Isuzu D-Max Rodeo Denver (2003 - )

Good looking, big new pick-up built in the GM plant on the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, Rayong, Thailand where it is called the D-Max or Chevrolet Colorado and has been on the road since April 2003. Choice of single or double cab and 4x2 or 4x4. Double cab is 4,900mm long by 1,720 wide by 1,800 high, single cab is slightly longer at 5,015mm. All double cabs have five three point seatbelts. 4x2 has 2,499cc diesel putting out 101PS and 167 lb ft torque at 2,000rpm. 4x4 has 2,999cc diesel with 131PS and 207 lb ft torque at 1,600rpm. Original braked towing weights were 2,000kg for 4x2 and 2,500kg for 4x4. 4x2 manual has top speed of 93, 4x4 manual top speed 96, 4x4 auto top speed 99. Consumption 34.9, 30.7 and 28.8 combined. CO2 214g/km, 243g/km, 258g/km. 3 year, 60k mile warranty. Prices from £11.357 + VAT for 4x2 single cab, through £15,602 + VAT for 4x4 double cab, £17,302 + VAT for Denver 4x4 double cab and £18,153 + VAT for Denver auto. All carry more than £1,000kg so qualify for £500 BIK concession for qualifying business drivers. Towing weight for 130PS 3.0 versions increased to 3,000kg from April 2004. 'Max' specials with soft-type front A-bar with chrome insert, silver ‘Aero’ side steps, rear chrome bumper and light guards and brushed stainless steel door entry guards form £200 extra from August 2004. 4WD and jacked up 'hi-lander' 2WDs have torsion bar front suspension. Low riding 2WDs have coil front suspension.

Rated top Utility towcar 2004 by The Caravan Club. 3,000KG TOWING CAPACITY.

New horizontal bar grille and new I-TEQ chain-cam engine in Thailand from march 2005.

Electronic power upgrade from www.owendevelopments.co.uk raises power of 3.0 from 131bhp to 160bhp and torque from 217lb ft to 274 lb ft.

Prodrive Performance Pack boosts power from 131 PS at 3,800 rpm to a substantial 155 PS at 3,800rpm. Costs £760 including VAT and fitting. Torque rises from 206.5 lb.ft to a 258.1 lb.ft at 2,000 rpm. For manual only at launch, for autos coming later. 0-60 mph acceleration time reduced from 16.8 seconds to 12.4 seconds. As turbo boost is not affected, engine strain is not increased. It allows Isuzu (UK) Limited to include the PPP under its normal three year/60,000 mile warranty. Controlled by a fascia switch and auto reverts to standard power whenever engine switched on.

An advantage for dog owners is that the tailgate drops down lower than other pick-ups.

For 2006, five-seat, four-door double-cab Denver Max LE with almost £6,000 worth of accessories for just over £2,000 extra. Priced at £19,990 On-The-Road (excluding VAT), adds a Prodrive Performance Pack, 18 ins Prodrive alloy wheels with 255/60 Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyres, two-tone leather seats and door inserts, a Prodrive Mesh grille, a tough load-liner and an XTC hard top. Also standard Bluetooth kit, SmartNav satellite navigation with touchscreen, one year’s free SmartNav subscription, one year’s free RAC Trackstar subscription and three months’ free use of SafeSpeed. Plus soft-type front A-bar with chrome insert, chrome side steps, rear chrome bumper and light guards and brushed steel door entry guards. All inn addition to air-conditioning, radio/CD-player, four electric windows, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless-entry and selectable ‘shift-on-the-fly’ 4WD or 2WD at speeds up to 60 mph.

New manual-transmission-only LE restricted to a total of 100 units in either Astral Silver or Black Sapphire metallic. Prodrive Performance Pack boosts the 3.0 litre turbo-diesel engine’s power from 131 PS to 155 PS at the same 3,800 rpm, while torque rockets from 206.5 lb.ft to a solid 258.1 lb.ft at the same 2,000 rpm. 0-60 mph acceleration time reduced from 16.8 seconds to 12.4 seconds.

Also Rodeo Denver Max SDT special edition is being extended throughout 2006. These models feature SmartNav and all the subscription benefits of the new LE together with the Max styling kit. Priced at £15,990 (manual) and £16,990 (automatic) OTR + VAT, the latest Denver Max SDT represents a saving of £1,639 compared to the existing Denver Max.

Prodrive Performance Pack for new 2.5 litre entry-level Rodeo Denver Max pickup available from August 2006. Costing £760 including VAT and fitting, the PPP boosts power from 100 PS at 3,800 rpm to 128 PS – a 28 per cent increase. Torque rises by 33 per cent from 166.7 lb.ft to 222.0 lb.ft.

From April 2007:- Strong new smooth running chain-cam 2.5 litre I-TGEQ Common Rail diesel engine and extensive facelift both inside and out. 136 PS at 3,600 rpm. 217 lb ft torque at 1,800 rpm with especially flat torque curve for effortless towing (Rodeo has always scored well for towing). 39.8 mpg Extra Urban economy. Low CO2 of 213 g/km so escaped punitive new taxes. Car-like 102.5 mph top speed and 12.8 seconds 0-62 mph time. Braked towing limit now 3,000 kg – same as old 3.0 litre’s. Engine highlights include chain driven twin overhead camshafts, common rail with electronically-controlled fuel-injection pump and intercooled, variable vane turbocharger. New five-speed manual gearbox with revised ratios for optimum refinement plus uprated brakes. Three model, five-seat, four-door 4x4 range on sale during April from £13,990 (On-The-Road but excluding VAT)
New three-model range comprises Rodeo, Rodeo Denver Max and from May 2007 a Rodeo Denver Max LE with a 176PS engine courtesy of Prodrive (with switchable chip) plus a luxurious interior and lavish equipment.

All models feature safety features normally only found on passenger cars such as ABS with EBD, twin front airbags, door-intrusion beams, front and rear crush zones and three-point seatbelts for all occupants – even the rear centre passenger. Because of their 1,000kg-plus payloads, all Rodeos allow a registered company to reclaim the VAT. Sold 167,000 units in Thailand in 2006.

Prices for the five-seat, four-door ’07 Isuzu Rodeo range (exclusively 4x4): 2.5 litre Rodeo (manual) – £13,990, 2.5 litre Rodeo Denver Max (manual) – £15,990 and 2.5 litre Rodeo Denver Max LE (manual) – £19,990 (all On-The-Road but excluding VAT).

New Rodeo Denver Max LE. Priced at £19,990 On-The-Road (excluding VAT) in manual form, standard equipment will include a Prodrive Performance Pack and 18ins Shadow Chrome alloy wheels with 255/60 Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyres. It also boasts leather seats and door inserts, an LE mesh grille, a tough load-liner and a new branded LE hard top. In addition, a DVD satnav system with touchscreen plus a high-tech Bluetooth kit – useful following recent legal changes regarding mobile ’phones. Also a soft-type front A-bar, chrome side steps, rear step bumper, rear light guards and brushed steel door entry guards.
Plus air-conditioning, four electric windows, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless-entry and selectable ‘shift-on-the-fly’ 4WD or 2WD at speeds up to 60 mph. Prodrive Performance Pack is expected to boost the 2.5 litre turbo-diesel engine’s power from 136 PS to in excess of 160 PS with a torque target of 250-plus lb ft.

High-Value New Rodeo Denver Max costing £15,990 OTR (excluding VAT) features chrome side-steps, soft-type front A-bar, rear step bumper and brushed steel door entry guards, keyless-entry and Bluetooth kit and load-liner and a radio with six-disc CD autochanger with MP3 capability.

Entry-Level Rodeo has air-conditioning, four electric windows, 16 ins alloy wheels, keyless-entry central-locking, electro-luminescent instruments and a leather-wrapped steering wheel all standard as is a radio with single-disc CD player with MP3 capability and iPod connectivity. High-intensity, projector-type headlamps are standard as well as a trip computer with fuel consumption read-out. Costing £13,990 OTR (excluding VAT), the Rodeo also has a fully carpeted interior, a slick-shifting five-speed manual gearbox, conventional floor-mounted handbrake, and fascia-mounted selection of 4WD or 2WD up to speeds of 60 mph.

Tachograph towing law compliant:

Any pickup registered on or after May 1 2006 that is used for towing for hire or reward with a gross train weight of 3,500 kg is required to have a tamper-proof digital tachograph. This uses a credit card-type record to monitor driving hours and journey times. It means even a small trailer would exceed the 3,500 kg limit, affecting users such as plant hire operators or those in the towing or distribution industry.

The Rodeo one-tonne pickup is the only vehicle of its type to comply with new tachograph legislation. The new system uses an encrypted sender unit fitted to the gearbox which Isuzu has already designed to be tachograph-compatible. None of Isuzu’s one-tonne pickup rivals have this facility. Rodeo owners can contact tachograph supplier VDO Siemens – which has more than 1,000 agents throughout the country – for the unit. If required, dealers can arrange the fitment on behalf of the Rodeo customer.

2007 D-Max marginally better to drive on the road as a 2WD Hi-Lander than as a 4WD. Excellent 2.5 I-TEQ engine capable of mid 30s mpg. RECOMMENDED.

3.0 litre 163PS I-TEQ engine in Thailand from late 2007, but unlikely to be imported to Europe under current import tax rules that are more favourable to 2.5s.

13-6-2008: 163 PS 3.0 litre I-TEQ Common Rail diesel for Rodeo Denver Max LE in UK, available with both manual and automatic gearboxes. 109 mph top speed yet 33.6 mpg Combined (manual) and 3,000 kg braked towing limit. Standard leather trim, air-conditioning, large alloy wheels, satellite navigation, shift-on-the-fly 4WD or 2WD and hard top. Prices start at £19,999 OTR (ex VAT) for Denver Max LE manual. Power is a substantial 163 PS at only 3,600 rpm while torque is a massive 265.5 lb ft at 1,800 rpm in manual form and 245.6 lb ft as an automatic. New 3.0 litre Rodeo Denver Max LE returning 33.6 mpg and 31.4 mpg Combined as a manual or automatic with emissions of 222 and 237 g/km respectively. Top speed for the new Denver Max LE is 109 mph with a 0-60 mph time of 10.3 seconds (manual) and 10.8 seconds (automatic). First deliveries start late July 2008 for the manual and late June 2008 for the auto. Standard equipment includes 18 ins alloy wheels with 255/60 Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyres and stainless steel side steps. It also boasts premium leather seats and door inserts, an LE mesh grille, a tough load-liner and a high-quality LE-branded hard top. In addition, customers benefit from a sophisticated touch screen Sat-Nav with full DVD/DivX playback plus high-tech Bluetooth kit. Other Max features include a soft-type front A-bar, chrome side steps, rear step bumper, rear light guards and brushed steel door entry guards. This is in addition to air-conditioning, four electric windows, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless-entry and selectable ‘shift-on-the-fly 4WD or 2WD at speeds up to 60 mph.

New entry-level 2.5 litre Rodeo 4x2 Single Cab at £9,999 OTR (ex VAT). High equipment plus 38.2 mpg Combined, 1,235 kg payload and 2,500 kg braked towing limit. Equipment includes central-locking, electric windows, a radio with single CD player and MP3 capability. Also standard is ABS with EBD, twin front airbags, power steering, a five-speed manual gearbox and a rear limited-slip differential. Biggest news is the fitment of the new DOHC I-TEQ 2.5 litre Common-Rail turbo-diesel engine first introduced in spring ’07 when the facelifted Rodeo range was introduced. Producing 136 PS at 3,600 rpm and 217 lb ft of torque at 1,800 rpm, the new engine offers exceptional refinement and efficiency with an outstanding 38.2 mpg Combined and equally impressive emissions of 196 g/km. Top speed 109 mph, 0-60 mph time is a car-like 10.5 seconds.


Last updated 18-3-2009 What's Bad
UK 2004 Budget removed tax concession on which company drivers of 1 tonne double cabs were taxed on a BIK of just £500. Rose to £3,000 from 2007.

Underslung spares prone to theft. K-Lok spare wheel lock £37.50 with DIY fitting instructions direct from www.ospreyproducts.co.uk (requires a 20mm diameter hole).

Poor performance in 2008 NCAP test. Only two stars for adult protection. 2* for child protection and 1* for pedestrian protection. The first time ladder framed pick-ups had been tested by NCAP and the tests might not reflect what would happen when the truck his a 'softer' car. What to Watch Out For
Watch that braked towing weight. 3,000kg only from April 2004.

Rattle when engine has warmed up that goes when declutched might signify the start of clutch/flywheel problems.

Ugly rumours about blown 3.0DI engines and automatic transmission failures not substantiated by my sources in Thailand where the vehicle is built, but may be the same problem of injector weep thinning sump oil and causing accelerated bore wear as occurs in Trooper 3.0DI.

Very sparse underside protection so check for surface rust and chassis rust and consider treatment and wax protection.