2025 Isuzu MU-X LS-M 1.9L 4×4 review

It’s a remarkable statistic in the Australian new car landscape. Entrenched well within the top 10 in terms of annual sales, Japanese brand Isuzu is the very definition of punching above its weight.

Why so remarkable? Because it sells exactly two models, the evergreen and popular D-Max dual-cab ute, and the car we have here, the Isuzu MU-X seven-seat SUV.

It’d be easy to suggest that the bulk of Isuzu's near 50,000 annual sales come from the D-Max ute, but it might surprise you to learn that almost 40 per cent (37.3 per cent in 2024) of sales are made up by its twin-under-the skin MU-X SUV.

To keep things fresh, Isuzu updated the MU-X mid last year, the biggest change being the introduction of a smaller, more efficient 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine to the range. It joined the wider MU-X line-up’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, long a stalwart of the off-road and long-distance touring and towing set.

Isuzu then went all out and gifted the MU-X a proper facelift earlier this year, bringing widespread changes to its trim, design, and technology attributes.

The existing 1.9-litre engine is not an entirely unfamiliar engine, with the 1.9-litre unit already available in the D-Max ute, and in its twin-under-the-skin Mazda BT-50 range, before it made its way under the MU-X's bonnet.

As you’d expect, there are savings at the fuel pump, while the price of entry is also marginally lower than its 3.0-litre brethren. But is that enough to lure buyers away from the bigger and more powerful 3.0-litre unit?

The Isuzu MU-X range is long and broad, with both two- and four-wheel-drive variants across three trim levels, not to mention the choice of 1.9- or 3.0-litre engine options.

Adding the 1.9-litre four-pot to the range expanded the line-up by three variants – one rear-wheel-drive (MU-X LS-M), and two four-wheel-drive (MU-X LS-M and MU-X LS-U).

Pricing starts at $48,400 plus-on-road costs for the rear-wheel-drive LS-M 1.9L, although Isuzu regularly runs sharp drive-away pricing on select model grades, the LS-M 4x2 being one of them, priced at $46,990 nationwide at the time of publish.

Opting for four-wheel drive with the LS-M 4x4 1.9L bumps the price to $54,400 before on-road costs with no current drive-away offers. It’s the model we have on test here.

Sitting atop the MU-X 1.9L tree, the LS-U 4x4 asks for $61,400 before on-road costs.

The conundrum buyers face is that for each 1.9-litre model, the equivalent 3.0-litre model can be had for just an extra $2000 and brings with it more power, more torque and greater towing capacity, leaving the smaller-engined MU-X trading heavily on its selling point of improved fuel consumption.

Equipment is as you’d expect from an entry-level model and that means cloth seats, a polyurethane steering wheel and gear selector, manually adjustable front seats, manual air conditioning, and a four-speaker sound system. There’s also an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, push-button start and keyless entry.

Externally, there are 17-inch alloys clad in all-terrain tyres, automatic LED headlights and LED daytime running lights, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, side steps, and front-mounted steel skid-plate.

Like-for-like rivals, and that means ute-based ladder-on-frame seven-seaters, include the 154kW/500Nm Ford Everest Ambiente 4x4 from $59,240, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLS 4x4 with 133kW/430Nm priced at $56,890 or the 150kW/500Nm Toyota Fortuner GX 4x4 from $53,775. All prices are before on-road costs.

That leaves the MU-X 1.9L giving its rivals a fair head start in terms of outputs, while the Toyota alone undercuts the Isuzu on price.

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The cabin of the MU-X in this trim level is pretty basic, with cloth seats, hard scratchy plastics everywhere, and even the polyurethane steering wheel and gear lever devoid of any kind of softness. Only the dash-top and storage bin lid show any concession to tactility, with soft materials and contrast stitching.

The MU-X covers off the basics with a small but reasonably deep central storage bin, and a pair of cupholders in the centre console augmented by an additional retractable cupholder on each side of the dash. There’s a smartphone-sized storage tray ahead of the gear lever, and big door pockets that can easily swallow bottles. The glovebox is on the small side.

The seats themselves, manually adjustable, are firmer than you’d expect and are left a bit wanting in terms of providing bolster and support. They’re comfortable to a point, but that inherent firmness is keenly felt, especially after longer stretches behind the wheel.

Second-row comfort is acceptable, with again firm seat bases. But there’s ample room in all key areas, even if the kind of amenities we’ve come to expect in modern vehicles fall a little short.

Yes, there are cupholders in a fold-down armrest, and the door pockets can take bottles, but there are no distinct climate controls, with air vents in the ceiling and a dial for adjusting fan speed the only concessions to ambient comfort.

For those with little ones, the outboard seats are fitted with ISOFIX child seat mounts, while all three seat backs are equipped with top-tether anchors.

Pleasingly, a smaller than expected drivetrain tunnel minimises the impact on available foot space, especially for anyone sitting in the middle pew. The second-row seats are fixed in place in terms of fore and aft movement, although the seatbacks can be tilted for a modicum of comfort.

A clever tilt-and-tumble function on the second row opens a good-sized aperture for climbing into the third row of seating, and ranks among the better applications of its ilk.

Space is adequate for third-row passengers. It’s not the most comfortable third row I’ve sat in, but nor is it the most uncomfortable. There’s a good amount of foot room under the seat in front and a little manspreading is needed to avoid knees hard-up against the seatbacks.

Smaller adults will be fine, as will kids out of a child restraint seats, and the latter will need to be as there are no ISOFIX or top-tether child seat mounts in the third row.

Amenities include cupholders and air vents as well as a pair of small storage cubbies.

With all three rows of seating in use, there’s still a handy 311 litres of boot space. That expands to 1119L with the third row folded away and a whopping 2138L with the second row stowed. Lift up the boot floor and you’re met by another smaller, slimmer storage area ideal for hiding laptop bags and handbags away from prying eyes.

A full-size steel spare wheel hangs off the MU-X’s undercarriage.

An 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is home to the MU-X LS-M’s bare-bones infotainment system. Fundamentally a host to wireless (and wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Bluetooth connectivity, the MU-X’s native operating system doesn't offer much in the way of features.

There’s no satellite navigation, and while the full gamut of radio bandwidths – AM/FM/DAB+ – are present, the lacklustre four-speaker sound system isn’t a standout for sound clarity and richness.

A single USB Type-C outlet located in the touchscreen provides charging and smartphone mirroring option, something you’ll be grateful for after numerous fruitless attempts to connect Apple CarPlay wirelessly. There’s also a 12V plug located in the centre console. Second-row passengers score an additional two USB Type-C plugs.

Bonus marks to Isuzu, however, for tactile dials for volume and radio tuning, and while air conditioning is of the older manual variety, it is accessed via generously large dials and buttons.

The instrument display blends traditional dials with a small 4.0-inch screen nestled between that scrolls through a variety of driving and trip data. It’s useful without being cutting-edge contemporary.

There is no smartphone mirroring companion app for the Isuzu MU-X.

ANCAP awarded the MU-X a five-star safety rating based on 2022 testing protocols.

Crash-testing saw the MU-X achieve scores of 86 per cent in adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child occupants, 69 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and its safety assist systems were rated at 84 per cent.

Isuzu’s full complement of safety and advanced driver assist systems help to underpin the MU-X’s five-star ANCAP rating.

Dubbed IDAS (Intelligent Driver Assistance System), the suite includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and brake, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, traffic sign recognition, driver attention monitoring, a rear-view camera, and rear parking sensors.

Missing from the safety spec sheet are things like tyre pressure monitoring, front parking sensors and a 360-degree camera, all available on models higher up the MU-X food chain.

Some of the MU-X’s safety and driver assist systems are in need of recalibration. I experienced several AEB false positives, the system picking up parked cars, while the adaptive cruise control wasn’t the most refined and struggled to maintain a set speed consistently.

Isuzu covers the MU-X with its standard six-year/150,000km warranty which, while good on time, is below par on distance. Both Ford and Toyota offer five years and unlimited kilometres, while Mitsubishi trumps the MU-X with its 10-year/200,000km surety.

Service intervals are scheduled for 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, with pricing capped at $469 per visit to the workshop for the first five years or 75,000km. That’s a total of $2345 for the first five years, a figure easily trumped by Ford that asks for $1516 to maintain its Everest over the same time.

And while the Toyota Fortuner seems the most affordable to service on paper, with visits to the workshop costing just $305 a pop, it’s worth noting that service intervals are far less generous, spaced out at six months or 10,000km.

One of the advantages of the smaller 1.9-litre diesel comes at the bowser, with Isuzu claiming a fuel number of just 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle. That compares favourably measured against 3.0-litre variants that Isuzu says will use 8.3L/100km.

Our week with the MU-X LS-M 1.9L returned an indicated 8.5L/100km over almost 500km of motoring covering a wide range of scenarios – from city traffic to suburban weekend touring and a decently long highway run.

I did note that number drop as low as 7.8L/100km after a long stint on the motorway, but once back in traffic, consumption climbed back up to 8.4L/100km. For context, a recent Drive road test in the bigger capacity 3.0-litre MU-X LS-M saw an indicated 9.2L/100km.

The MU-X’s 80-litre tank demands diesel.

The key stats for the Isuzu MU-X’s powertrain run to a 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel making 110kW at 3600rpm and 350Nm between 1800–2600rpm. A six-speed automatic transmission sends those outputs to Isuzu’s part-time four-wheel-drive system.

And straight off the bat, the 1.9-litre feels a little underpowered for hauling a big 2065kg seven-seat SUV.

Initial acceleration from standstill is best described as okay. It’s not lively, by any stretch, but there’s certainly enough on tap for around town and suburban driving without the engine feeling overly stressed.

Once speeds climb, however, the 1.9-litre’s meagre outputs see the MU-X run out of puff and pretty quickly. Accelerating from, say, 70km/h to motorway cruising speed of 100km/h takes an eternity, accompanied by a soundtrack of diesel clatter and without much to show for it.

Once up to speed, things settle down markedly, the smaller engine turning over at around 1800–1900rpm and without too much fuss floating into the cabin.

The six-speed auto rows through the gears pretty smoothly around town, but does get a little busy at even the slightest incline on the road, down-shifting two or even three times in quick succession in a bid to keep the 1.9-litre in its optimal torque band.

And it’s the same out on the highway at 100km/h. Head even slightly uphill, and an engine that was tootling along reasonably quietly at just under 2000rpm will suddenly surge close to 3000rpm as the transmission effects its downshifts to try and maintain momentum. Simply, it’s not the most refined combination; one that filters into the cabin with noise and bluster which gets a little tiring after a while.

The suspension set-up has been nicely tuned to offer decent levels of ride comfort. Around town, the everyday lumps and bumps that are the hallmarks of Australian roads are dealt with easily, while navigating larger obstacles such as speed humps sees the big SUV settle back down on its wheels nicely.

The steering feels nice and light, making for an easier time navigating city streets. But it lacks the sharp directness we’ve come to expect from modern vehicles of all types, requiring greater inputs from the driver to effect directional changes.

Our time with this MU-X didn’t allow for any off-roading to see how the smaller engine fares when the going gets rough.

But the same part-time four-wheel-drive system that underpins the broader Isuzu range is present, and that means a lockable rear differential along with 4H and 4L drive modes. Plus, there's a Rough Terrain mode that works in tandem with the MU-X’s ABS to send torque to the wheels that need it when navigating especially gnarly ground. While I didn't get to try it out this time around, past experience shows that this is a capable system.

The smaller 1.9-litre engine means the MU-X in this spec gives away towing capacity to its larger-engined siblings.

Isuzu claims capacities of 3000kg braked and 750kg unbraked, down from the 3500kg/750kg capacities enjoyed by variants with the bigger 3.0-litre turbo-diesel. The downball weight is rated to 300kg, down 50kg on the bigger engine.

With the 1.9-litre engine around 80kg lighter than its bigger cousin, the MU-X LS-M 1.9L enjoys a greater payload – the maximum allowable weight of people, their luggage and any accessories (such as bullbars) the MU-X is rated to carry – of 735kg.

Other numbers to consider are the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2800kg (kerb weight of 2065kg plus payload of 735kg) and gross combination mass (GCM) of 5500kg.

That means if you’re planning on towing a trailer at the maximum allowable weight of 3000kg, then your payload is reduced to 435kg. That reduced payload still needs to cover any and all people on board, anything else loaded into the car, as well as any accessories fitted to the car.

The easy suggestion here is that if your needs run to regular towing, you’re likely to be better served by the MU-X variants with the bigger 3.0-litre engine and their increased capacities.

The Isuzu MU-X LS-M 1.9L is firmly one for the budget-conscious buyer looking to get into a seven-seat SUV. Its best work is arguably done around town and it remains off-road capable (you can read our off-road-focused review here).

But there are some shortcomings that dull the overall experience. The 1.9-litre, while perfectly adequate in urban environments, does feel a little underdone at times, and the six-speed automatic is a little busy in its constant hunt for power and torque.

On the plus side, a five-star ANCAP safety rating will appeal to fleet buyers who will also, no doubt, enjoy the decent fuel economy afforded by the smaller diesel.

However, it’s difficult to not recommend spending the extra $2000 on the 3.0-litre diesel which, while marginally less refined in its application, offers improved overall performance and a more relaxed driving experience, along with greater towing ability, all for not much more money.