2014 Isuzu D-Max dual cab road test | Ute looking for work - Fraser Coast Chronicle

It doesn't feel like long ago that the choice was Ford or Holden, Commodore or Falcon. Now there are new niches, and niches within niches - just look at the bewildering range of premium offerings. The SUV segments are the nation's fastest growing, and these dual cab utes too have found their way into the popularity stakes. Now more car like than ever, the utes must deliver at the work site on weekdays and then haul the boat on weekends with the family in tow. Isuzu was previously hooked up with General Motors, parted ways, and is now getting back together again. But while this D-Max may look like the Holden Colorado, beneath the similar skin is all Isuzu. Released a couple of years back, the D-Max has emerged as one of the best buys in the dual cab market. We jumped back into the four-door ute, which currently comes with a free tow bar and pricing from as low as $40,000 drive-away for the manual transmission, to see how it stacks up with the opposition. Creature comforts are not lost on the D-Max, although it's not car-like in its cosseting appeal. Hard plastics are typical of its workmanlike status, although it does get the likes of cruise control, air con and Bluetooth phone connectivity, which have become standard fare in just about all automotive sizes and shapes nowadays. Source: www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au