Isuzu UTE: D-MAX Wins Delivery Magazine Ute Of The Year 2010

Isuzu UTE’s D-MAX has taken out respected specialist commercial vehicle Delivery magazine’s Ute Of The Year award for 2010.

EAGLE FARM, AUSTRALIA – Jun 2, 2010: Publisher and managing editor Chris Mullett called on his long experience in light and heavy trucks plus his off-road 4WD expertise as a former 4x4 driving school operator to head up his magazine's judging panel, awarding the accolade to D-MAX for the integrity and depth of its truck engineering for which Isuzu is famous.

“The D-MAX is certainly the pick if you are looking for a solid workhorse that does an honest day's work without ever complaining,” Chris Mullett said.

“We found that when we delved into the chassis and componentry, there are further benefits such as longer chassis lengths, wheelbase dimensions, stronger axle bearings, chassis cross-members and more impressive engine performance that show the depth of its original development.

“While all utes tend to look the same, the engineering and reliability of the D-MAX itself highlights the reasons for purchase. It's one of the most powerful, the most economical and it's also one of the most capable,” Chris Mullett said.

Second award
The Delivery magazine award is the second Ute Of The Year which D-MAX has won in the less than two years it has been available in Australia. Last year, 4WD Action magazine crowned D-MAX its '4WDers' Ute Of The Year', judged by a nine-person panel, seven of whom were real-world 4WD users all involved in very different lifestyles such as a tradie, a farmer, a bushie, a grey nomad and a young mum with toddler.

The 5,000th D-MAX in Australia was recently delivered and each month between 75 and 80 per cent of sales have been 4x4, most of them being the LS-U crew ute, the top model in the range.

Isuzu UTE recently added an automatic transmission option in its D-MAX SX mid-spec 4x4 and 4x2 crew utes, while adding standard cruise control to all SX variants, two 'jump' seats in the space cab rear, freshening up its top LS crew utes and introducing a crimson red mica finish to the range. There are now 65 Isuzu UTE dealers nationwide, with more planned in the near future