Isuzu MU-X News

Driver-assist technology is supposed to do just that – assist the driver – but sometimes the application of it in the real world ranges from annoying to bloody atrocious depending on the vehicle you’re driving at the time.

Isuzu has replaced its smaller engine option in both its D-Max ute and its MU-X SUV, with a new 2.2-litre engine coming in to join the larger 3.0-litre.

It now seems inevitable that one of world’s longest-running family SUV badges may soon be retired in Australia. With low sales and high pricing pressures due to unfavourable exchange rates and ongoing geo-political uncertainties, the Nissan Pathfinder is facing an uncertain future, as it continues to stumble against popular alternatives in the large, seven-seater SUV segment like the Ford Everest,

Does size matter? It’s an age-old question but when it comes to cars, it’s complicated.Most car reviews - rightly - will cover whether the model represents good value for money. That will usually include a focus on what is and isn’t included in the standard features list, the safety offering, quality of materials and more.Often this will include whether you get enough metal for your money. Is the car big enough for the price?My question is, should size factor into the value of a car? And how do you fairly determine value when each buyer has a different budget?I understand that everyone has different requirements when looking for a new car. A family of five will require more space than a family of two, or a single person, for example.But I would argue that size should not determine whether a car represents good or bad value for money.Again, I appreciate that many people will want as much car as they can get for their money, based on how they will use it. But surely things like overall vehicle quality, the drive experience and how the car makes you feel are just as important.Here’s an example. A Honda Civic e:HEV L costs $49,900 (drive-away). When compared with old foes like the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla, it is seen as being quite a lot of money for a small hatchback.For roughly the same price as the Civic, you could buy an entry grade large seven-seat SUV like a Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Isuzu MU-X, or a Toyota Kluger.But just because you can get a bigger car for the same price, should you?If you don’t need the space, then I say you shouldn’t. And not just for reasons like the environmental impact of large vehicles, or the sheer space it takes up on the road. Although those reasons are also valid.If a smaller car ticks other boxes including being fun to drive, that should be enough.Back to my example - the Honda Civic hybrid is an excellent car. I would argue it’s the best small passenger car (as in, not an SUV) on sale in Australia. It has excellent build quality, a solid standard features list, a handsome design, nicely executed interior and an exceptional and efficient powertrain.Something like that is a perfect car for me. And I don’t feel like I would be ripped off buying this instead of a larger car.Similarly, if someone has the means to buy a premium car instead of something from a mainstream brand, that’s fine. As Donna Meagle famously said in Parks and Recreation, “Treat yo’self!”Sure, a circa-$60,000 BMW 120 hatch may not have the same level of standard features as a higher grade Toyota Corolla or Mazda3 - which cost $20,000 less - but who cares?If you have your heart set on a premium car like a BMW and you’ve got the money for it, then it doesn’t matter if it’s missing a few features.Whether it’s the materials in the cabin, the way it drives or the feeling you get when driving a premium European car, a model like that often just feels more special.A couple of years back I lived with a Peugeot 308 Premium GT hatchback for four months. That specific grade at the time was priced at $48,990 before on-road costs. Again, there was a lot of commentary about that being a lot of money “for a small hatchback”.I am not suggesting it’s cheap - it clearly isn’t. But that is an excellent little car that made me smile every time I got behind the wheel. I would be happy - proud even - to own one.To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with trying to get as much car as possible for your budget. If you want as many standard features as you can possibly get for $40k, and you are less fussed about how the car drives or its perceived quality, terrific. And there’s no shortage of options, especially with the growing number of Chinese brands offering affordable models.But equally, no one should be shamed for spending big bucks on a car that isn’t the size of a boat, or if it doesn’t tick every single box on the standard features list.

Isuzu displays range of 4x4 D-Max utes and MU-X SUVs with a new, smaller engine.

Isuzu knows it took advantage of the Toyota Prado changeover in 2024 to claim second spot in the large SUV sales race, but is still hopeful that its refreshed MU-X can remain a favourite with local buyers.Following the mid-life updates to the D-Max ute in 2024, the MU-X SUV has been given a similar facelift. However, Isuzu Ute Australia boss Junta Matsui is adamant that this is no minor “nip and tuck” as the company has made some major changes. In addition to the refreshed styling, the 2025 MU-X features revised suspension and a new hero model atop the range.Isuzu has dropped the MU-X Tour Mate, a special edition that was the out-going flagship and has replaced it with the all-new X-Terrain trim level. X-Terrain sits at the top of the line-up that graduates from LS-M to LS-U and LS-T. Each of these models has been given some minor equipment adjustments and, subsequently, a price increase.The range now begins at $48,400 (plus on-road costs) for the LS-M 1.9L 4x2, which is a $1000 increase over the old model. But the LS-M does get some new equipment including updated cloth upholstery, a 4.2-inch digital display on the instrument panel, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as USB-C ports and bi-LED headlights.The LS-M is also available with the 3.0-litre 4x2 powertrain (from $50,400 +ORC) and 3.0L 4x4 (from $56,400 +ORC).Next up is the LS-U, which is available as a 1.9L 4x4 (from $61,400 +ORC), 3.0L 4x2 (from $57,400 +ORC) and 3.0L 4x4 (from $63,400 +ORC). Upgrades for 2025 include new 12-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels, a new leather-wrapped steering wheel, piano black interior trims, a 7.0-inch digital instrument display panel, 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, USB-C ports, LED fog lights and tyre pressure monitoring.The LS-T is only available with the 3.0L motor but can be 4x2 (from $64,400 +ORC) or 4x4 (from $71,400 +ORC). Key equipment extras for this include a new 360-degree surround view camera system, 20-inch alloy wheels, leather-accented upholstery, black headlining, white ambient lighting and black elements on the front bumper, grille and rear bumper.Finally, the all-new X-Terrain (from $74,400 +ORC) comes with a range of unique black elements to help it visually stand out, including its 20-inch gloss black alloy wheels, the horizontal bars on the grille, fog light surrounds and fender flares. It also gets a 7.0-inch digital instrument display, red ambient lighting and leather-accented trim with red and grey contrasting stitching. The X-Terrain is also exclusively available in Slate Grey metallic paint.To offset these price rise, and help make sense of this expansive model range, Isuzu is offering drive-away deals on three models, starting with the LS-M 1.9L 4x2 for $46,990, plus the $69,990 LS-T and the new X-Terrain for $73,990.There’s also some significant safety enhancements across the range, starting with a new ‘Gen4’ stereo camera as part of the active safety suite, which now includes Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC), traffic jam assist and rear cross-traffic brake. The Lane Keep Assist and tyre pressure monitoring systems have also been updated. There’s also a new digital reversing camera across all models and a 360-degree surround view on the LS-T and X-Terrain variants.

They sell and sell and sell, they’re so popular they’re ubiquitous on our roads, some of them may never be used on the dirt and yet they’ve all become the people-movers of choice in the 21st Century – but are utes and 4WDs actually any good for families?Utes and 4WD wagons have swiftly become the go-to conveyances nowadays for everyone from city-based families to mumpreneurs, from adventure-sport loving weekend warriors to tech big-wigs.That’s all well and good but are utes and 4WDs well suited to families?Read on.In terms of day-to-day performance, comfort and practicality as family vehicles, utes and wagons are fairly even.Let’s look at some of the positive and not-so-positive factors of both vehicle types.A ute has a lot going for it as a family vehicle and it has one very obvious major point of difference with wagons and passenger cars: its open tray or tub. This versatile load space means that the extent of your packing is not restricted by your vehicle’s roof-line (as it is in a wagon), because the tub doesn’t have one.You can load beyond the top edge of a ute’s tub if needed, and tall or awkwardly shaped loads aren’t a problem either – think flat-packed furniture, building materials, cement mixers, pinball machines … you get the idea.The flip side of that major positive though is that the load is not covered and so it is not protected from the weather (rain etc) and it is not secure (from opportunistic thieves and the like). The remedy to these issues is getting a lockable tub cover that provides protection and security for whatever you choose to load into the tray. However, those solutions mean that the tub then becomes a uniform load space, i.e. you won’t be able to load tall or awkwardly shaped equipment or materials into the tub unless you leave the cover open.There’s a huge variety of OEM and aftermarket tray/tub coverings (hard or soft tonneau covers, roller shutters, aluminium lids etc) from which to choose. Or you can buy an aftermarket canopy to be fixed to your ute tub to protect your loaded gear, and many of those options are lockable and feature-packed. However, a canopy is not an engineered-at-vehicle-origin solution, so while it offers much better security, water- and dust-proofing than having no tub cover at all, it’s no match for a wagon’s built-in load space.But, once again, by affixing a cover to a ute’s tub – whether it’s a tonneau, roller shutter, canopy, or simply a bit of tarp over the top – defeats the original purpose of owning an open-topped ute anyway, because by doing so you’re instantly robbing the ute tub of its load-carrying versatility.In other ways, utes have come a long away over the past decade or so and, though still wearing leaf-spring suspension set-ups engineered to cope with any anticipated work gear or leisure equipment, they are generally regarded as being at least in the vicinity of passenger cars, in terms of comfort, cabin amenities and driver-assist technology.Whereas ride quality and handling in unladen utes was once severely compromised due to the leaf-spring suspension, those issues have largely been addressed if not resolved, and contemporary utes are now generally more composed and predictable on sealed surfaces and corrugated dirt tracks than they once were – even without a load onboard.Wagons also have plenty of positives in their favour as family conveyances, even as standard, and those may make them more appealing than a 2WD passenger car or van in a buyer’s eyes.4WD wagons offer flexibility in terms of passenger-carrying capabilities because a wagon may have five, seven or eight seats.They also, most importantly, offer families based in the city, suburbs or rural areas the peace of mind that a vehicle lacking 4WD, genuine country-tough robustness and decent ground clearance simply doesn’t.Your valuables (people, pets, camping gear, collection of Star Wars action figures etc) are afforded safety and security in a wagon because it is a fully enclosed and lockable load space, accessible from the main cabin.Another plus in their favour: 4WD wagons have coil-spring set-ups, so ride quality and handling is composed and predictable on sealed surfaces and corrugated dirt tracks.Utes and wagons make great choices as family vehicles – hence they’re overwhelming popularity.They’re versatile people- and load-carrying vehicles; they’re comfortable, roomy, robust and offer the driver a peace of mind not possible in a passenger car.You may never take your family 4WD off the actual road, but at least you know you can if you want to.

With Australia's four-wheel drive segment more competitive than ever before, deciding which off-road SUV to buy has become an increasingly complicated task.

Isuzu has launched its D-Max ute and MU-X SUV in Thailand with a brand new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.It will go on sale in Thailand – where both models are built for Australia – on November 28. The new engine, dubbed the RZ4F, is an advancement on the 1.9-litre R4ZE-TC engine sold in Australia and a likely successor to the more powerful 3.0-litre 4JJ3-TCX.According to an international Isuzu media release, “the new powerful RZ4F engine combined with 8-speed automatic transmission brings significant improvements to start-up capability, acceleration, and fuel efficiency compared to existing models.”It also adds 10kW/50Nm over the 1.9-litre unit it is based on for a total power output of 120kW/400Nm. It is 20kW/50Nm less potent than the 3.0-litre unit it is poised to replace, though.Those outputs put the new motor bang on with the current output of the GWM Ute (120kW/400Nm) and in the ballpark of the Jac T9 (120kW/410Nm) and KGM Ssangyong Musso (133kW/400-420Nm).It also shares the same 2.2-litre displacement as the brand new Kia Tasman, though the Tasman is capable of a greater 154kW/440Nm.Isuzu is yet to report fuel economy figures or carbon dioxide emissions, but it has stated there will be a considerable improvement in both of these metrics over the 3.0-litre engine, which uses 8.0L/100km and produces 207 grams of carbon per kilometre.The current 1.9-litre unit uses 7.0L/100km and produces 186 grams of carbon per km on the entry-level SX variant, which already makes it one of the better performers in the diesel ute and ute-based SUV segment compared to its four-cylinder rivals.For comparison, the entry-level 2.0-litre turbo-diesel Ford Ranger Hi-Rider uses 7.6L/100km and produces 199 grams of carbon per km, while the 2.4-litre turbo-diesel Toyota HiLux turbo-diesel Workmate uses 7.4-litres and produces 188 grams of carbon.Improved fuel economy is expected thanks to the brand’s new eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, which will replace the current six-speed transmission.Isuzu said of the transmission: “The wider gear range, optimised torque, high performance lockup dampers, and gear shift map settings tailored to the RZ4F engine enables improved start-up capability, acceleration, fuel economy and overall performance.”At this stage it is unclear exactly when we will see the new engine option arrive in Australia, with an Isuzu spokesperson telling CarsGuide last week that it was “not in a position to comment on future product plans”.Isuzu Australia said that it was “monitoring reception to the news to ensure any product updates to our local range meet the unique requirements of our local market before introducing any change locally.”As Isuzu’s largest export market, the new 2.2-litre engine is expected to play an important role for the brand locally moving forward, particularly with impending National Vehicle Emission Standards (NVES) set to kick off from January 1 2025.That will see the level of carbon emissions per km capped at 210 grams from next year for light commercial vehicles – which both engines currently on sale fit under – before dropping to 180 grams in 2026.According to the NVES scheme, each gram exceeded on each vehicle over the limit can incur a $100 fine, but car manufacturers can avoid fines by accruing carbon credits for every zero emissions vehicle sold.Isuzu is currently without one in its local lineup, but an electric version of the D-Max has been confirmed for sale in Australia from late-2025 after a production-ready version made an appearance at the Bangkok International motor show earlier this year.Isuzu also employs the 1.9-litre engine with mild-hybrid technology in Thailand, which delivers improved fuel efficiency over the non-hybrid engine.The mild-hybrid version hasn’t been confirmed for Australia yet, but both electrified models could theoretically lower the brand’s fuel emissions average and allow it to continue selling a diesel-powered variant in the form of the new 2.2-litre diesel without passing higher costs onto consumers.

At long last, Isuzu’s Thailand division has confirmed rumours that the brand will launch a new smaller diesel engine for its two-strong 4x4 line-up.