The best 4WD on the market? Why we picked the Isuzu MU-X as our next 4WD
Our first 4WD (and that may be a bit ambitious) was a trusty 2002 Honda CRV. It served us well but the day came when it became too costly to keep on the road, and our off-road dreams grew beyond CRV capabilities.
We landed on a 2018 Isuzu MU-X LST, but how did we get there?
Our feature wish list
We narrowed down the few features that were important to us:
Serious off-road capabilities
Quality, long lasting internals
Wagon style
7 seats
Automatic transmission
Fairly new with modern features like CarPlay
Solid towing capacity
Spacious inside but not too difficult to wield around narrow Sydney streets
Boxy look
We wanted to be always ready for any adventure, comfortable on long drives, and be able to go off-road, camping and exploring anywhere with the doggos and friends. We also wanted something that felt a little bit luxe but could give off road a red hot go.
Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu? 🤯
After some quick research some 4X4s kept coming up: Toyota Prado, Toyota Fortuner, Nissan Patrol, Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, and Mitsubishi Pajero. We originally had our heart set on a Toyota Landcruiser or Prado. But after a few test drives we were a little disappointed with the quality of some second hand models and the big price tags.
The first features that made the MU-X stand out were its reputation for off-roading, its reliability, and incredible towing might (3 tonnes in the 2018 model). The MU-X kept coming up as one of the few vehicles you can take anywhere and will last forever.
Going deeper, we learnt that the MU-X has one of the biggest boots in the large SUV range (especially important for us as the doggos are an almost permanent installation in our back seats)!
The features that ‘drove’ us home
The 2018 model is not quite as wide and long as a Prado or Patrol, but not as narrow as the Fortuner. The boxy shape makes it easy to manoeuvre for its size. Inside, it feels as powerful as the Fortuner, but it’s a smoother, more comfortable ride.
Despite all this goodness, there are some things we miss: the fuel tank is only 65L and the standard technology isn’t as flashy compared to its competitors. Will could definitely benefit from some blind spot assist, and the CarPlay had to be installed after market.
All in all though ‘the Moo’ has absolutely lived up to our hopes. It’s a joy to drive and has taken us off-road with ease. Now all that’s left is to carry out all our bottomless list of more ambitious 4WDing adventures and some fun upgrades to dazzle up the Moo - like all terrain tyres, a snorkel and UHF radio.
All images used are copyright of Gymea Homestead.
