Isuzu MU X off road 2018 Interior Exterior

A lot of people buy a big four-wheel drive with seven seats to carry kids, their friends, their friend's friends, and occasionally to tow a caravan.

But, little do they know their big SUV is capable of going effectively anywhere straight out of the box. One of those big SUVs is the 2017 Isuzu MU-X and we saddled-up to see how well it would deal with being thrown in the deep end, literally.

Recently the benefactor of a face lift, the 2017 Isuzu MU-X also received a heart transplant in the form of a meatier engine.

Now powering the MU-X range is a four-cylinder, 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel that makes 130kW of power (same as before), but is now Euro 5 compliant and offers up 430Nm of torque (50Nm more than previously).

The big advantage with this engine revision is that it produces 380Nm of torque between 1700 and 3500rpm, which is a wider rev band than offered but its predecessor. It also peaks at 430Nm between 2000 and 2200rpm, making it a versatile band to work with.

The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, with a claimed combined fuel economy of 7.9 litres per 100km, along with a 3000kg braked towing capacity. While the MU-X range is available in both rear- and all-wheel drive, we picked the mid-specification Isuzu MU-X LS-U 4x4 with an automatic transmission as our test vehicle.

Priced from $52,400 (plus on-road costs), the MU-X LS-U is $1300 more than before, but don't be too alarmed. Isuzu is already doing a drive-away offer, available until the end of 2017, that'll see you walk out the door with one for $48,990 – which is over $4000 off retail after on-road costs.

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