Shooting Times & Country – 21 August 2019

Vehicle test

NEEDTO KNOW

Manufacturer Isuzu

Model D-MaxUtah

Class HuntsmanPlus

Fuel consumption Urban37.2mpg

Extraurban42.8mpg

Combined 40.4mpg

0-62mph(secs) 12.7

To ps p e e d 112mph

Grossvehicle

weight

3,050kg

Towingweight 3,500kg

Payload 1,099kg

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 39

asIsuzuputsit,whichcould be
handywhenlamping.

Safeandsecure
Whenyouopenthetailgateand
poptherearglass,thereis a handy
lockablealuminiumdrawer
systemforallyourfieldsports
essentials,betheyrifles,shotguns
orrods.Thetwolongdrawersfit
30inbarrels.Therearealsotwo
smallerdrawersforammunition.
Withthissystemfitted,youlose
9into10inofheightintheback,
whichisn’tactuallytoomuchof
a problem,becausewhatyoulose
inheightyougaininsecurity.
Thereis stillenoughroomfor
a dogboxontop,andthestandard
ShootingTimesmeasurement
ofhalfa tonofbagged-upwheat
wouldfit intheback.I recommend
puttinga rubbercoveroverthe
top.Theanti-slipmaterialontopis
quiteabrasiveandyoudon’twant
tosplitfeedbags— usetherunners
forthesecuringeyelets,which can
beadjustedorremoved.

Underthebonnet
Onopeningthebonnetthe
firstthingyounoticeis thatyou
canactuallyseetheengine— a
smallplastic‘teatray’is fitted
overthetop.Isuzuhasa pretty
goodreputationforengines
andhasbeensupplyingother
manufacturersfora while.The
D-MaxHuntsmancomesasa four-
cylinder1.9-litrediesel,with 164
tinyhorsesgallopingabout.
It’snotlightningquickinfirst
orsecondgear,butit soongets
goingandis prettylively— towing
shouldn’tbea problem,whichis
handy because the Huntsman kit

THE BOTTOM LINE

IFI’MHONEST,the‘Plus’bitofthekitmight

bea bitoverkillformyneeds.I’msurethe

standardD-Maxsuspension would be more

thanadequate.

TheStandardHuntsmankitcomesin

at£6,250plusVATandtheHuntsmanPlus

is£7,250plusVAT.AddthattotheUtah’s

on-the-roadpriceof£25,709plusVATand

thatgivesyoua grandtotalof£32,959 plus

VAT,or£39,550inclusive.

So,insummary,Isuzuhastaken

somethingthatwasn’tbrokenandmade

it betterforthesportingcountrytype.I’d

recommendyoubuyone—actually, buy

two and give me the other one.

comeswitha towbarand13-pin

electricalsocket.It sitsquite

nicelyat speedona motorway

andfeelsstableandcomfortable

inthelanes.I waspleasantly

surprisedasI hadfearedthe

upgradedsuspensionandtyres

couldcauseroadnoiseand

‘boatiness’,butallis goodon

tarmacandoff-road.The4x4

settingsareself-explanatory:

2-High,4-Highand4-Low,all

operatedbyanelectricswitch,

sonosecondarylevertoworry

about.I canseewhytheD-Max

is popular;simplicityis thekey.

Bellsandwhistles

Inside,thefull-leatherheated

seatsareplushandcomfortable.

Theinterioris modern,stylish

butslightlyunderstated.You

don’tfeeloverwhelmedby

buttonsandgadgets— thereare

justtherightamountoftoys.The

touchscreencontrolstheDAB

radio,navigation,phoneand

reversingcamera.There’san

appfunction,andit comes with

Apple’sCarPlay.

Theinteriormatsareworth

a mention,becausethey

demonstratethatsomebodyhas

thoughtaboutthedetail.They

coveralmostthewholefloorarea

andareshapedsotheyhold mud

anddebrisina trough.

Fitforpurpose?

Yes!TheHuntsmanis theideal

hunting,shooting,fishingand

keeperingwagon.I enjoyed

drivingit anddidn’twanttogive

it back— it’sascomfortableon

a motorwayasit is practical for

a sporting adventure.

Inthebootis a useful

lockable drawer system

Amattfinishinkeyareasavoids

any glare when out lamping

ThisPlusversionoftheIsuzu

Huntsman has upgraded suspension