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The rugged Isuzu MU-X (which oddly stands for Mysterious Utility – eXtreme) is a 4x4 wagon based on the company's only other passenger vehicle, the D-Max ute.
The MU-X – like its key competitors, the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest – eschew leaf springs at the rear in favour of softer coils, but its otherwise mechanically identical to its ute brethren. Available in a rear- or four-wheel drive layout in the $47,400 MU-X LS-M (4X2) and $74,400 MU-X X-Terrain (4X4) models respectively, the five seat wagon also offers a third row of seats, allowing a total of seven people to ride aboard. A five-speed automatic transmission backs its torquey 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, and since 2021 it can tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer behind it.
This vehicle is also known as The Isuzu MU-X is also known as Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet D-Max, Chevrolet LUV D-Max, Holden Colorado, Holden Rodeo, Isuzu KB, Isuzu LB, Isuzu Rodeo, Chevrolet T Series, GMC Canyon in markets outside Australia..
This is an increasingly common complaint among car owners who are finding that modern driver safety aids such as autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance programs are too sensitive and don’t take into account the whole picture at the time. Examples include shrubs in a driveway causing the emergency braking to activate, and lane-keeping assistance trying to maintain a car in the centre of its lane despite a looming wide-load on a truck next to it.
I’m not sure what the solution is. But we can only hope that as cars get better and these programs more sophisticated, the errors won’t be as common. But while ever this tech relies on a computer and an algorithm, it will be doomed to (sometimes) fail. This is one of the reasons completely self-driving cars are not yet a reality on our roads; the tech is simply not foolproof yet.
Meantime, covering your car’s cameras with tape might put a stop to the false alarms, but it might also create new problems as the computer searches in vain for the camera’s input. And your concerns about insurance hassles are well founded, too. It’s not hard to imagine the owner of a car with disabled safety features being refused cover in the event of a crash.
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My experiences with the very latest turbo-diesel engines available suggests that DPF burn offs are being programmed to happen much more often. It’s likely to be a manufacturer response to the problems associated with DPFs that become clogged and then require manual cleaning or even costly replacement. By programming the DPF to burn off more often, the theory is that this will lead to fewer DPF blockages and other problems, making life easier for the car’s owner and reducing customer complaints.
Perhaps another aspect of this is that the DPF burn usually takes several minutes and kilometres of driving to complete. If the vehicle is stopped before the burn is complete, it may try again for a complete regeneration (burn) as soon as possible, which could be why you’re seeing these frequent notifications on the dashboard.
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Unlike some newer cars which use an electrically-operated park brake, this model Isuzu has a conventional, mechanical park brake set-up. So that’s a good start as the mechanical version is much simpler.
The tiny switch that is operated by the park brake lever (and lights up the warning light) can often fail or short-circuit, leaving the car thinking that the park brake is still applied even though it’s not. But if you’ve gone to the trouble of changing the wiring to the park brake lever, then presumably this switch was replaced, too. Or at least checked.
So the next thing to do is to make sure that the park brake is, indeed, releasing completely when you lower the park brake lever inside the cabin. If the park brake is poorly adjusted, you might find it’s not releasing all the way, and that’s what’s causing the problem. A quick squirt of contact cleaner on the switch would be your first move, however.
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Upgrades for 2025 Isuzu MU-X include new alloy wheel design, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, piano black interior trims, a 7.0-inch digital instrument display panel, a 7.0- or 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, USB-C ports, LED fog lights and tyre pressure monitoring.
There's a new flagship model, the X-Terrain, which 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.
The Isuzu MU-X range comes standard with seven seats in every model. The seats feature a new design but the space is the same, with roomy and comfortable seats up front, space for two adults or three kids in comfort in the second row.
There is respectable room in the third row for kids, so while the MU-X isn’t a substitute for a people mover, it can accommodate a larger family that needs up to seven seats on regular occasions.
The Isuzu MU-X has a large cargo area, with 311-lites available with the third row seats in use, which expands to 1119L with the third row stowed. With the second row folded down the the MU-X boasts 2138L of luggage space.
Isuzu has redesigned the interior for 2025. There’s a redesigned steering wheel, taking inspiration from the Hexa Pod theme of the exterior, while the dashboard itself has been reprofiled after the shape of the F-35 fighter jet. The LS-M and LS-U get new cloth trim and there’s fresh leather-accented seats in the LS-T and X-Terrain.
Isuzu has opted not to change the engines for 2025, so the MU-X is carrying over its 1.9-litre and 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engines. The 1.9L makes 110kW/350Nm, while the 3.0L is good for 140kW/450Nm, both are paired to a six-speed automatic transmission and available with 4x2 and 4x4.
The Isuzu MU-X 1.9L is rated at 7.4L/100km and the 3.0L uses 8.3L/100km, which are unchanged from the pre-facelifted model.
The MU-X fuel tank is 80L in both models, which means the 1.9L has a driving range of theoretically 1081km, while the 3.0L engine has a potential range of 963km.
Isuzu doesn't publish a 0-100km/h time, but we'd estimate the 3.0L would take approximately 10 seconds and the 1.9L around 15 seconds.
The top speed is estimated at approximately 175km/h.