How does the MU-X drive?
When climbing into the MU-X for the first time you’re quickly reminded that it’s a large vehicle. At 4850mm long, 1870mm wide and 1825mm tall, this is a big, boxy wagon designed to take two or four people and a lot of cargo – or up to seven people without too many accoutrements.
Compared to the previous-gen MU-X that lasted for nine years in Australia, the MU-X grew – but it remains a little shorter than a Prado. Still, the MU-X is much more manageable than a full-fat 300 Series Land Cruiser, which is more than 10cm wider again.
Conveniently narrower for off-road tracks, the Isuzu also impresses with generally great visibility thanks to the large glasshouse and huge side mirrors, though the slightly deceiving front-end drop-off could benefit from a camera at the front to help squeeze into those tighter carparks – though the parking sensors are still a great help for most situations.
When driving around suburbia, the MU-X is best described as a ‘point and shoot’ vehicle as the seven-seat benefits from strong acceleration but ultimately falls victim to its particularly high centre of gravity in the corners.
The soft suspension setup, which allows for such great articulation off-road, means that low-speed corners require some patience to get around, though the ride is more composed when tacking some free-flowing highway roads at greater speeds.
Conversely, the softly-sprung nature of the suspension makes for a very comfortable experience, even after several hours behind the wheel – though the Isuzu is prone to a bit of gentle vertical rocking over small bumps that other 4WD wagons would be unfazed by.
This is particularly true on the LS-U variant on 18-inch alloy wheels, with seriously chunky sidewalls adding to the comfortable ride, which feels slightly firmer than the LS-T with larger 20-inch wheels.
With the Mitsubishi Pajero now dead, the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel is the largest displacement four-cylinder engine in this class – though the 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque lag behind rivals like the Ford Everest V6 (184kW/600Nm) and the Toyota Fortuner’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder (150kW/500Nm). No petrol or hybrid option is available on the Isuzu.
But the Isuzu doesn’t feel particularly wanting for grunt either, and it pushes the class further by being one of the few affordable 4WD wagons to boast a 3.5-tonne towing capacity.
Coupled to this engine is a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission, which was largely undetectable during our testing, and generally, that’s a good thing.
Although some rivals like the new-gen Everest and current Prado are embracing full-time 4WD systems, the MU-X remains faithful to its part-time layout which remains locked in RWD mode while on the tarmac.
While the MU-X is hardly unstable, the torquey nature of the engine did see some rather theatrical loss of traction when setting off from the lights on rainy days, and the added assistance of the front wheels could bring some peace of mind in these conditions.
We kept to tarred roads during our test of the MU-X LS-U because it rained non-stop – these vehicles are highly capable off-road, but severe weather and driving land-slipping trails just don’t mix.
With a standard-fit locking rear differential and (a Prado, Everest, and Pajero Sport-beating) 235mm of ground clearance, matched and an 800mm wading depth, the MU-X certainly acts and looks the part.
Regular readers will remember the MU-X was deemed good enough to make it into Chasing Cars’ inaugural Car of the Year, and while the judges generally came away impressed, it was in our standardised testing that we discovered the Isuzu’s overly-cautious approach to the tuning of its safety systems.
On tighter roads, the stability control of the MU-X has shown a tendency the pull the reins too soon, and the late yet jerky response of the lane-keep assistance function gets tiresome – making you want to turn off what could otherwise be a valuable feature.
However, these two points are really discrepancies in what makes up the most advanced safety suite in this segment – which still largely consists of some very elderly competition.
The MU-X is currently the only 4WD (aside from the 300 Series Land Cruiser), to score five stars under ANCAP’s strict new testing protocols that were introduced in 2020.
For this reason, the Isuzu features new innovations like a front-centre airbag and a host of active safety equipment including blind-spot monitoring, driver monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors and forwards AEB with intersection detection.
A big miss for family buyers is the absence of reversing AEB, though the MU-X does come standard with seatbelt reminders across all three rows, and the LS-U grade along with the LS-T are equipped with front parking sensors.