Isuzu D-Max X-Rider loses out to Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux

South Africa is bakkie country. Every month the sales figures come out and everybody waits with bated breath to see the Ford Ranger maybe managed to pip the Toyota Hilux as Mzansi’s best-selling vehicle.

Or if the Isuzu D-Max has managed to chop down one of the big guns with their ever-popular bakkies. The minor placings are left to the likes of the Mahindra Pik Up, VW Amarok, Nissan Navara and GWM P-Series.

Not a lot of around the braai talk is about a Toyota Corolla Cross outselling a VW Polo. Or a BMW 3 Series outselling a Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It’s straight up my bakkie is better than yours!

ALSO READ: New Mitsubishi Triton can overtake Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux

Isuzu D-Max X-Rider put to the test

And because the manufacturers like to put their best technology on display and show off the latest goodies from their toy boxes, we almost always only get the top-of-the-range models to review. And this by default means it’s the big boys, with high powered 3.0-litre V6 or 2.0-litre bi-turbo, R1-million plus bakkies we road test and publish data on.

But because The Citizen Motoring test, and like to test, and numbers mean something to some people and others not, when we got the new Isuzu D-Max X-Rider 1.9 TDI, we thought it would be cool to see how it stacks up against the likes of the Ford Ranger 2.0-litre single turbo XLT and Toyota Hilux 2.4 GD-6 Raider X.

I will give you a brief break down of what the new Isuzu D-Max X-Rider offers before we crunch the numbers.

Based on the LS spec Isuzu D-Max, the X-Rider gets LED headlights and fog lamps, black door handles and mirror caps, a gloss black grille with a red Isuzu badge, and a black sports bar and a blacked-out B-pillar. There is also the inclusion of a tow bar and side-steps, plus a black tailgate handle, grey roof rails, 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels with black centre caps and red Isuzu lettering, a soft tonneau cover and X-Rider badges on the tailgate and doors.

ALSO READ: Returning Isuzu D-Max X-Rider keeps its marked spot intact

X marks the spot

Inside the red theme continues in the shape of the Isuzu badge on the steering wheel, stitching on the black leather seats, doors, and gear lever boot and inserts on the doors. Some more X badges do duty on the floor mats, within the instrument binnacle and on the front seat headrests. This is all finished off with a black roof liner.

At R750 200, both the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux come in a bit cheaper, but neither offer the trim nor spec the Isuzu D-Max X-Rider offers.

But since we promised you some numbers, this is where this final argument gets settled, The Isuzu D-Max X-Rider comes with a 1.9-litre TDI engine that produces only 110 kW and 350 Nm. I say only because the Toyota Hilux Raider X makes the same 110 kW but 50 Nm more from its 2.4-litre mill.

Then we have the Ford Ranger XLT with its 2.0-litre single turbo engine that produces a class-leading 125 kW and 405 Nm. Not huge differences on paper, but on the road the story reads differently.

Lag off the line

The Isuzu D-Max X-Rider double cab gets to 100km/h in a somewhat rather sluggish 14.76 seconds. Most of this is because the bakkie has huge turbo lag off the line and this is where the age of the engine shows up its shortcomings.

This affects all the roll-on acceleration runs too. But at least it is not as lethargic as the Mahindra Pik-Up S11 Karoo, GWM P Series 2.0TD LT and Peugeot Landtrek 4Action as you can see in the chart.

The Toyota Hilux Raider X has slightly less lag and some extra cubic capacity helps it come in second with a decent 13.21 second run. But this 2.4-litre engine is long in the tooth. With likes of mild hybrid technology being added to the 2.8-litre GD-6 Toyota Hilux range, maybe it’s time the 2.4 got some spark too.

ALSO READ: Will Isuzu D-Max X-Rider bother Hilux and Ranger?

But as to be expected, it’s the new technology kid on the block, the single turbo Ford Ranger XLT, that cleans then up with a run of 11.74 seconds. It runs them on the road easily when on the move too.

So, there you have it. Not a single person buys and entry level bakkie because of how fast it is, but now at least if you do, we have told which one is the fastest.

Isuzu D-Max X-Rider test results