2017 Isuzu MU-X LS-U (4×2) review

The drivetrain is excellent. The tireless diesel and six-speed auto are a great pairing, although active cruise control would be nice.

The interior is spot on with plenty of storage, great seats for up to seven, fabulous dual air-con for those hot days, and sat-nav that works well. The general fit and build quality are excellent, and this car has everything we need and nothing we don't. What can I say? We love it.

After almost 30,000km nothing has played up, malfunctioned or failed. The service intervals are every 10,000km, with oil changes scheduled for every 20,000km, but I have the engine oil and filter changed every 10,000km for my own peace of mind.

I don't think my MU-X can be beaten for value for money.

I can't comment on off-road ability as it's a 4×2, which is all we need for our use. On unmade roads the ride is excellent, but on-road it soaks up bumps effortlessly while maintaining decent handling.

All-round vision is excellent. The reversing camera gives a great view of the tow bar, which makes hitching up a trailer or van a breeze.

Today, we drove from Forster to Armidale using little fuel.

A handy feature is that on downhill runs, softly applying the brake will kick back a gear or two and help keep the speed from building up – a feature I find really handy. The hill-hold function is much simpler to use than the RAV4's. Just apply the brake, apply throttle and away you go.

The grandkids love "sitting in the boot". The third row of seats, although seldom used, is simple to deploy and roomy for the smaller humans in our life, complete with cupholders for that row. The dual air-con spoils us on those hot days, bringing down the temp to a comfortable level very quickly.

This car is perfect for our needs, with all the creature comforts but without overdoing anything. I can't recommend it more highly.