Isuzu MU-X 2024 Tow Test

The Isuzu MU-X large SUV, like its ute-based sibling, the D-MAX, has gained a solid following in the towing market. So much so that the importer, Isuzu Ute Australia, is now among the top 10 brands in the Aussie market. The MU-X has proven itself to be versatile performer and is certainly in its element when on a long-distance tour with a van hitched behind.

In the hotly contested market of harder-core, ladder-frame large SUVs in Australia, the 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X is one of the most cost-effective.

Prices currently start from $48,900 plus on-road costs for the MU-X LS-M 4x2, then continue up through the three grades of 4x2 until you get to the 4x4s that start from $54,900.

Our test vehicle for this trip was the top-spec MY23 LS-T, which has a recommended retail price of $67,400 plus ORCs. At the time of writing, Isuzu Ute also had the LS-T 4x4 at a special drive-away price of $65,990.

There’s an MY24 update coming soon, bringing modest price increases lower down in the range, however the LS-T will become $2000 more expensive. The headline news with the 2024 model year is the introduction of a smaller 1.9-litre diesel engine option.

Optional extras fitted to our vehicle included a tow bar kit ($1182.25), 12-pin plug ($393.25), electronic brake controller ($896.05), Clearview extendable mirrors ($1585) and rubber mats ($249.65). Premium paint in the Galaxy Blue colour was listed as an extra $650.

The accessories fitted attracted an accessory stamp duty of $136.06.

As tested, our MU-X came in at $71,082.27 drive-away.

The Isuzu MU-X comes with a comprehensive six-year/150,000km warranty, seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped-price servicing.

The 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T is a seven-seater with what is claimed to be the most cargo space in the segment.

On offer is 311 litres of luggage space with all seats up, 1119 litres with the third row down, and 2138 litres with the second and third row folded flat.

The LS-T is also a full 4x4 in the traditional sense, in that it has a part-time four-wheel drive system with a two-speed transfer case, and extra traction in the form of a rear diff lock. The Terrain Command shift system means you can shift from 2H to 4H at speeds of up to 100km/h, which can be handy if you’re transitioning from bitumen to dirt roads.

Suspension is five-link coil with stabiliser bar in the rear and independent double-wishbone coil up front. It’s a good combination and well suited to Australian road conditions.

Highlights in the cabin include electric heated seats up front, rear cooling vents to the rear and plenty of storage all around, as well as pull-out drink holders for the front-seat occupants.

As the flagship model, the LS-T also features 20-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, power-adjustable and heated front seats, remote engine start and LED ambient interior lighting.

The 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X has a five-star ANCAP rating – based on testing conducted in 2022 – and comes equipped with many useful safety features.

These include an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), traction control, rollover mitigation, hill start assist, hill descent control and trailer sway control.

There is also active cruise control, lane departure warning and lane departure prevention where the vehicle will actively try to keep you in the lane. This can be switched off as it can be quite intrusive.

Also standard is a reversing camera with dynamic guidelines, front and rear parking sensors, as well as cross traffic alert that together with the blind spot monitoring system is switched off when you’re towing.

Eight airbags are also fitted across the cabin.

The 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T, despite its rugged persona, is up-to-date with plenty of tech.

It offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a 9.0-inch touch-screen display.

There is also a standard GPS mapping system that I found a little tricky to use, so I stuck to the Apple CarPlay, which was easier. Certainly, if you owned one of these vehicles, the GPS would become more intuitive but for me it was Apple all the way.

Other modern tech on-board includes voice control, plenty of trip information so you can manage your journey, and handy features such as tyre pressure monitoring.

The flagship 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T is powered by the proven and rugged Isuzu 4JJ3-TCX 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, which is a four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve engine with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

It’s an engine originally built for commercial vehicles so it’s built to last. Power is quoted at 140kW at 3600rpm and torque is 450Nm from 1600-2600rpm.

Around town, without towing, the 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T is frugal. We recorded 8.5L/100km in a mixture of freeway and urban driving – just above the 8.3L/100km combined-cycle figure quoted by the manufacturer.

Put the trailer on the back and consumption jumps to around 14-15L/100km. We did a long journey of around 3200km with the two tonne plus caravan on the back and got an overall figure of 14.2L/100km.

The worst split we recorded was 15.4L/100km on a run from Pambula in NSW to Lakes Entrance in Victoria, which is around 260km. It was a hilly run and we were bucking a bit of a headwind so it was more of a worst-case scenario.

Overall, it’s a pretty economical vehicle whether you’re towing or not.

Isuzu has done a fair bit of work on the suspension of its ute-based SUV, and it shows. The 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T is a very comfortable vehicle around town.

The leather seats are comfortable and it’s really easy to get a good driving position.

The engine is a bit rattly and loud compared to some of its competition, but it does feel solid and gives the driver a sense of security – or maybe I just like driving trucks.

I found the driver aids a little intrusive with the lane departure system a bit too sensitive and the collision avoidance went off a bit too frequently for my liking – but I guess that’s better than them being not sensitive enough!

The steering and brakes are great and, overall, it’s an easy vehicle to get used to and easy to drive.

The 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T makes an excellent tow tug. It has sufficient power and torque to haul my van, which weighs a bit over two tonnes and has a ball weight of around 215kg.

At that ball weight, there is still plenty of travel left in the suspension. It’s not like some other vehicles I have towed with that are virtually on the bump stops when you put a van on the back.

Handling with the van on the back is similarly good. It rides flat and doesn’t have too much of a ‘nose-up’ aspect. It corners flat and handles the twisty bits nicely.

One thing that I found was that on the hills it would often not kick down from sixth gear to fifth, but skip-shift down to fourth. This meant it would go from around 1600rpm at 105km/h up to 2600rpm and then hold fourth a little too long for my liking.

Sometimes, I’d have to slip the shifter over to the right into manual mode and flick it up into fifth myself to quieten the engine noise down a bit.

It’s not a big thing and it may be that I’m used to the 10-speed auto on my Ford Everest, but it was a little annoying.

Finally, special mention must go to the optional Clearview mirrors. These are extendable mirrors that replace the original wing mirrors, and they are great. They work with the original remote controls and have an inbuilt indicator.

When you’re towing, you simply pull them out to extend them and when the trailer is off, you simply push them back in.

They’re not the big, bulky aftermarket ones that make your vehicle look like Dumbo the Elephant; they’re compact and they work a treat. Although you'll still want to press the button in the side door to electronically fold them in when parked up on suburban streets at night, to avoid any side-swipes from passing cars as they do stick out a bit more than the factory mirrors.

The interior of the 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T is easy to live with. It’s big, and there's plenty of room for all your gear, and then some.

Practical things like a 12-volt socket in the rear for your car fridge are handy when touring.

The dash is well-laid-out and easy to work with, and the heated seats would be great in winter.

We didn’t use the second, or even the third row of seats as we mainly had them folded down, but they did look nice and there is plenty of amenity back there for the passengers.

Yeah, why not. The 2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T is a good-value, tough and reliable wagon that should give you many miles of happy motoring and towing.

It’s comfortable, has many of the modern features that people are looking for in an SUV, and more.

As a towing vehicle, the MU-X has solid credentials. The suspension doesn’t need a full rebuild. Unless you’re towing a big 20ft-plus van, you shouldn’t need to do much at all. Maybe a set of airbags in the back springs could help, but if you’re towing something like I had on the back, you can get away with the factory suspension.

The MU-X is rated to 3500kg and, based on my own experience and talking to current owners on this trip, it should be able to handle that. But keep it a bit under that figure and you’ll have a good towing experience with the MU-X.

And don’t forget to tick the box for the extendable mirrors.

2024 (MY23) Isuzu MU-X LS-T 4x4 at a glance:
Price: $65,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 220g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)