ON THE ROAD: WE Brits are the only ones to get this addition to the D-Max truck range. The Blade is aimed at attracting people to the brand who might not otherwise have thought of going for something so seemingly utilitarian. It comes with a host of adornments and features to make it less like a truck and more like something you would want to spend some time in away from the work environment.
That's not to say it's not fit for purpose. There's a lot of competition out there for the D-Max to take on, with high profile brands such as Toyota and Nissan and relative newcomers Volkswagen, and where the D-Max scores highly is in being able to do the job it was intended for.
It is powered by a 2.5 litre diesel engine with 163bhp and 400nm of torque on tap.
There is a fair degree of noise in the cabin under start-up, but I did some relatively long distances in the truck and found that once up to speed that noise largely dissipated. The six-speed gearbox is well ordered and there's low range for when you need to go off-road.
You are never going to have coupe-like handling in something as big as this, but while there's a little bouncing around to be endured, overall it's a pretty good ride.
ON THE INSIDE: WHILE you are never going to be convinced you are in anything other than a truck, the Blade certainly does its best to make life a little more comfortable for its occupants. There's a lot of black plastic, but this is broken up with silver inserts. It's not bad on the eye and perhaps most importantly its eminently wipedownable. What buttons there are are easy to navigate around, however, the stereo leaves a little to be desired and is somewhat fiddly to use.
WHAT DO YOU GET: ON the outside there's 18ins alloys, body-coloured bumpers, rear-load liner, daytime running lights, projector headlamps, LED rear lights, privacy glass, roof bars, rear bumper, tailgate handle and heavy-duty side steps. There's also folding, heated chrome door mirrors with side-indicator repeaters.
On the inside you get electric windows, automatic climate control, rear heating ducts, heated rear screen, cruise control, heated front seats, side sill scuff plates, Blade carpets, piano black interior trim, premium black leather upholstery and a leather steering wheel with audio and cruise control function,
There's a 6.1ins touchscreen Pioneer navigation system, including rear camera, eight speakers, including two 'Exciter' roof-mounted speakers.
HOW PRACTICAL IS IT: THERE'S plenty of space in the D-Max, both for passengers and any loads you need to haul. You can carry five people in relative comfort. The load area for our doublecab measured 1,552mm by 1,530mm. The maximum payload is 1,063kg and there's a towing capacity of 3,500 kg (braked trailer), 750 kg (unbraked).
RUNNINGS COSTS: ISUZU say you should be able to get close to 39mpg on the combined cycle. CO2 emissions are 192g/km.
VERDICT: SPECIAL edition makes D-Max more attractive
ALTERNATIVES: NISSAN Navara, Toyota Hilux, VW Amarok, Ford Ranger
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