On our shores, not many get the relentless charm of a pickup truck. And those who do, find it quite difficult to contain. In India, the pickup scene is quite small. Very few options are available, and fewer still in the personal vehicle segment. One of them comes courtesy of Isuzu’s D-Max range. Dubbed as the V-Cross, it has managed to garner a cult following for itself. For the record, it came to India in 2016 alongside the D-Max commercial iterations and received a mid-life refresh earlier this year.

Because of that, India will not be getting what we see here anytime soon. It is the all-new D-Max V-Cross which has undergone a generation change for the first time in eight years. Yes, it looks a lot more attractive on the outside, is more feature-rich on the inside and will be available with two diesel engine options in Thailand. Another noteworthy aspect is that the new V-Cross is wider and has a longer wheelbase than the model we have in India. However, it is shorter in length and height.

As mentioned above, there are two engine options – a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel with 148hp/350Nm and a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel 188hp/450Nm. While the former made its India debut in August 2019, the latter is available in the MU-X but in a different state of tune. Isuzu is offering the new V-Cross with the options of a 6-speed manual transmission, 6-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive.

We’re not going to get into what’s new in the design. It is pretty obvious! However, the list of features has seen some additions and upgrades. On the exterior, the pickup gets LED-powered headlamps, taillamps and DRLs, front and rear parking sensors, auto headlamps and wipers, and new 18-inch alloy wheels. Indoors, there’s a 9.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, remote engine start, dual-zone climate control and a new instrument cluster with a 4.2-inch MID. To meet the safety guidelines in Thailand, Isuzu has also equipped the D-Max V-Cross with gizmos such as cross-traffic alert system and blind-spot monitoring.

Whenever Isuzu decides to bring this iteration of the D-Max pickup to India, it will undergo some changes, especially in the features department. When will that happen? Don’t expect a launch date anytime before 2021.