We've been X-pecting you

The new X-Rider models up the appeal of Isuzu's rugged D-Max while focusing on value

- Gareth Dean

Strike up a conversation about one-tonne pickup trucks with any motoring enthusiast, and the chances are stars of said subject will be the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger. It stands to reason, though. They are the two top-selling pickups on our market, accounting for 37 382 and 24 618 units in 2023, respectively. However, there is a relatively unsung hero occupying that still-respectable third position. With a rich history spanning seven generations, including the hard as-nails KB series, Isuzu's pickups remain a segment staple. The Struandale-manufactured D-Max quietly chalked up 18 926 sales last year. Boiling down those figures to their double-cab constituents, the Ranger's 20 662unit showing saw it outsell the Hilux by 2 435 units; likely an upshot of the Blue Oval pickup's popularity among the leisure-user demographic, versus a more work-orientated Toyota line-up that favours more workmanlike models. By comparison, last year's sales figure of 8 524 D-Maxes was attributed to its fairly limited double-cab offerings. What, you may ask, does this Naamsa-esque preamble have to do with the D-Max X-Rider models that Isuzu SA has just released? Well, quite a lot, actually...