REVIEW | Why the Isuzu MU-X is just the ticket for riding out life's middle-age malaise

Based on the same rugged underpinnings as the Japanese carmaker’s D-Max bakkie, the Isuzu MU-X is to many people not a particularly inspired vehicle.

Indeed, when I arrived at my friend’s house one balmy Saturday afternoon, his wife enquired as to why I was driving an “old man’s car”.

I explained being over 40 I was now classified as one and as such needed a machine capable of keeping up with my lifestyle demands:

• endless trips to hardware stores for building supplies;
• transporting rubbish to the nearby dump; and
• circumnavigating dirt roads to locales in the country where one can for a weekend trade the maelstrom of city life for the sanctitude of nature, a pair of binoculars and few mid-strength lagers (not too many or else I won’t be able to sleep).

She laughed, rolled her eyes, thinking I was fibbing. Thing is though, I wasn’t.

Much like I now favour my Columbia softshell jacket over my old Levi’s Trucker, the trappings of adulthood have warmed my heart to practical SUVs such as the MU-X. I’ll admit its styling is fairly derivative and through squinted eyes could easily be mistaken for a Toyota Fortuner or Ford Everest (and vice versa), but in this category of vehicle beauty really is skin deep.

It’s what lies beneath that counts and in this respect the MU-X is a jolly nice thing with a comfortable, compliant suspension that flips a defiant middle finger to most craterous Johannesburg potholes. While the steering might be quite heavily weighted, one has to admire how poised and polished this Isuzu feels out on our everyday streets.

Pop the bonnet and you will find a 1.9l four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, which doesn’t sound like much in something as sizable as a 1,900kg MU-X. And yes, granted, there will be times out on the N14 highway when you will feel its output (110kW and 350Nm of torque) is a bit borderline, especially when going for a gap or an impromptu overtake manoeuvre.

On the flip side of this coin, it does reward you with smooth operation and miserly fuel consumption. With little effort I was able to get the onboard computer in our test unit to show 7.6l/100km after a weekend of errands in mixed driving conditions.

On a long trip like a jaunt from Joburg to Cape Town, I think you’d have no problem whittling this figure down into the sixes. Good to know when a litre of diesel is now very nearly the same price as a cheap bottle of crackling wine (and just about as headache-inducing). 

While a six-speed automatic transmission is standard on the MU-X 1.9 LX, an all-wheel drive system isn’t. In fact, being the baby of the range, it’s not even available as an option. You do get a locking rear differential though, which will definitely help on trickier terrains.

You want to know about the cabin? Of course you do. Though I don’t care for the finicky LED display in the middle of the instrument cluster, everything else inside this Isuzu is pretty darn commendable. The multifunction steering wheel is wrapped in leather, while the dashboard is trimmed in something resembling it. The seats — partial leather here in LS specification — are not only comfy but also electronically adjustable.

A seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six speakers is standard and syncs with Apple CarPlay (or Android Auto if that’s your vibe).

Unlike myriad other cars on the market, the MU-X comes with old-school rotary switches to control the air-conditioning system, which means you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to change things like fan speed and temperature.

Gizmos abound, too, with highlights including the likes of cruise control, a reverse camera, front and rear USB ports, two 12-volt power sockets and electric windows. In short, there’s everything you need here and nothing you don’t.

Priced from R708,000 the Isuzu MU-X 1.9 LX isn’t cheap, but if you have got the cash at hand then I’d certainly recommend taking a closer look at one. Even more so if you’re wary of the, ahem, certain “pitfalls” associated with owning some of its more popular, bakkie-based rivals here in the good old Republic of South Africa.

Yep, for reliably navigating the malaise of middle-aged life efficiently and in comfort, you can’t go wrong.