This is the new 2020 Isuzu D-Max

The new 2020 Isuzu D-Max has officially been unveiled, with the model due to land in Australian showrooms next year.

In what is the first major change since the second-gen debuted in 2012 – with facelifts in 2015 and 2017 – the D-Max has received a boost in output, a rear diff lock and radical styling tweaks, among a raft of other changes.

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A new 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (codenamed 4JJ3) – a revision of the existing 4JJ1 engine – sees power and torque output increase from 130kW/430Nm to 140kW/450Nm respectively, and is claimed to offer improved fuel economy and better noise suppression. As mentioned when the teaser video debuted recently, a 1.9-litre twin-turbo-diesel engine – already used in other global markets – may also find its way down under, but that’s yet to be confirmed.

The new D-Max will be fitted with an electromagnetic rear differential lock for improved off-road capability and, for ease of use, Isuzu says it’s now quicker to shift between 2WD and 4WD. The new model D-Max also has an 800mm wading depth.

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A design overhaul provides a more aggressive silhouette than the outgoing model, and it includes the addition of LED lighting fore and aft to embellish the more-intense front fascia and rear tailgate. A rear step bumper is also fitted.

“The D-MAX’s design is so distinctively new that it’s over and above the conventional pick-up trucks, transforming it into a whole new pick-up,” the Isuzu Japan press statement reads.

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Bringing the D-Max up-to-date has involved upping the in-cabin spec sheet. The D-Max now gets a nine-inch digital display, a redesigned console that is “designed to enfold the driver and passenger as if they were in a cockpit of an airplane”, and high-end textures and embossing.

Local pricing is as yet unavailable, with the vehicle not expected to arrive until 2020. For now, the D-Max will start rolling onto Thai roads from October 19.