Mario James, Gleaner Writer

We could not do our normal "over the hill, through the glade and traverse the sand berm" test as there was no demo vehicle. Technically, the vehicle was still in bond so we drove it in a tiny parking lot.

So I crawled under the one in the showroom of Vehicles and Supplies on Half-Way Tree Road to see what the range had to offer.

The frame is fully boxed; the four-wheel drive (optional) is simple and rugged. It consists of rear limited slip diffs and front open-end diff, a cog throwing servo actuator on the front differential and speed and shaft position sensors on the transfer case. A simple logic unit fitted under one of the front seats safeguards the system from engaging at too high a speed, and makes sure you can't go into 4L from 2H without a stop in between. Brilliantly simple. There is no 4WD gear lever, four buttons adorn the top of the dash - 2H, 4H and 4L. The 4WD option is available in both automatic and standard flavours - we drove the automatic crew cab model - and can be optioned right down to manual locking hubs, if need be.

Least expensive

The least expensive of the line is the 2WD regular bed - and on this chassis the regular bed is rather long. At $1.881 million, this pickup is probably the least expensive in the market.

For that price DMax is delivered with a 2.5, which is rated 77hp and almost 130 lb ft of torque.

What is striking though is the quality of the build. The doors are flush mounted but are sealed by two bits of weather stripping. The steering tilt mechanism will surprise most with its smoothness, it feels counterweighted. The regular bed is 2,270 mm long and 1,530 mm wide; The shorter crew cab bed is 1,380 mm long by 1,460 mm wide. The spare wheel is suspended by a chain on the underside of the bed; needless to say, it is a full-size spare.

Details

Isuzu's three-litre direct ignition common-rail has the engine code 4JJ1-TC. Bore and stroke is stated as 95.4 and 104.9 mm, respectively, making it over square. Power is average; 134 hp @ 3,400 rpm, the manual version coughs up 206 lb ft between 1,200 - 3,400 rpm. The automatic, due to its torque converter, ekes out a little more but with a narrow spread: 216 lb ft is available between 1,400 - 3,000 rpm. The van has been detuned - compression ratio is kinda wimpy at 17.5 to 1 - but management has said Isuzu has done this so the power plant will live on its diet of Jamaican diesel.

The cab was comfortable; no ergonomic mistakes were made, although the wheel did obscure some of the idiot lights.

DMax is based on a good foundation; the boxed chassis, a simple but effective 4WD system and heavy-duty suspension and underseal make this a solid choice for a working rig. Factor in the sub-$2m price tag and it starts looking like a good, solid truck.