Facelift MU-X will arrive on local soil soon, though seemingly without the depicted top-spec RS sold in Thailand. Image: Isuzu Thailand
Revealed in June last year, Isuzu Motors South Africa has confirmed that the facelift MU-X will be coming to market this year following its global debut in Thailand.
Officially the country’s fourth best-selling sub-R1-million bakkie-based SUV after the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Mahindra Scorpio-N, the MU-X has made steady progress, but still lost its perennial third place ranking behind the former pair to the Mahindra last year.
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In total, 912 units left showroom floors in 2024 compared to the 977 Scorpio-N, 3 109 Everests and 10 666 Fortuners.
Positioned well above the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport though, whose offset came to 305 units, the MU-X will debut the brand’s latest styling language comprising a new grille, headlights, bumper and fog lamp bezels at the front and new light clusters with a full-width LED light bar at the rear.
Similar to the facelift D-Max on which it is based, the MU-X’s revised interior consists of more upmarket materials, type-C instead of type-A USB ports, new physical switchgear and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for both the seven and nine-inch infotainment displays.
Along with the same Rough Road setting as its bakkie sibling, the MU-X gains a 360-degree surround-view camera system with a transparent bonnet view, and improved driver assistance systems consisting of Traffic Jam Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Automatic Braking, Automatic Emergency Braking, Driver Attention Alert, Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Warning.
Up front, the MU-X is likely to continue with the existing choice of turbodiesel engine, namely the 1.9-litre Z4E-TC that produces 110kW/350Nm, and the 3.0-litre 4JJ3-TCX DDI rated at 140kW/450Nm.
Both will continue to be mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, with only the latter having the option of selectable four-wheel-drive.
Unlike in Thailand, the new 2.2 MaxForce oil-burner, producing 120kW/400Nm, has seemingly not been approved for South Africa, with the same applying to the equally new eight-speed automatic it has been linked up with.
In announcing the newcomer’s arrival, Isuzu remained mum on the exact date of the reveal, remarking in a statement, “a small number of the new MU-X vehicles are currently in South Africa undergoing testing.
“These vehicles are being evaluated under various conditions to ensure they meet the highest standards of performance, safety and reliability tailored to South Africa’s diverse terrains and driving environments. We will provide further updates as we approach the official launch”.
Sourced from Thailand like the Everest and Pajero Sport instead of being locally assembled at the Gqeberha Plant that produces the D-Max, the current MU-X range spans six models priced from R744 300 for the two-wheel-drive 1.9 LS, to R988 000 for the top-spec four-wheel-drive 3.0 Onyx.
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