New dual cab

[toeball]

I've been patiently waiting for all of the new dual cab utes to come out, looked at them all and driven most.

I had a look at the new Dmax last week and was impressed, It seems to be the simplest of the crowd which I think is a good thing, some of the others seem to have wound up car engines where the dmax seems to be a unstressed truck engine. Seems comfy inside, back and front seats good, economy is good too....

Any thoughts from the ex-spurts??

[D4D]

My only concern with these dual cabs utes is the rear chassis. Lots of stories of cracked rear chassis, admittedly on vehicles on the GVM and driven hard.

I like the look of the new Ranger.

[wartim]

I have the 2011 LS Dmax which is better to drive and more power than the Ford Ranger of same year.  Had a look at the new Dmax and was told there are a lot more differences this time around between the Dmax and Colorado.

The Dmax has stayed with its proven 3Lt motor and Colorado has gone with a Fiat motor, also the drive train and gearboxes are different as well.

Good luck with the vehicle hunting there is plenty to choose from.

Cheers

Wartim

[toeball]

I've read a fair bit about the broken backs, it shouldn't be a problem for most people if you keep the load realistic.

If you need to tow 3000kg with a 300kg tow ball weight and 1000kg in the tub, it's an F250 you should be looking at !!

[Chris F]

If you want a tough unstressed dual cab, you can't go past the 70 series Landcruiser coming out later this year 

[dazzler]

Comparable Hilux is same price.  If resale is an issue then Hilux is the choice.

The Isuzu may be a good machine but non mainstream so will suffer when you sell.

Of course if thats not an issue then go for it.

[Isuzumu]

We where able to have a good test drive of the new D.Max and were very impressed, especially after testing the Amarok (manual), BT 50 and Colorado both autos. It may not have as much power as the others but the auto in the D.Max I believe is best in class and as you say the 3.0 lt motor is a proven thing. The Colorado and D.Max have unbelievable room in the rear seat area. Also this thing about breaking chassis's, well it is not going to happen in the new Isuzu/Holden them chassis's are bullet proof. Another thing I noticed on the D.Max was the larger exhaust pipe, looked around 2.75 inch and mandrel bent, will have to have another look to verify
Hope to be able to buy our new D.Max in November.

[toeball]

Isuzumu, you wouldn't be biased would you the user name might be a give away!!
The salesman told me the auto was the same as used to be in the LC200 so it should be strong enough! When looking at the dual cabs the first seat I sit in is the back one, most of the new utes are quite good.
The 70 series looks the goods but will no doubt be out of my budget.
The resale should not be too much of a problem as I hope to wear it out!!

[Isuzumu]

Isuzumu, you wouldn't be biased would you the user name might be a give away!!
The salesman told me the auto was the same as used to be in the LC200 so it should be strong enough! When looking at the dual cabs the first seat I sit in is the back one, most of the new utes are quite good.
The 70 series looks the goods but will no doubt be out of my budget.
The resale should not be too much of a problem as I hope to wear it out!!
[/quote
Biased    had one MU for 12 years and the other for 7 so may be. Don't know if it is the same box as the LC200, theirs is 6 speed, but may be from the same maker.
One other thing which I noticed was the fuel economy, doing 100Ks it was showing 7.1 LP100 not bad for a brand new vehicle.

[Nay-DMAX]

We have 2010 D-Max that we traded our old rodeo for and we love it hasnt missed a beat tows the camper well and is a comfy drive as an everyday vehicle.  The colorado's have changed engines as there contract with Isuzu for the engines had finished I will be interested to see how the colorado's go without the isuzu engine as they are pretty reliable.  If they have stuck with the same in the new d-max then it is the same engine they run in their 2 tonne trucks from memory.  We are not in the market for a new one but would be interested to look at the new d-max.  One thing that swayed which model we went with was the vinyl floor option and I am so glad we went with that and just floor mats over the top.  Brother in law has BT 50 he is very happy with it I havent driven it and dont know anything about any of the others.

[Isuzumu]

 http://www.isuzuute.com.au/explore/                                                                                                                                Check out the TV add, it is just the best, hey and is it not the most beautiful vehicle around 
It takes a little time to load so be patience   

[jesse]

Isuzumu
Well done we done some research for a mate looking for a dual cab and the isuzu came up trumps I met a mate at a servo driving one towing a nice rig economical and enough grunt congratulations, by the way I drive a hilux early 2000s I used to be biased toward toyotas had them for 35 years not any more

[Isuzumu]

Isuzumu
Well done we done some research for a mate looking for a dual cab and the isuzu came up trumps I met a mate at a servo driving one towing a nice rig economical and enough grunt congratulations, by the way I drive a hilux early 2000s I used to be biased toward toyotas had them for 35 years not any more

Thanks Jessse, It is probably no better than the rest, but I just love my MU's been so reliable that I can not go past the D.Max. Though if I would have had the money six months ago I may have brought the BT 50, now glad I waited 

[johnyd]

If it's still using the same engine as the 2008 Colorado it's a beauty imo.

Pulls our camper at 110km/h uphill without seeming stressed at all, although it was drinking the diesel, however we have a busted fuel gauge and regularly fill up from the tank at home with no counter so have no idea what economy we are really getting, also dad doesn't think he gets it all the way full for some reason.

[Wortho]

Read somewhere that its difficult to fit a second battery in these utes. That would be an issue for me with a 60 litre fridge. I guess you could fit one in the back but not ideal.

[Nay-DMAX]

Read somewhere that its difficult to fit a second battery in these utes. That would be an issue for me with a 60 litre fridge. I guess you could fit one in the back but not ideal.

I dont know about the new ones but we were told that with our model that there isnt room for dual battery so we just have the second battery in the trailer and we got a plug installed in the tub of the ute which only draws from the trailer battery if we put a canopy on I would look at getting a second plug to the car battery I think for the times when we go somewhere with the fridge but not the trailer.

[toeball]

^^^ When I had a look it did look tight, some shuffling of bits n pieces would be needed

[Isuzumu]

I will be putting the second battery in the tub, using a battery box and bolted thru the floor. There is two rubber grommets, one each side in the rear of the tub where you Will be able to run cables thru so not drilling big holes.
I will be puttting draws and a slide in the tub for the fridge etc, also hoping to put the HF radio in there as well, just got to work out where to put the head unit in the cab.

[Wortho]

When putting the second battery in the tub you would need to use a decent gauge cable due to the distance from the alternator and voltage drop and potential high current when charging a flat battery. So with that in mind would using a 6 B&S cable suffice or is there room to run a 4 B&S?
Cheers

[Finners]

If you want a tough unstressed dual cab, you can't go past the 70 series Landcruiser coming out later this year 

Drove the 76 series last weekend, on the assumption it would drive similarly to the rumoured dual cab 70 series coming out. All part of the planning to get more space than current mid-size wagon (growing family - a dog . Ignoring the jiggly suspension of the 70 and it's over-steer characteristics  (which would all improve in early mod plans), the killer for me was the freeway cruising with only 5 speeds. Ticking over at 2,450 rpm at 100km/h, it sounded noisy and strained. That V8 is screaming for a 6th gear. Yes, fitting 33" tyres may drop the revs to 2,200 - but this is a motor that feels best at 1,800-2,000rpm. As much as I love the idea of unburstable reliability in the bush, getting the freeway miles done to the fun stuff, would drive me crazy. Paying a huge premium for the 70 series I could justify on basis of long-term resale value, but it's the touring comfort 'expense' that's hard to swallow.

I know modern IFS dual-cabs can't compare for extreme off-roadability to the 70 series, but having also taken a PX Ranger for a drive (3.2 manual 6 speed) - that was a far more relaxed experience for touring purposes. However the 3.2L 5 cylinder volvo engine was certainly not as muscular as the 4.5 V8. Not surprising perhaps, except when you campare the optimistic nm figures of the Ford or Mazda BT50.

Might take the Navara V6 for a spin - though the engineering on the rest of that vehicle is so aged. And as for all the 4 cyl diesels - I have an aversion, having owned a 6 cyl diesel for years (and loving the torque wave).

I guess it comes down to the obvious... tough truck (with compromises on road), or car-like ute (with off-road compromises). Tough choice.

[Chris F]

Drove the 76 series last weekend, on the assumption it would drive similarly to the rumoured dual cab 70 series coming out. All part of the planning to get more space than current mid-size wagon (growing family - a dog . Ignoring the jiggly suspension of the 70 and it's over-steer characteristics  (which would all improve in early mod plans), the killer for me was the freeway cruising with only 5 speeds. Ticking over at 2,450 rpm at 100km/h, it sounded noisy and strained. That V8 is screaming for a 6th gear. Yes, fitting 33" tyres may drop the revs to 2,200 - but this is a motor that feels best at 1,800-2,000rpm. As much as I love the idea of unburstable reliability in the bush, getting the freeway miles done to the fun stuff, would drive me crazy. Paying a huge premium for the 70 series I could justify on basis of long-term resale value, but it's the touring comfort 'expense' that's hard to swallow.

I know modern IFS dual-cabs can't compare for extreme off-roadability to the 70 series, but having also taken a PX Ranger for a drive (3.2 manual 6 speed) - that was a far more relaxed experience for touring purposes. However the 3.2L 5 cylinder volvo engine was certainly not as muscular as the 4.5 V8. Not surprising perhaps, except when you campare the optimistic nm figures of the Ford or Mazda BT50.

I guess it comes down to the obvious... tough truck (with compromises on road), or car-like ute (with off-road compromises). Tough choice.

You're not wrong there. The 70 series are work trucks. Great for people who need them primarily for work and occasionally for recreation. I have a 08 Hilux at the moment and it's nice to drive on the road, but it doesn't like being used as a tractor so much. I'm looking forward to see how the 70 series pulls our seeder/cultivator. As for comfort, surely a 70 series can't be less comfortable than my old 1998 Hilux? That was a great ute 

[cyberess]

Not sure why the 70 series are being talked about here.. as there is no dual cabs available in the 70 series as a new vehicle 

O.K. new Dual D-Max looks to be a real nice ute (Far too expensive in my option), there is something else that I have noticed on Isusu, Holden, Ford and Mazda UTEs -- and I think that it may be caused by expected styling, that's the high bonnet and the visibility over the bonnet on these new utes is bad, It makes it difficult to place the utes in a 4WD situation. 

There is another ute which I am using for a built-up (Read about it --> http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=17679.0 in the "My 4WD" section ) That's a Maindra Pik-up, might fit your situation plus the whole build-up cost of the new Mahindra Pik-up with Canopy, Long-rang tank, Snorkel, Winch, Dual Battery, 50mm lift, and Bullbar is probably considerably lower priced than the basic model of the new D-max -- and the Mahindra Pik-up includes a rear Diff-lock as standard. 









 

[Dogsbreakfast]

They are going into production end of the year.

[wholehog]

They are going into production end of the year.

Yep... i would take one of those over a Mahindra anyday of the week.... 70k price tag or not u know this thing is going to last and re-sale will be right up there....

[fuji]

Read somewhere that its difficult to fit a second battery in these utes. That would be an issue for me with a 60 litre fridge. I guess you could fit one in the back but not ideal.

Spoke to the Guests Bros and they said that fitting dual battery in the engine bay is no problems.