Isuzu D-Max LS-U+ Tour Mate 2025 review

Sling the name “Mate” onto any car model’s name and it immediately takes on a more Aussie flavour.

It works for this special-edition Isuzu D-Max Tour Mate, as it’s the most lap-of-Australia-ready variant of this enduringly popular one-tonner.

For the Tour Mate – a name last used in 2019 – Isuzu’s taken its highly-specc’d LS-U and LS-U+ 4×4 dual-cab grades and added a claimed $9000 worth of “commonly selected optional accessories,” while only adding around $3k to the bill. A six grand saving has obvious appeal.

Think hard canopy with lift-up windows to boost luggage capacity, tow bar tongue, 12-pin wiring harness, electronic brake controller and extendable compact towing mirrors, all in the same bundle.

Even so, not much comes cheap in 4×4 ute land anymore. The LS-U Tour Mate is $69,990 driveaway, and the LS-U+ Tour Mate with leather and fancier cabin gear is $72,990 on the road. Only the more rugged off-road Blade at $76,990 drive away costs more in the D-Max range.

The Tour Mate’s a compelling package for those planning to tow and/or long-distance tour.

Instead of cherrypicking from Isuzu’s extras or visiting aftermarket shops, the key kit’s all there. Nothing’s superfluous for odyssey-bound towing folk, except maybe the included weather shields (although some from the old school still swear by them).

Benefit for the customer is it’s all built up for you and covered by Isuzu’s factory warranty. At six-years/150,000km, that’s longer than most aftermarket part warranties. Those getting finance will also find it beneficial that these extras are there at point of sale.

This Tour Mate’s most striking omission is the lack of a bull bar, something many travellers insist upon. Isuzu’s MU-X – the SUV based on the D-Max ute – also comes in Tour Mate guise, and it includes a steel bull bar. The big seven-seater doesn’t need the D-Max’s hard canopy, hence it gets the bull bar instead.

The Tour Mate brings further expansion to the already extensive D-Max range. With over 20 different grades you can choose between 4×4 or 4×2, Single, Space and Crew (dual) Cab bodies, ute or tray back, and 3.0-litre or 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine.

Most D-Max buyers want the most capable 4×4 dual cabs running the 3.0L and six-speed auto, so that’s the makeup of these Tour Mates.

Let’s go rate this Mate.

What are the D-Max Tour Mate’s features and options for the price?

The D-Max was our fourth best-selling vehicle of 2024, behind only the Ford Ranger and Toyota’s HiLux and RAV4. It’s a big deal vehicle for Aussies, and a facelift with welcome incremental improvements landed last year.

The cheaper LS-U Tour Mate has the 140kW/450Nm turbo-diesel, rear diff-lock, Rough Terrain Mode, 18-inch alloys, Bi-LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED/halogen tail lights, side steps, assisted tailgate, rear parking sensors and a tub liner.

Moving in, there’s keyless entry, exit and push-button start, cloth seats, a 9.0-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display, dual-zone climate control, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shifter, power lumbar for the driver’s seat and carpet flooring.

The LS-U+ Tour Mate, for an extra $3000, adds leather-accented upholstery, heated and power adjustable front seats – eight way for driver and four way the passenger.

The included Tour Mate package is unique to these grades only, and feature Tour Mate special-edition badging on the tailgate.

Highlight is the hard canopy over the ute tub, featuring dual lift-up side windows and rear window, all sharing the same locks and keys. The canopy’s a dual-layer ABS shell, the windows are tinted all round to help hide the contents inside, while there’s LED lighting illuminating the space.

The aforementioned weather shields are slimline, while the tow bar tongue, 12-pin wiring harness and electric brake controller has you all set to utilise the 3500kg tow capacity.

The brake controller switch is on a dash panel to the right of the steering wheel, and looks very much like an Isuzu-logo’d Redarc item.

The Clearview side mirrors are very handy, but not giant units that bring loads of wind noise at speed.

When not towing they’re similar to standard mirrors, but they easily extend out with a quick pull, making them towing compliant in all states and territories. They’re also heated and power-folding.

Missing from these Tour Mates are front parking sensors and a remote engine start, both found on the D-Max X-Terrain best-seller. There’s also no comprehensive off-road surround-view cameras, as are becoming increasingly commonplace on proper 4x4s.

The Tour Mate accessories weigh in at a reasonable extra 85kg combined, so overall payload capacity’s not impacted a great deal. It’s 905kg the LS-U, and 910kg the LS-U+.

If you are flirting with towing and/or touring with Isuzu’s MU-X SUV in Tour Mate guise, its payload is far less at 549kg. Its GVM is 2800kg and GCM 5900kg, while this D-Max Tour Mate’s numbers are 3100kg and 6000kg respectively.

As with all towing, it’s down to the owner to ensure all weight limits are adhered to. Your van’s or trailer’s mass is one thing, but you must account for all the kit you’ll be carrying too.

It’s worth noting some of the advantages the MU-X seven-seat SUV has over the D-Max ute. Its ride quality’s better on and off-road (helped by coil-sprung rather than leaf rear suspension), the turning circle’s better, there’s the versatility of seven seats, and you can fold these down for a giant, covered cargo space.

But the D-Max’s advantages include its far higher payload, while its ute tub makes it the better hauler for work tools and dirty stuff you’d not throw in an SUV – think garden mulch, green waste, logs, camping rubbish, wet equipment and fuels.

Some say they prefer living out of a ute for touring, and the Tour Mate’s canopy certainly gives easy access to your kit thanks to the three large opening windows and dropping tailgate.

The Tour Mate’s canopy can be unbolted for normal open-tub ute use.

How does the D-Max Tour Mate drive?

The D-Max is a solid all-rounder, and Isuzu hasn’t messed with the winning formula for years.

There’s been nips and tucks, but in general it’s stuck with the big displacement 3.0L four-cylinder turbo-diesel, reasonable on-road comfort (for a ute) and impressive off-road clout, helped by its rear diff lock. However, there’s no 4WD auto mode here; the driver must make the switch themselves.

The Tour Mate’s drive is no different to other high-grade D-Maxes. Yes there’s the extra weight of a hard canopy, but it doesn’t add any more kilos than a lawnmower and a few jerry cans in the tub would. As with all utes, it’s a more settled, composed ride with decent weight in the back or something on tow.

It would have been ideal to test the Tour Mate with a caravan hitched up, but sadly the opportunity wasn’t available on our sample. We did get to go into touring holiday mode, throwing it around some lovely Queensland country roads.

To compare, you can read our other recent D-Max drive reviews, including that of the X-Rider, Blade and full 2024 facelifted range tested on- and off-road, including towing.

In short, the Old Faithful 3.0-litre four-pot engine may not be a power or torque monster – especially when compared to some rivals’ V6 donks – but there’s decent shove from low revs and its larger capacity means it feels wholly unstressed. Stand on the throttle and it gets more raucous, but that’s par for the ute diesel course.

I towed a 3.2-tonne boat with the D-Max last year and praised its easy-going engine – it never flared excessively – and the six-speed auto effectively and quietly did a sterling job of picking the correct cog.

Importantly, at cruising speed, the big motor settled into a relaxed rhythm, something key for those crossing our sunburnt country.

The Tour Mate has Isuzu’s ‘standard duty’ three-leaf spring suspension, and the unladen ride isn’t nauseously bouncy. However it’s not the match for a Ford Ranger or Volkswagen Amarok, which have the best in-town manners when there’s nothing in the tub.

Our urban drive helped illustrate the recent improvements Isuzu’s made to its driver assist tech, which had previously been a perplexing weak spot.

Its lane keep assist now massages you back into lane rather than tugging, and the adaptive cruise control has a traffic jam feature which effectively stops and goes automatically. It’s far more relaxing when traffic is snarled. (See safety section below for more).

The D-Max’s off-road clout was boosted from 2024 with its Rough Terrain Mode with enhanced traction control calibration. It can work with the rear diff lock engaged, and our quite gnarly course showed the D-Max’s easy-going competence seen on road extended to the rough stuff.

There’ll always be those who’ll need more hard-core kit for their specific adventures – Isuzu offers the Blade for that – but this Tour Mate will take the vast majority of Aussies into deep territory with very little effort.

What is the D-Max Tour Mate’s interior and tech like?

Good grief it’s a dark and austere in here. The LS-U+ grade is very much black on black on black, but the leather accented seats look and feel decent quality, and with lots of power adjustment, it’s easy to find a comfy long-distance position. Power lumbar adjust for the driver’s a godsend.

The dash is a good mix of utilitarian toughness with bang up-to-date tech. The 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen can be a bit sluggish to respond to instruction, but it’s large and clear and features both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The reversing camera is of solid quality with a good depth of field.

A digital driver’s display isn’t the last word in customisability, but it feels more special than analogue dials. There are 3.0A USB-C ports through the cabin for fast charging, and while seats are heated, ventilated chairs should be on a $70k+ vehicle, especially as many will use a Tour Mate in some of Australia’s hottest regions.

A dash storage bin is handy, as are pop-out cup holders right in front of the air vents to keep drinks cool.

The back seat is roomy enough but with a high-ish floor (typical ute style once more), but head and leg room are fine, plus there are air vents. Handier for long distance tourers are the rear seat bases able to lift in a 60/40 split, helping better secure your kit.

The hard canopy brings massive, secure space in the tub. The exterior locking handles are simple to use to access the side windows, which raise on gas struts.

Along our dirt road test, the seals kept out dust effectively. Hopefully it’d do likewise with the super-fine dust found in the outback.

While the side windows give access to the tub, only tall folk will be able to easily lean in. As with all touring, you must pack smartly, keeping the quick access gear close to the tailgate.

The tub liner looks and feels robust, there are four tie-down points and the assisted tailgate (on gas struts too) makes life easier and safer.

Credit to the chunky and practical rubber floor matting. These are easy to hose and wipe down, and do a good job of containing mud, stones and dry grass thanks to upturned edges.

Is the D-Max Tour Mate a safe car?

The D-Max was ANCAP tested in 2022 and scored the maximum five stars. It was rated at 86 percent for adult occupant protection, 89 percent child occupant protection, 84 percent for safety assistance and 69 percent for vulnerable road user protection.

Active and passive systems as standard includes:

• Eight airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Turn assist with AEB
• Post collision braking
• Forward collision warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Intelligent speed limiter
• Lane departure warning, prevention and keep assist
• Emergency lane keeping
• Driver attention assist
• Blind spot monitoring
• Rear cross traffic alert and brake
• Reversing camera
• Rear parking sensors
• Adaptive cruise control

These are impressive inclusions with strong ANCAP numbers, making the D-Max a sound choice for the safety conscious and families. Reversing AEB where it detects stationary objects or people is the only obvious omission.

What are the D-Max Tour Mate’s ownership costs?

Isuzu bests most rivals with a six-year warranty, but it’s limited to 150,000km when most are unlimited.

Service intervals are every 12 months/15,000km, and prices are capped at $449 per visit for the first five. That equals $2245 over the entire period.

Its 8.3L/100km fuel economy’s decidedly average, but it is reliable. Our in-the-wilds mix of slow and fast country roads returned a good 8.8L/100km.

Folk who tow also suggest the D-Max is one of the better ones for not drinking too much with a few tonnes on the back, while being renowned for bulletproof reliability.

The honest verdict on the D-Max Tour Mate

If you were going to drop $9000 extra on a hard canopy and towing kit, having them thrown in for a third of the price of buying each accessory individually makes the Tour Mate an obvious choice for certain D-Max buyers.

But there’s a sticking point. The LS-U and LS-U+ these Tour Mates are built on don’t represent the best value in the D-Max range. Mystifyingly, the latter costs more as a driveaway than the higher-grade X-Terrain, which is always on offer and by far the popular choice.

The driveaway pricing of the Tour Mates swing the value proposition back somewhat, and it’s appealing unique in market. No dual-cab ute rivals offer such tow-ready accessories already bundled on and with the full six-year factory warranty.

Mate’s rates? What Aussie doesn’t like that?