India-bound New Isuzu mu-X SUV With Significant Cosmetic And Mechanical Upgrades Launched In Thailand

• The new mu-X gets a design overhaul as well as mechanical upgrades.

• It gets a new 3.0-litre diesel engine which puts out 190PS and 450Nm.

• The previous-gen model is yet to receive BS6 updates in India. Website says ‘coming soon.’

• The new-gen mu-X is expected to arrive in India by 2021.

Isuzu has launched the next-gen mu-X in Thailand. The full-size, body-on-frame SUV is a derivative of the D-Max pickup truck. The Toyota Fortuner-rivalling SUV gets a complete makeover in terms of design, interior comforts, and body dimensions. 

Bigger, taller, and wider than the outgoing model, the mu-X is 4,850mm long, 1,870mm wide, and 1,875mm tall. The SUV now gets a cleaner design than the rough-edged outgoing model. This is emphasised by the sharp character line running across the side of the SUV and a more practical quarter-glass which could make the third row more airier. The front fascia gets a sleeker grille and bi-LED projector headlamps, while the rear gets sharper wrap-around tail lights. The mu-X also comes with the option of 20-inch wheels and overall, it looks sportier and more than the old-school appearance of the older model.

The increase in length is claimed to have added more space to the cabin, which also has increased comfort. It now gets improved materials, a dual-tone interior theme and added creature comforts. These include electric parking brake, electric tailgate, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and traction control system with two drive modes. It will also feature level one autonomous tech with  systems like adaptive cruise control and parallel park assist, first seen in the MG Gloster in this segment. 

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Despite there being no change in the displacement of the engine, the new 3.0-litre diesel mill is more powerful than the one powering the older model. It puts out 190PS and 450Nm whereas the older version produced 177PS and 380Nm. A 6-speed automatic gearbox will be offered as standard, sending the power to all four wheels. The fuel tank capacity has also been increased from 60 litres to 80 litres.

The previous-gen India-spec model is yet to be updated to be made BS6-compliant and has been discontinued since the emission norms kicked in in April 2020. The Isuzu website, however, says ‘Coming soon,’ so expect it to be launched in the coming weeks as Isuzu’s BS6 updates were delayed due to the pandemic. There is a possibility that Isuzu will directly launch the new-gen model in India.