BEHIND THE WHEEL
The driving experience starts off on the right
foot, and not just in terms of planting it. You
can enter and start the vehicle with the keys
in your pocket the whole time.
The engine is garrulous, something akin
to a cat’s menacing purr amplified tenfold.
This can impose a little upon the banter in
the cab, or the deep, philosophical thought
process, but personally I like to hear it. It’s a
reminder this is a macho 4x4 and from it you
can quickly infer how the engine is faring.
The six-speed automatic transmission
performs well and makes appropriate
choices. Because of the talkative engine,
you do notice the changes more, and
occasionally, when faced with an obscure
speed limit, the D-MAX maintains high revs
before transitioning. I appreciated its ability
The crisp, clean interior. Only the mud in the to engine brake and hold speed downhill
footwells reveals where the D-MAX has been
The D-MAX pulled solidly over the rocky bottom. Alas the snorkel
was not called upon at this time of year, before the snow meltISUZU D-MAX