Isuzu D-Max Commercial: when the back seat is more useful as a toolbox

© isuzu.co.uk

Isuzu has expanded its D-Max line-up in the UK with a new Commercial version. From the outside it looks almost like an ordinary double-cab pickup, but there are no rear seats here: they have been removed to make room for a sealed cargo area for tools, equipment and anything you don’t want to leave in the open bed.

In place of the second row there is a flat phenolic floor, a protective bulkhead behind the front seats and mesh panels for visibility. You can spot the truck from the outside by the Commercial badge, tinted rear windows and the familiar D-Max options like a bed liner, tow bar or hardtop. The idea is simple: the bed stays for the bulky stuff, while the space behind the driver becomes a dry, better-protected storage zone.

The hardware is working-class too, no lifestyle posing. The D-Max Commercial gets the new 2.2-litre bi-turbo diesel rated at 163 hp and 400 Nm. Four-wheel drive can be switched on the move between 2WD and 4WD at speeds of up to 100 km/h. There is a low-range gearbox, a rear differential lock and the standard Rough Terrain Mode. For a pickup people buy for a building site, a farm or a service van fleet, that matters more than infotainment gimmicks.

In the UK the Commercial starts at £34,745 (around $46,660). For reference, the regular D-Max Utility opens at £28,755 (about $38,615), the DL20 at £33,795 ($45,383), the DL40 at £37,645 ($50,553), the V-Cross at £39,395 ($52,904) and the extreme Arctic Trucks edition at £58,095 ($78,016). The electric eDL40 and eV-Cross sit even higher: from £59,995 and £62,495, or roughly $80,567 to $83,925.

Next to the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi L200, this D-Max isn’t trying to be a family car and a work tool at the same time. Its strength is honest specialisation: fewer seats, more secure space for gear and the same off-road hardware as before. Orders are already open at UK dealers, with a five-year or 125,000-mile (201,168 km) warranty and roadside assistance in the UK and the EU.

Trucks like this usually appeal to a narrow audience, but that audience knows exactly what it’s paying for. If the back row in a pickup spends most of its life empty anyway, Isuzu has simply turned it into something that earns its keep every day.