Report: Rahul Kapoor; Photography: P. Tharyan
Everybody loves to drive off-road, the British, the Indians, the Americans, the Russians, the Malaysians and even the Japanese. But these days, most SUVs that boast of mighty off-road abilities are seldom taken off road because the owners are wary about damaging them as they are just so expensive to buy and maintain.
But a group of Japanese hardy men who call themselves Isuzu have a big giant SUV called the MU-7. It is a full blown truck with giant tyres with an extremely high ground clearance and enough power to keep you moving in anything and everything. We drove the MU-7 last year and we thought it was pretty good for its size. Now however, Isuzu has added some new bits to it and thrown in a 5-speed CVT automatic transmission in as well. We had to have a go at it and see what’s what.
From the outside, the car remains untouched. At the front you get the same aggressive multi toothed chrome plated grille and the angry sharp edged bumper. The massive 16 inch wheels remain the same, and the rear is exactly identical. The changes are on the inside.
The new MU-7 Automatic gets dual tone interiors (beige and black), with an updated infotainment system with navigation system and the 4 spoke old fashioned steering wheel has been replaced with a more modern 3 spoke steering wheel with audio controls for easy access. The standard car needed a volume knob for the infotainment system because the buttons of the touch screen system were way too small. With the controls now on the steering wheel, Isuzu has taken out 2 birds with 1 stone.
Mechanically the car remains sound in exclusion to the gearbox. The very same 3.0L 4 cylinder i-TEQ VGS Turbo Diesel engine that does duty on the manual also powers the automatic version producing 161bhp and 333Nm of torque with a fuel economy of 12.8kmpl. The car is relatively economical for its size and spec. The Automatic transmission is really smooth though above 3000rpm, the noise from the engine is quite significant in the cabin. The MU-7 unfortunately isn’t available as a full blown 4x4, it only has to deal with a 4x2 rear wheel drive. The 4X4 will only be missed when the vehicle is taken to extreme off-road terrains but because of its huge tyres and more than adequate torque, it can easily get its way out of any rough situation. In the city, the automatic comes very handy and one forgets the fact that he is driving a giant vehicle with the ease of a small Maruti car!
But just to test out the ability of the car, we did take it a little bit off road just to see how it feels and test out the suspension. On road or even off, the suspension is brilliant and the ride is quite comfortable even over the rough stuff. With only rear wheel propulsion, the car performed pretty well on our test off road. The ground clearance of the SUV was really high therefore uneven cross axle dips didn’t hinder the car at all. It just waded itself through. Even the automatic transmission worked extremely well off road.
Mechanically, the car MU-7 ticks all the boxes for its abilities on the road and off the road, but there are some things the car may have been improved. The interior floor I felt was a tad too high which leaves even the front passengers to sit with their knees high and though the leather upholstery is plush and comfortable, the stitching could have been improved. The third row seats are almost touching the ground but then the leg room is ample in all three rows of seats. Folding away the 3rd row of seats also massively increases the boot space of the car. The last time around we managed to fit an entire full sized bicycle in the back with room to spare.
So if you are looking for a tough rugged beast that transforms itself to the road and then again when the tarmac disappears, (which is very often in India) the Isuzu MU-7 will do the job brilliantly. Compared to the prices of some of the SUVs that are with the competitors, this one is quite decently priced.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Engine
3.0L 4 cylinder i-TEQ VGS Turbo Diesel
Transmission
5 speed Automatic CVT
Power
161bhp
Torque
333Nm
Fuel Economy
12.8kmpl
Suspension
Front
Independent Double Wishbone
Rear
Rigid Suspension with Gas sealed Shock
Brakes
Disc
Drum
Dimensions
L x W x H
4955 x 1800 x 1805mm
Tyre
245/70 R16
Wheelbase
3050mm
Kerb Weight
1900Kgs
Drive
Rear Wheel Drive 4x2
Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Rs 23,90,000/-
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