UK Drive: Can Isuzu make electric pick-ups work with the D-Max EV?
The D-Max EV is one of the few electric pick-ups on the market today, but is a combination which works? Jack Evans finds out.
What is it?
Which brings us to this truck – the D-Max EV – which is an electric version of Isuzu’s popular rough-and-tough pick-up. Can electric power work in this hard-working segment, though? We’ve been finding out.
What’s new?
No, what has changed is all housed underneath the truck of the D-Max EV. A big edit, as is often the case with electric cars, is the price. The standard diesel-powered D-Max starts from £33,495 plus VAT, whereas the EV model comes in at £59,995 plus VAT, so there’s quite a difference. Running costs will be significantly lower for the latter, mind you.
What’s under the bonnet?
But while that battery might sound reasonably well sized, it’s only able to bring a range of around 160 miles – though we saw more like 120 during our drive. More annoying, though, is the D-Max’s charge speed. It’ll only manage up to a 50kW charge – some plug-in hybrids can accept more – and that means it’ll take an hour to charge from 20 to 80 per cent at a rapid charger. Some of the latest EVs can achieve the same in under 20 minutes.
What’s it like to drive?
However, the ride quality is quite poor and even when the load bed is filled, the D-Max EV thunks and rattles over potholes. The assistance systems are also infuriating, and the sheer number of bongs and pings that sound can drive you mad. Luckily, there’s a shortcut button to switch them off – though they come back on after each time you switch the car off. That’s regulation, mind you, so you can’t level that criticism directly at Isuzu.
How does it look?
There have been some exterior tweaks to the latest D-Max, too, including new 18-inch wheels, a revised front grille design, and fog lamp surrounds that are reshaped.
What’s it like inside?
Our test D-Max came with a fully covered load bed which helps to make things far more secure and this full box also has sliding windows for added ventilation. As mentioned, the D-Max gets a full one-tonne payload, so it can still keep up with the best of them in terms of goods-carrying.
What’s the spec like?
Equipment levels are good, too. You get a large infotainment screen which, despite feeling a little old-school in terms of design, comes with Apple CarPlay as standard so it’s easy to mirror your smartphone. You also get heated front seats, a surround-view camera and front and rear parking sensors, which are helpful when parking something as large as the D-Max.
Verdict
In the end, the Isuzu D-Max EV is far more pleasant to drive than its diesel-powered stablemate. It doesn’t lose out on load-carrying ability, either, and it can still tow just as much, so it doesn’t falter when it comes to all-out capability.
Its price, limited range and slow charge speed stop it from being a truly accessible EV pick-up, mind you. For business users, its low rate of tax will be very appealing, but for everyone else, the Isuzu D-Max might have too many limitations.