheaper side.

They work reliably, and by extension there’s nothing in the cabin that doesn’t fall into place logically. As with the LS-U+, a couple of seconds spent poking and prodding will quickly reveal anything that isn’t immediately obvious.

Ahead of the wheel is the same 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, which has grown on me in terms of its appearance after spending more time with the car.

Graphically, it isn’t as sharp as the driver’s display in an equivalent Ranger, but there’s loads of information to be found in it and there are illuminated gauges for engine temperature, fuel level, and RPM.

In a similar vein, you get a solid 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display, which looks great and functions reliably. Like the LS-U+, the Blade presents information like tyre pressures right here on the multimedia screen.

There are also physical control knobs and various menus you can dive through to control various car settings, and you still get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as with the rest of the D-Max range.

Below the screen is a sizeable climate control panel, which in this spec of D-Max is arranged in a line of bidirectional switches connected to a small interface above.

It’s very similar to what you find in the Mazda BT-50, which is unsurprising given the D-Max and BT-50 remain mechanical twins and share a lot of interior bits. Even the recently revealed BT-50 update retains a setup that looks largely the same.

And the good news is it means you get a reliable and easy-to-use climate system that doesn’t rely on touchscreen or haptic controls.

Additionally, the traditional gear selector ahead of the Blade plaque features a sparing selection of buttons on either side.

A downside is the gloss-black trim, which was questionable in the LS-U+ and is no less so here. The tales of smudges and scratches are as old as time, so we expect the same issue to eventually crop up in the Blade.

Otherwise, there’s a mechanical handbrake, alongside plenty of storage options on the dash and centre console. There are two gloveboxes on the passenger side, each of which provide adequate storage space, as well as a decent tub under the centre armrest.

You also get one dedicated cupholder ahead of a squared-off space in the centre console, as well as fairly sizeable bottle holders in all four door cards.

The cubby ahead of the gear selector is a good place to store a phone, though a wireless phone charger remains an optional extra.

The Blade’s rear doors still don’t open to 90 degrees, which means there’s limited space to climb into the back.

Side steps continue to run the length of the body, making it an easier step up for both front and rear passengers, and they’ve been beefed up by Walkinshaw. Once you’re in, it’s not a perfect arrangement, but it could be a lot worse.

The rear offers quite a high seating position, which means reduced head space for taller passengers. Toe and leg room is fine, but whether or not you’re comfortable will depend largely on where the front seats are positioned.

It’s still a bench seat setup, and it’s quite firm and flat. If you’re not prepared you’ll be sliding around, especially when off-roading, but there are large grab handles on the B-pillars to keep you situated.

Rear-seat occupants score two air vents and a single USB-C outlet on the back of the centre console, and there’s also a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders.

At the rear, the tub incorporates tailgate assist as standard across the D-Max range. That makes it easier to open and close the tailgate, but it still needs to be locked manually as it isn’t included in the central locking.

The Blade’s tub is unchanged from the LS-U+, and it’s more or less the same width as what’s offered with the Ranger and Navara. But the Isuzu’s tub is longer than both of its rivals’, although it isn’t quite as deep.

The only major change back here beyond the one-piece sports bar is the tonneau cover, which is no longer a hard, powered roller unit as it is with the LS-U+, but rather an old-fashioned soft tonneau cover. However, many of the D-Max’s existing genuine accessories remain compatible.

*In comparison to the D-Max LS-U+

To see how the Isuzu D-Max stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool.

What’s under the bonnet?

The 2025 Isuzu D-Max Blade is powered by the same engine as the LS-U+: a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder unit mated as standard to a six-speed automatic transmission.

*In comparison to the D-Max LS-U+

Drive is sent to either the rear wheels only or through a part-time four-wheel drive system with a two-speed transfer case. The latter offers switchable 2H, 4H and 4L options, plus a standard locking rear differential.

As per the LS-U+, it also features Rough Terrain Mode, which can be operated in tandem with the rear diff lock.

Though there is no official fuel economy figure for the Blade, other D-Max 4×4 dual-cab variants with the 3.0-litre engine are claimed to use between 7.7 and 8.0L/100km, which is about par for the course in this segment.

Inside the engine bay is where you’ll find the second of the two numerical plaques commemorating each Blade’s individual build number.

To see how the Isuzu D-Max stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool.

How does the Isuzu D-Max drive?

The Blade shines when it comes to both the on- and off-road driving experience, as Walkinshaw’s handiwork was almost entirely focused on improving the D-Max’s handling characteristics in both scenarios.

Unless you live in the bush, you have to first hit the road to get to the trails, which is where you’ll almost immediately notice the firmer steering feel compared to the lightness of a normal D-Max. That’s largely a result of two things.

One is the chunkier all-terrain tyres. While the wheel’s diameter is down from 18 inches to 17 inches, you’re now dealing with a lot more meat in the tyre sidewalls, which on its own makes the steering feel heavier.

The other factor is the increased track width. Walkinshaw’s new alloy wheels are one inch wider than the standard LS-U+ wheels, while also offering a more aggressive offset, both of which push the outside edge of each wheel further away from the vehicle’s centre.

This provides more aggressive aesthetics and greater driving stability on-road, while also accommodating those wider tyres that deliver an increased contact patch for off-road grip.

The Blade’s steering is by no means as heavy as something like the Navara Warrior, but there’s a definite difference compared to the LS-U+.

While the Premcar-engineered Warrior incorporates a bespoke steering tune, Walkinshaw said it wanted to maintain “linear steering response” with the Blade and its upgraded wheel/tyre combo, which can be felt behind the wheel and makes it easier to drive around town if you’re used to a conventional ute.

Of course, the other change to the D-Max’s handling comes from its suspension upgrade, which combined with the bigger tyres provides a 22.5mm lift at the front and a 25mm lift at the back.

Curiously, that only brings a 4mm increase in ground clearance over the LS-U+ (the lowest point of which is the rear diff; it’s now the front-end for the Blade), which IUA says is a result of the extra underbody protection in the form of a the new Walkinshaw bash plate.

The increased off-road protection also helps to add nearly 100kg of additional weight, which you notice on the move. Thankfully, Walkinshaw’s enhanced suspension does well to compensate for the extra mass, as the Blade is surprisingly composed in bends.

Throw it around on twisty roads and you’ll find the Blade is more than capable of keeping itself together, ironing out bumps on rougher routes where typical utes tend to struggle.

It’s worth noting that while Walkinshaw developed an all-new suspension spring/strut for the front of the Blade, it only installed new shocks at the rear, which means there’s the same set of leaf springs under the tub (unlike the Warrior, which adds new struts to the all-coil Navara both front and rear).

While that isn’t exactly unexpected, it’s not uncommon for owners who modify their utes with aftermarket parts to swap out the rear leaf springs in favour of a coil-over setup, which typically provides greater suspension travel, articulation, adjustability, and comfort.

That said, leaf springs are better suited to carrying loads and towing, which are things we expect many Blade owners to do, and the good news is braked towing capacity remains 3500kg and payload drops by 94kg to a still-decent 896kg.

The other thing prospective buyers may have wanted upgraded is the engine, or at least its outputs. As it stands, the Blade can’t compete with something like the Ranger Raptor and its twin-turbo petrol V6, and the added weight of the Blade mods does have a slight impact on its acceleration.

Walkinshaw explained that changing the Blade’s engine would have been too expensive to be feasible, and IUA says it’s happy with its current 3.0-litre turbo-diesel because of its durability, reliability, and performance.

Indeed, the Blade retains the LS-U+’s strengths on-road, where it remains comfortable and the ute’s lane-keep assist and safety systems continue to work well, though when driving on cruise control with lane-keeping activated it still has a tendency to veer to one side on curves.

That aside, it’s particularly impressive that road noise is kept to a minimum. While the tyres are much chunkier than the standard highway-terrains, next to no additional noise makes its way into the cabin.

Given the tyres don’t – understandably – offer full-fat mud-terrain tread, there’s no additional vibration in the cabin at lower speeds either. You may feel a touch more side-to-side movement because of those larger tyres, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker.

Additionally, the fact nothing major has changed under the bonnet means that if you like the way the D-Max drives, you’ll probably like the Blade too.

You’ll have even more reason to like it once the road ends, because the Blade offers buckets of capability when it hits the trails.

It’s improved so much, in fact, that before we tackled various hillclimbs and obstacles at Adelaide Hills 4WD Park, our convoy’s standard LS-U+ control vehicle was told to get out of the way because it wasn’t capable of traversing what lay ahead.

This is the sort of terrain where the Blade’s revised, lifted suspension and chunky tyres come into their own.

It may retains all of the same off-road tech – including Rough Terrain Mode, low-range gearing and a locking rear differential – as the standard LS-U+, but the Blade is able to make much better use of it.

None of the six Blade vehicles on test ran into any trouble at the 4WD Park, partly because Isuzu’s standard systems all worked as they should – but the Walkinshaw additions made lighter work of getting the job done.

On top of the other features, you can still take advantage of the multiple drive drivetrain options available from the standard vehicle’s part-time four-wheel drive system, including 2H, 4H, and 4L modes.

For added convenience, you can still switch from 2H to 4H while driving at up to 100km/h on unsealed roads, but you’ll have to stop to activate 4L.

The new tyres also respond well to lowered tyre pressures for loose surfaces like sand, but you can expect to see a tyre pressure warning light on the dash. Tyre pressure monitoring is a standard feature carried over from the LS-U+.

The only issue that persists with the Blade is you can’t drive it on sealed roads in four-wheel drive, unlike the full-time 4×4 system available in the Ranger, and the 4H setting in the Triton’s Super Select II system.

There were some slight additional hiccups as well, like the diff lock in our tester proving temperamental to turn off.

Some persistence did eventually result in the system disengaging, though it’s not the seamless on/off button press we’d prefer.

Another was the occasional knock and scrape from underneath the car, all of which were accounted for by the Blade’s underbody protection.

All in all, it’s difficult to doubt the Blade’s capability as an off-roader. Even if there is no increase in engine performance, the standard torque curve was more than good enough to get the Blade rolling on steeper inclines.

Larger bumps and rocks were easily dealt with, despite no worthwhile increase in on-paper ground clearance, as the suspension lift and revised front bumper helped provide noticeably improved approach, ramp breakover, and departure angles for the Blade.

The standard six-speed automatic transmission, again carried over from the LS-U+, also behaves as it should both on- and off-road.

It shifts smoothly and consistently, and selecting low-range four-wheel drive and combining it manual shifting provides some extra control and assurance when off-road.

We also had the opportunity to wade through some deeper water, which again turned out to be a walk (or swim?) in the park for the Blade.

Then again, its 800mm wading depth is exactly the same as the LS-U+, meaning another capability that makes off-roading in the Blade so easy is already offered by higher-spec D-Max models as standard.

That begs the question, would you pay more for a lifted ute with better tyres like the D-Max Blade when the LS-U+ already has most of the useful bits? We suspect hardcore off-roaders will stick to their own modified rigs instead.

*In comparison to the D-Max LS-U+

To see how the Isuzu D-Max stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool.

What do you get?

The Blade sits right at the top of the D-Max range, retaining many of the same LS-U+ features with some Walkinshaw goodies sprinkled on top.

D-Max SX highlights:

• 17-inch steel wheels
• Dunlop AT25 tyres
• Three-leaf standard rear suspension (Ute variants)
• Three-leaf heavy-duty rear suspension (Cab Chassis variants)
• Halogen headlights
• Welcome headlight function
• Automatic high-beam
• Gloss Black and Material Black grille
• Tailgate assist (Ute variants)
• 4.2-inch multi-information display
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Four-speaker sound system
• Two USB-C ports (one in Single Cab and Space Cab)
• USB-A port for aftermarket dash cam
• Air-conditioning with HEPA filter
• Rear air vents (Crew Cab variants)
• Urethane steering wheel
• Urethane transmission selector
• Urethane handbrake
• Vinyl floor
• Cloth upholstery

D-Max LS-M adds:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Three-leaf standard rear suspension (Ute variants)
• Bi-LED headlights
• LED fog lights
• Rear parking sensors (Ute variants)
• Body-coloured mirrors, door handles and tailgate handle
• Gloss Black and Grey Metallic grille
• High-grade cloth upholstery

D-Max X-Rider adds:

• Gloss black 17-inch alloy wheels
• Black grille
• Black front underbody spoiler
• Dark grey grille surround
• Black rear step bar
• Black mirrors, door handles and tailgate handle
• Black B-pillars
• Dark grey sidesteps
• Black interior door handles
• Dark grey and black interior door trims
• Piano black steering wheel spoke trims
• Black headlining
• Satin black sports bar
• Black loopless soft tonneau cover
• ‘X’ badging on tailgate

D-Max LS-U adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Bridgestone 684II HT tyres
• Silky Silver and Dark Grey metallic grille
• Tow bar receiver
• Tub liner (Ute variants)
• Silver side steps
• Chrome door handles, tailgate handle
• Electric folding and heated side mirrors
• LED rear combination tail lights
• 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Six-speaker sound system (Space Cab variants)
• Satellite navigation
• Eight-speaker sound system
• Three USB-C ports (two in Space Cab)
• Proximity entry and push-button start
• Walk-away door lock
• Welcome light
• Dual-zone climate control
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Leather-trimmed steering wheel
• Satin chrome steering wheel spoke trims
• Leather-trimmed gear selector
• Piano black, silver and chrome interior trim accents
• Soft-touch door trims and centre console armrest
• Carpet flooring
• Driver’s seat power lumbar support
• Tyre pressure monitoring

D-Max LS-U+ adds:

• Heated front seats
• Leather-accented upholstery
• Leather-accented door trims
• Eight-way power driver’s seat
• Four-way power front passenger’s seat

D-Max Blade adds:

• 17-inch black alloy wheels with Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT all-terrain tyres
• 29mm suspension lift with Walkinshaw-developed twin-tube dampers
• 3mm thick red bash plate
• 8-tonne load rated recovery points with cross-bracing
• Fender flares with integrated air curtains
• Black front grille with integrated tinted lens light bar
• Black front bumper cladding
• Black tailgate badging, decals, and tubular sidesteps
• Black one-piece extended sports bar with integrated brake light
• Black tailgate handle, door handles, and side mirrors
• ‘Blade’ logos on headrests, floor mats, and scuff plates
• Individually numbered Blade identification plates

Is the Isuzu D-Max safe?

While the Blade specifically has not been tested by ANCAP, the latest Isuzu D-Max was tested when it was launched in 2020, earning a maximum five-star rating.

The Isuzu D-Max comes standard with the following safety features:

• 8 airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver attention monitoring
• Forward collision warning
• Lane-departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Turn assist
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention assist
• Reversing camera

Automatic models also add wrong-pedal acceleration warning. LS-M Ute variants add rear parking sensors, LS-U and up add tyre pressure monitoring, and front parking sensors are reserved for the flagship X-Terrain.

How much does the Isuzu D-Max cost to run?

The 2025 Isuzu D-Max Blade is covered by IUA’s standard six-year, 150,000km warranty. When you service on schedule at an Isuzu dealer, up to seven years of roadside assistance is included.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, apart from a complimentary three-month service. 

To see how the Isuzu D-Max stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool.

CarExpert’s Take on the Isuzu D-Max Blade

We’re glad an Australian-fettled D-Max now exists, but it’s never going to be the top-seller of a model range in which the standard D-Max 4×4 dual-cab variants are already quite good.

There’s no denying the Blade drives well and is better than the LS-U+ both on-road and off, but it’s considerably more expensive.

Its $76,990 drive-away price is also higher than that of the GWM Cannon XSR, Ford Ranger Tremor and Navara Pro-4X Warrior, but it’s similar to the HiLux GR Sport and Mazda BT-50 Thunder, and it also offers almost as much off-road capability as the Nissan and Toyota.

But it’s hard to imagine hardcore 4×4 drivers will go for something off the showroom floor instead of modifying a ute themselves.

Maybe that isn’t the point, and the Blade might instead be better suited to adventurous families who still need a capable weekday runabout that won’t get itself into trouble on the odd off-road camping trip.

Even so, $77k is a lot of money to spend on a ute, and there’s no extra power to make that price easier to swallow either, which we know is what those interested in such a ute will be wanting.

Then again, while more power may have given the Blade the edge over its competition, it would also have made it even more expensive.

To its credit, the Blade is a strong off-roader and there’s not much that’ll properly upset it off the beaten track. Walkinshaw’s suspension mods and added underbody protection are the reason for that, and it’ll be difficult to twist its frame as a result of the added recovery point cross-bracing.

The D-Max itself is more modern inside than the Navara, making the Blade feel more premium than the Warrior, but it’s still outclassed by the Ranger Tremor when it comes to cabin presentation and tech.

So the Blade is another accomplished homegrown off-road ute with full factory backing. But for the price, we can’t help but feel it should be have been a lot more. Maybe this is just the beginning of the Blade sub-brand, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Interested in buying an Isuzu D-Max? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here.

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