LIFESTYLE AND WORKHORSE: The 2020 Isuzu D-Max LS-A

From left, Kenichi Asahara (Vice President Isuzu Motors International Operations Thailand), Daisuke Takagi (General Manager, Mitsubishi Corporation), Shojiro Sakoda (Isuzu Philippines Executive Vice President), Hajime Koso (Isuzu Philippines president) and Hirokazu Okubo (Isuzu Motors Limited Japan Sales Executive Officer)

Pickup trucks these days are increasingly used more for daily lifestyle purposes rather than for hardcore off-road adventures or hauling heavy cargo.

The marketability of pickup trucks soared while their retail prices dropped when the 2018 Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law exempted all pickup trucks from the excise tax.

Automotive brands whose pickup trucks are best-sellers, recognizing the opportunity offered by the excise tax break, plus the work and play, business with leisure trend, added more styling, creature comforts and infotainment specs to their products to outshine the competition.

One of the most enhanced pickups today is the 2020 iteration of Isuzu Corporation’s iconic workhorse, the D-Max, which has been restyled and upgraded to premium level and now sports the initials “LS-A” after its nameplate.

Do the initials stand for Life Style-A (class)?

TOUGH ENOUGH. Whatever LS-A symbolizes, the 2020 Isuzu D-Max hasn’t compromised its core value of being “Tough Enough for Anything,” as Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) president Hajime Coso phrased it at the rollout of the vehicle last Thursday at the New Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.

Aside from Coso and IPC executive vice president Shojiro Sakoda, other Isuzu top brass jetted in to attend the D-Max LS-A launch: Hirokazu Okada, sales executive officer, Isuzu Motors Limited Japan; Kenichi Asahara, Isuzu Motors International Operations Thailand vice president; Daisuke Takagi, Mitsubishi Corporation general manager.

Throughout the years since the D-Max was introduced on the Philippine market in 2003 and has sold more than 46,000 units, it has proven its toughness and 4×4 prowess by winning rigorous international rally competitions, the most recent being the Race to Dakar Africa EcoRace, the Asia Cross Country Rally and the Silk Way Rally.

BLUE POWER. The D-Max LS-A is propelled by Isuzu’s fuel-efficient 3.0-liter, 4-cylinder in-line Blue Power diesel engine with VGS turbo intercooler mated to either a 6-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual transmission with gear shift indicator.

Maximum output is 177 PS and 380 Newton meters peak torque. The driver’s control of the D-Max LS-A in whatever weather and terrain conditions is ensured by the Terrain Command System consisting of electronic stability control, ABS with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, hill start assist, hill descent control.

The exterior features of the D-Max LS-A give it an upscale, premium look: a dark gray front grille and bumper, fog lamp housings, side step board and rocker panel, cargo extender and roof rails, two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels.

CREATURE COMFORTS. Inside, for the comfort and convenience of the occupants, are an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, auto-climate control air conditioning, passive entry/push start-stop system, 12V accessory socket, three USB charging ports, 15 storage compartments, 10 cup holders, rear parking camera and parking sensors.

Isuzu has bragging rights to nearly 100 years of expertise in building pickup trucks and developing diesel engine technology.

As Isuzu Motors Limited Japan sales executive officer Hirokazu Okubo pointed out in his special message at the D-Max LS-A launch, the first vehicle Isuzu produced in the market in 1922 was a pickup truck.

He added that globally, the Isuzu D-Max is trusted because of its design, functionality and durability, as well as its fuel efficiency and value for money.

Initially, only 4×4 variants of the D-Max LS-A will be available in the Philippines, priced at P1,630,000 for the MT and P1,700,00 for the AT.