Isuzu MU-7 review, test drive

Japanese manufacturer Isuzu, present in India in the commercial space, has introduced its first product for the passenger car market with the MU-7. This new SUV, with its 3.0-litre engine, 210mm ground clearance and almost five-metre length, is gargantuan. It will compete in the crowded segment against the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, SsangYong Rexton and the Ford Endeavour.  

Based on Isuzu’s internationally popular D-Max pickup, the MU-7 is assembled here from completely knocked-down (CKD) kits at Hindustan Motors’ plant in Chennai, with plans to shift production to Isuzu’s upcoming Rs 1500-crore plant in Andhra Pradesh.

Unfortunately, the company has only two dealerships for now – one in Hyderabad and another in Coimbatore – which limits its customer reach.

We got behind the wheel of this Rs 24.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Hyderabad) 4x2, manual-transmission variant of the MU-7 to find out if the chaps at Toyota, Ford and SsangYong have anything to worry about.