Since joining the market in 2012 – alongside twin-under-the-skin Holden Colorado – the current-generation D-MAX has undergone significant changes throughout the past seven years, not least of which is the Aisin-sourced AWR6B45 six-speed automatic transmission that replaces the old RevTronic five speed.

Forget what the NASCAR spin masters tell you, the turnouts for the various NASCAR races at BMS in April were not good.

I’ve crossed multiple cars off my shopping list due to this feature alone. Toyota/Lexus and Volvo are among the worst offenders.

Good sets of dashcams start at around the £100 mark. And they come in very handy when reversing, too.

However, the shocking two-star ANCAP crash rating doesn’t fill one with confidence, especially in an era where most utes (including said LDV T60) have attained five stars.

As ute rivals either promise or deliver advanced safety and infotainment this year — the D-Max’s price-rival Mitsubishi Triton stands out here — Isuzu’s kept updates conservative.

Honda Sensing, standard on all Passports, includes Forward Collison Warning, the Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance System, Road Departure Mitigation and Adaptive Cruise Control.

The use of mobile devices is also changing industrial production. For this, Kasto has brought onto the market, with the Kastoapp, an application for clear visualisation of its sawing machines. It provides a status overview for all Kasto machines present in the network and equipped with the control systems Smartcontrol, Advancedcontrol, Procontrol or Expertcontrol. At a glance, the user knows the machine number and type. If a saw is running in automatic operation, the Kastoapp can furthermore draw on information archived in the machine control system. The user thus has precise information on all relevant parameters, such as the article, cut lengths, planned and actual piece numbers, feed and cutting speeds. If a fault arises during operation, the app visualises the incoming fault warning and the user can react quickly. Outages can thus be reduced to a minimum.

 Price? And besides having that number of brands to consider, you need to realize that most if not all are ‘on-sale’ almost every month. For July 2019, the lowest price Isuzu D-Max is the 4×2 SX single cab manual for $26,990 drive away. The vehicle, the subject of this review is the Isuzu D-Max 4WD Dual Cab LS-T which retails at $51,990 also drive away. The current offer provides $1000 of free accessories and a 6-year warranty and roadside assistance and 7-years capped price service.

WITH THE trailer hooked up and sand bags in the tub, the D-Max’s rear dropped 60mm; that’s less than all but the Colorado, with which the D-Max shares the basic chassis but not the spring and damper tune. Like the Colorado there’s less total suspension travel than with the Rangers or Amarok, so it’s unusual there’s not as much suspension compression under load.

The joy of towing mirrors is that at the end of the journey you can remove and store them, reducing the chances of random damage or deliberate vandalism or theft.

It’s a shame because the T-Roc has sporty looks, is generously equipped, and has a wide choice of engine options. We’re even more jealous it isn’t available in the US now, because Volkswagen has just unveiled a new high-performance T-Roc R to battle the BMW X2 M35i. Think of it as the crossover equivalent to the Golf R.